1.
rice plant
The plant that produces rice grains.
2.
rice paddy, rice crop
Rice as it grows in the field.
稲 refers specifically to the rice plant as it grows in paddy fields. Japanese has distinct words for rice at each stage of processing, and 稲 covers the living plant.
RICE TERMINOLOGY:
- 稲: rice plant (growing in the field)
- 籾: unhulled rice (after harvest)
- 玄米: brown rice (hulled but unpolished)
- 米: rice (white, uncooked grain)
- ご飯: cooked rice, meal
COMMON COMPOUNDS:
- 稲刈り: rice harvesting
- 稲穂: ear of rice
- 稲作: rice cultivation
- 水稲: wet-paddy rice
CULTURAL NOTE:
Rice cultivation has been central to Japanese culture for millennia. 稲 appears in many place names and is associated with autumn harvest imagery. The drooping 稲穂 is a symbol of abundance and humility.