Japanese

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For pronunciation and definitions of へちま – see the following entry.
糸瓜
[noun] a sponge gourd; a dishrag gourd; a rag gourd
[noun] a loofah (dried fibrous interior used as a sponge)
Alternative spellings
天糸瓜, ヘチマ
(This term, へちま (hechima), is the hiragana spelling of the above term.)