母子草

Japanese

Kanji in this term
母	子	草
はは Grade: 2	こ Grade: 1	くさ > ぐさ Grade: 1
kun'yomi

Etymology

Literally, “mother and child grass”, 母子(ははこ) (hahako, “mother and child”) + 草(くさ) (kusa, “grass, plant”). The kusa changes to gusa as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ha̠ha̠ko̞ɡɯ̟sa̠]

Noun

母(はは)子(こ)草(ぐさ) or 母子草(ハハコグサ) • (hahakogusa) 

1. Pseudognaphalium affine, a species of cudweed

   Synonym: 御形 (gogyō)

Usage notes

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