木綿

Compound of 木 (ki, “tree”) +‎ 綿 (wata, “batting”).

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) き​わた [kíꜜwàtà] (Atamadaka – [1])[1]
  • IPA^(key): [kʲiɰᵝa̠ta̠]

木綿 (hiragana きわた, katakana キワタ, rōmaji kiwata)

1. Bombax ceiba, a species of silk-cotton tree

   Synonym: パンヤの木 (pan'ya no ki)

2. cotton wool, as opposed to 真綿 (mawata, “silk wadding”)

   Synonym: 綿花 (menka)

木綿 (hiragana きわた, rōmaji Kiwata)

1. A surname​.

/mokumen/ → */momːen/ → /momen/

Alteration of mokumen, itself derived from Middle Chinese elements 木 (moku, “tree”) + 綿 (men, “cotton”).

• (Irregular reading)
  • (Tokyo) もめん [mòméń] (Heiban – [0])[1][2]
  • IPA^(key): [mo̞mẽ̞ɴ]

木綿 (hiragana もめん, rōmaji momen)

1. cotton (fibre extracted from cotton seeds)

   Synonyms: コットン (kotton), 綿 (men)

2. Short for 木綿糸 (momen ito): cotton thread
3. Short for 木綿織り (momen-ori): an object woven from cotton

木綿 (hiragana もめん, rōmaji Momen)

1. a female given name
2. A surname​.

/jupu/ → /jufu/ → */juwu/ → /juː/

From Old Japanese.

Possibly from the verb 結う (yuu, “to tie up”), from the way such strings are used to tie sakaki branches in Shinto rituals. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?) Compare the development of 夕 (yū, “evening”).

The kanji spelling is an example of jukujikun (熟字訓), likely from the similar texture and consistency of cotton.

• (Irregular reading)
  • (Tokyo) ゆ​う [yúꜜù] (Atamadaka – [1])[1][2]
  • IPA^(key): [jɯ̟ᵝː]

木綿 (hiragana ゆう, rōmaji yuu, historical hiragana ゆふ)

1. string made from the fibres of a paper mulberry bark

• 楮 (コウゾ) (kōzo, “paper mulberry tree”)

木綿 (hiragana ゆう, rōmaji Yuu, historical hiragana ゆふ)

1. a female given name

木綿 • (mongmyeon) (hangeul 목면)

1. Hanja form^? of 목면 (“cotton”).