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麹 represents yeast or leaven: the fermentation starter koji, used extensively in producing alcoholic beverages, soy sauce, and various fermented foods across East Asia. Structurally, it is a phono-semantic compound: the left-side radical 麦, meaning wheat or grain, points directly to the agricultural raw materials typically used in fermentation, while the right-side component 匊 serves as the phonetic marker, guiding the pronunciation. The character's traditional form, 麴, replaces the simplified radical 麦 with the more complex traditional 麥, retaining the same phonetic element 匊; both versions share the identical meaning of a fermentation and brewing ingredient.
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