桂花

Adaptation of 桂 (guì) to distinguish the osmanthus from the 肉桂 (ròuguì, “cassia; Chinese cinnamon”).

桂花

1. sweet osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans)

• 木樨 (mùxī)

桂花

1. (～村) Guihua (a village in Zhonglu, Lichuan, Enshi, Hubei, China)

• On’yomi: Kan’on
  • IPA^(key): [ke̞ːka̠]

• 桂華 (rare)

*/kweːkwa/ → /keːkwa/ → /keːka/

From Middle Chinese compound 桂花 (kuei^H xwæ, literally “cassia; osmanthus + flower”). Compare modern Min Nan reading kùi-hoe.

桂花 (hiragana けいか, rōmaji keika, historical hiragana けいくわ)

1. sweet osmanthus
2. the flowers of the sweet osmanthus

The term 桂花 is generally reserved for compounds. The tree and the flowers are usually distinguished within Japan between the white-blossoming 銀木犀 (ginmokusei, “silver osmanthus”) and the orange-blossoming 金木犀 (kinmokusei, “gold osmanthus”), with the latter being more popular.

• 金木犀 (きんもくせい) (kinmokusei): gold osmanthus
• 銀木犀 (ぎんもくせい) (ginmokusei): silver osmanthus
• 木犀 (もくせい) (mokusei): Osmanthus fragrans in general

From a Chinese legend that the phases of the moon were caused by kei trees (桂, general name for Lauraceae and other fragrant trees), which would bud, blossom, then drop their flowers and leaves again as if in accelerated seasons. Literally, “kei flower”, likening the phases of the moon to the budding and blooming of the trees.[1]

桂花 (hiragana けいか, rōmaji keika, historical hiragana けいくわ)

1. (euphemistic) the moon