桔

jié, jú

吉 + 木

Definitions

jú (noun) Mandarin orange; tangerine

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 木 represents the meaning and 吉 represents the sound.

Semantic: 木 Phonetic: 吉

About

桔 is a phonosemantic compound combining 木 (mù) 'wood' on the left as the semantic component and 吉 (jí) on the right for the sound. It has two distinct uses. Pronounced jié, it refers to a traditional wooden well-sweep for drawing water, a straightforward match with the wood radical. Far more commonly read as jú, it is a widely accepted simplified form of 橘, the tangerine or mandarin orange tree, where 木 again signals a woody, fruit-bearing plant.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)

Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

桔子很好吃。

Júzi hěn hǎochī.

Oranges are delicious.

我买了一个桔子。

Wǒ mǎile yī gè júzi.

I bought an orange.

桔汁是健康的饮料。

Júzhī shì jiànkāng de yǐnliào.

Orange juice is a healthy drink.

你不喜欢桔子吗？

Nǐ bù xǐhuān júzi ma?

Don't you like oranges?

妈妈用桔皮做了香料。

Māma yòng júpí zuòle xiāngliào.

Mom made spice with orange peel.

桔子树在春天开花。

Júzi shù zài chūntiān kāihuā.

Orange trees bloom in spring.

虽然桔子有点酸，但我还是吃了。

Suīrán júzi yǒudiǎn suān, dàn wǒ háishì chīle.

Although the orange is a bit sour, I still ate it.

为了补充维生素C，他每天喝一杯桔汁。

Wèile bǔchōng wéishēngsù C, tā měitiān hē yī bēi júzhī.

To supplement vitamin C, he drinks a glass of orange juice every day.

Related Characters

Component: 吉

Component: 木

桔