Japanese

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Kanji in this term
とう
Grade: 4
だい
Grade: 2
くさ > ぐさ
Grade: 1
on'yomi kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
燈臺草 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

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Literally, light house grass, 灯台(とうだい) (tōdai, light house, light pole) + (くさ) (kusa, grass, plant). The kusa changes to gusa as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [to̞ːda̠iɡɯ̟sa̠]

Noun

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(とう)(だい)(ぐさ) or 灯台草(トウダイグサ) (tōdaigusa

  1. sun spurge, Euphorbia helioscopia
  2. spurge (any plant of the genus Euphorbia)

Usage notes

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As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary).