サボテン

Japanese

Alternative spellings
仙人掌 覇王樹

Etymology

Unknown. Perhaps from Portuguese sabão (“soap”), possibly suffixed with 手 (te, “hand; helper; means of an action”), as cactus stems were used by the Portuguese to remove stains. If this derivation is correct, this would represent a sound shift of sabon te → saboten.

The kanji are orthographic borrowing from Chinese 仙人掌 (xiānrénzhǎng) and Chinese 霸王樹／霸王树 (bàwángshù).

First cited to around 1764 as 仙人掌.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) さぼてん [sàbótéń] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [sa̠bo̞tẽ̞ɴ]

Noun

ウチワサボテン: a prickly pear cactus, Opuntia ficus-indica

サボテン or さぼてん • (saboten) 

1. cactus (member of the Cactaceae family)

   Synonym: シャボテン (shaboten)

   ウチワサボテン

   uchiwa saboten

   opuntia, prickly pear (literally, “hand-fan cactus”)

   • 1986, Nakanishi Yasuo, Taniku shokubutsu [Succulent plants], page 98:

     「これはサボテンでしょう」と言(い)われることが多(おお)い。確(たし)かにサボテンのほうが昔(むかし)からよく知(し)られ、多肉植物(たにくしょくぶつ)という名(めい)は耳新(みみあたら)しく聞(き)こえるかも知(し)れない。サボテンと多肉植物(たにくしょくぶつ)と言(い)い方(かた)がある。

     “Kore wa saboten deshō” to iwareru koto ga ōi. Tashikani saboten no hō ga mukashi kara yoku shirare, taniku shokubutsu to iu mei wa mimi atarashiku kikoeru kamoshirenai. Saboten to taniku shokubutsu to ii kata ga aru.

     Many people say, “These are cactus, right.” Of course, the word cactus has been known for a long time, and succulent plants may be new to your ears. They are called both cactus and succulents.

See also

• シャボン (shabon, “soap”)
• 仙(せん)人(にん) (sennin)

Further reading

• Entry at Nihon Jiten (in Japanese)