撫子

Japanese

撫子: a common pink, Dianthus plumarius; known as 竜田撫子 (Tatsuta nadeshiko) in Japanese

Kanji in this term
撫	子
な(でし) Jinmeiyō	こ Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Alternative spelling
瞿麦 (rare, only for the "pink" sense)

Etymology

⟨nade si ko₁⟩ → /nadeɕiko/

From Old Japanese, first attested in the Izumo-no-kuni Fudoki (733 CE).

Originally derived from 撫で (nade), the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, stem or continuative form) of classical verb 撫づ (nadu), modern 撫でる (naderu, “to brush, stroke, or caress gently”) + し (-shi, continuative suffix) + 子 (-ko, diminutive and feminine suffix).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) なで​しこ [nàdéꜜshìkò] (Nakadaka – [2])
• IPA^(key): [na̠de̞ɕiko̞]

Noun

撫(なでし)子(こ) or 撫子(ナデシコ) • (nadeshiko) 

1. [from 733] 瞿麦: pink (any flower of the genus Dianthus); especially, the 河原撫子 (kawara nadeshiko, “fringed pink, large pink”, Dianthus superbus)

   Synonyms: 野撫子 (no-nadeshiko), 大和撫子 (Yamato nadeshiko)

   • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 19, poem 4231:
     , text here

     奈泥之故(なでしこ)波(は)秋咲物(あきさくもの)乎(を)君(きみが)宅(いへ)之(の)雪(ゆきの)巌(いはほ)尓(に)左家理家流可母(さけりけるかも) [Man'yōgana]

     なでしこは秋(あき)咲(さ)くものを君(きみ)が家(いへ)の雪(ゆき)の巌(いはほ)に咲(さ)けりけるかも [Modern spelling]

     nadeshiko wa aki-saku mono o kimi ga ie no yuki no iwao ni sakerikeru ka mo

     Pinks are flowers that bloom in fall, but at your house they bloom on a snow mountain.

2. [from late 900s] Short for 撫子襲 (nadeshiko-gasane): a style of layering garments, with the front layer in the color of 紅梅 (kōbai, “red plum or apricot”), and the back with blue (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)
3. [from late 1300s] a style of 家紋 (kamon, “family crest”), another name for 常夏 (tokonatsu)
4. [from late 900s] a lovable, caressable child

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 撫(なでし)子(こ)合(あ)わせ (nadeshiko-awase)
• 撫(なでし)子(こ)色(いろ) (nadeshiko-iro)
• 撫(ナデシ)子(コ)貝(ガイ) (nadeshikogai)
• なでしこジャパン (Nadeshiko Japan): nickname of Japan women’s national football team
• 撫(なでし)子(こ)の若(わか)葉(ば)の色(いろ) (nadeshiko no wakaba no iro)
• 撫(なでし)子(こ)銘柄(めいがら) (Nadeshiko-meigara)
• アメリカ撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Amerika nadeshiko), 髭(ヒゲ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ), 鬚(ヒゲ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (hige nadeshiko), 美(ビ)女(ジョ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (bijo nadeshiko)
• 伊勢(イセ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Ise nadeshiko)
• 唐(カラ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (kara nadeshiko, “China pink”, Dianthus chinensis)
• 河原(カワラ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (kawara nadeshiko, “large pink”, Dianthus superbus)
• 小(コ)米(ゴメ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ)) (kogome nadeshiko))
• 信(シナ)濃(ノ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Shinano nadeshiko), 深(ミ)山(ヤマ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Miyama nadeshiko)
• 麝(ジャ)香(コウ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (jakō nadeshiko), 和蘭(オランダ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Oranda nadeshiko)
• 白(しろ)撫(なでし)子(こ) (shiro nadeshiko)
• 高(タカ)嶺(ネ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (takane nadeshiko)
• 竜(タツ)田(タ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Tatsuta nadeshiko, Dianthus plumarius)
• 野(ノ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (no-nadeshiko)
• 花(はな)撫(なでし)子(こ) (hana nadeshiko)
• 浜(ハマ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (hama nadeshiko), 薩(サツ)摩(マ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Satsuma nadeshiko), 夏(ナツ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (natsu nadeshiko), 藤(フジ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ), 富(フ)士(ジ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (fuji nadeshiko, Dianthus japonicus)
• 姫(ヒメ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (hime nadeshiko)
• 袋(フクロ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (fukuro nadeshiko)
• 紅(ベニ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (beni nadeshiko)
• 細(ホソ)葉(バ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (hosoba nadeshiko)
• 蛍(ホタル)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (hotaru nadeshiko)
• 松(マツ)葉(バ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (matsuba nadeshiko)
• 桔(キ)梗(キョウ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (kikyō nadeshiko)
• 麦(ムギ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (mugi nadeshiko)
• 虫取(ムシトリ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (mushitori nadeshiko), 蠅取(ハエトリ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (haetori nadeshiko)
• 大和(やまと)撫(なでし)子(こ) (Yamato nadeshiko)
• 琉球(リュウキュウ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Ryūkyū nadeshiko)

Proper noun

撫(なでし)子(こ) • (Nadeshiko) 

1. a female given name
2. a surname