About
The character "桔" has a history where its primary function shifted from representing one type of plant to another, primarily through the mechanism of phonetic borrowing. Its structure combines the tree radical (木) with the phonetic component "吉" (jí), which originally contributed to its meaning as a name for a plant with upright stalks, as noted in early dictionaries. Over time, this character was adopted to represent the citrus fruit, the tangerine, a role historically held by the more complex traditional character "橘". This semantic shift established "桔" in a dual role, where it continues to denote the tangerine, especially in common compounds, while its original botanical reference has become largely obsolete.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
桔子很好吃。
我买了一个桔子。
桔汁是健康的饮料。
你不喜欢桔子吗？
妈妈用桔皮做了香料。
桔子树在春天开花。
虽然桔子有点酸，但我还是吃了。
为了补充维生素C，他每天喝一杯桔汁。