蒟蒻

Chinese

		betel
trad. (蒟蒻)		蒟	蒻
simp. #(蒟蒻)		蒟	蒻

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): jǔruò

  (Zhuyin): ㄐㄩˇ ㄖㄨㄛˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): geoi² joek⁶
• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁵ciu-zaq

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jǔruò
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄩˇ ㄖㄨㄛˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jyǔruò
    • Wade–Giles: chü³-jo⁴
    • Yale: jyǔ-rwò
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jeuruoh
    • Palladius: цзюйжо (czjujžo)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕy²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐu̯ɔ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: geoi² joek⁶
    • Yale: géui yeuhk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: goey² joek⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: gêu² yêg⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɵy̯³⁵ jœːk̚²/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁵ciu-zaq
    • MiniDict: ciu^去 zah
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²jy-zaq
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /t͡ɕy³³ zaʔ⁴⁴/

Note: ⁵ciu-zaq - often instead code-switched into Standard Mandarin, and many may not know the intended reading of the term. Alternatives include ⁶jiu-zaq, ⁵ciu-gniaq, ⁵ciu-loq, ⁵ciu-lau, et cetera.

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• Middle Chinese: kjuX|kjuH nyak

Rime
Character	蒟	蒟	蒻
Reading #	1/2	2/2	1/1
Initial (聲)	見 (28)	見 (28)	日 (38)
Final (韻)	虞 (24)	虞 (24)	藥 (107)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)	Departing (H)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Closed	Open
Division (等)	III	III	III
Fanqie	俱雨切	九遇切	而灼切
Baxter	kjuX	kjuH	nyak
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kɨoX/	/kɨoH/	/ȵɨɐk̚/
Pan Wuyun	/kioX/	/kioH/	/ȵiɐk̚/
Shao Rongfen	/kioX/	/kioH/	/ȵʑiɑk̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kuə̆X/	/kuə̆H/	/ȵɨak̚/
Li Rong	/kioX/	/kioH/	/ȵiak̚/
Wang Li	/kĭuX/	/kĭuH/	/ȵʑĭak̚/
Bernard Karlgren	/ki̯uX/	/ki̯uH/	/ȵʑi̯ak̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	jǔ	jù	ruò
Expected Cantonese Reflex	geoi2	geoi3	joek6

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*koʔ|kos  njewɢ/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	蒟	蒟	蒻
Reading #	1/2	2/2	1/1
No.	7101	7106	10949
Phonetic component	句	句	弱
Rime group	侯	侯	藥
Rime subdivision	0	0	2
Corresponding MC rime	矩	屨	若
Old Chinese	/*koʔ/	/*kos/	/*njewɢ/

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

蒟蒻

Konjac

1. konjac (foul-smelling plant grown in Asia, Amorphophallus konjac)
2. (literary, rare) betel and bulrush

   • 其園則有蒟蒻茱萸 [MSC, trad.]
     其园则有蒟蒻茱萸 [MSC, simp.]

     From: Western Jin dynasty, 左思, 蜀都賦

     qí yuán zé yǒu jǔruò zhūyú [Pinyin]

     The garden has betel and bulrush, as well as zhuyu

Synonyms

• (konjac): 魔芋 (móyù), 蒻頭／蒻头 (ruòtóu)

Etymology 2

Pun on 巨弱 (jù ruò, “very weak”).

Noun

蒟蒻

1. (Mainland China, slang, usually self-deprecatory) inexperienced competitor in Chinese science Olympiads (especially informatics olympiads, such as NOI and NOIP)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
蒟	蒻
こん Hyōgai	にゃく Hyōgai
kan'yōon	goon

Alternative spelling
菎蒻

Etymology

Probably from Old Japanese, in turn from Middle Chinese 蒟蒻 (MC kjuX|kjuH nyak). The plant is not native to the Japanese archipelago, and was imported from China.

First cited to the 本草和名 (Honsō Wamyō) of circa 918 CE with the reading konyaku. The geminate reading konnyaku is first cited to a text from 1336.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) こんにゃく [kòńnyáꜜkù] (Nakadaka – [3])
• (Tokyo) こんにゃく [kòńnyákúꜜ] (Odaka – [4])
• IPA^(key): [kõ̞ɲ̟ːa̠kɯ̟]

Noun

蒟(こん)蒻(にゃく) or 蒟蒻(コンニャク) • (konnyaku) 

1. [from 918] 蒟蒻, 菎蒻: konjac (both the plant and the food made from the plant)
2. [from 1775] 蒟蒻: (slang) Short for 蒟蒻島 (Konnyaku-jima): obsolete name for the 新川 (Shingawa) area in modern-day 中央区 (Chūō-ku, “Central Ward”) in Tokyo

Usage notes

• Not to be confused with コニャック (konyakku, “cognac”).

Further reading

• Entry at Gogen-Allguide (in Japanese)