橘

jú

木 + 矞

Definitions

jú mandarin orange (Citrus reticulata); tangerine

Etymology

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

Semantic: 木 Phonetic: 矞

About

橘 is a phono-semantic compound consisting of the semantic radical 木 'tree' on the left and the phonetic component 矞 on the right. The 木 radical signals that the character relates to trees or wood, while 矞 provides its sound. The character denotes the tangerine or mandarin orange tree and its fruit, a fundamental term in Chinese agriculture and cuisine. It appears frequently in classical literature and agricultural texts, referring to this citrus plant native to southern China.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我喜欢吃橘子。

Wǒ xǐhuān chī júzi.

I like to eat oranges.

这个橘子很甜。

Zhège júzi hěn tián.

This orange is very sweet.

妈妈买了一些柑橘。

Māma mǎile yīxiē gānjú.

Mom bought some citrus fruits.

橘子皮可以用来泡茶。

Júzi pí kěyǐ yòng lái pào chá.

Orange peel can be used to make tea.

在夏天，冰镇橘子汁很好喝。

Zài xiàtiān, bīngzhèn júzhī hěn hǎo hē.

In summer, chilled orange juice is very delicious.

如果你去市场，请帮我买几斤橘子。

Rúguǒ nǐ qù shìchǎng, qǐng bāng wǒ mǎi jǐ jīn júzi.

If you go to the market, please buy me a few jin of oranges.

橘子树在春天开白色的小花。

Júzi shù zài chūntiān kāi báisè de xiǎo huā.

Orange trees bloom with small white flowers in spring.

虽然这个橘子看起来有点青，但吃起来却异常香甜。

Suīrán zhège júzi kàn qǐlái yǒudiǎn qīng, dàn chī qǐlái què yìcháng xiāngtián.

Although this orange looks a bit green, it tastes exceptionally sweet and fragrant.

Related Characters

Component: 木

Component: 矞

橘