橙(だいだい)

The word 橙(だいだい) originally refers to the bitter orange fruit, a citrus used in traditional Japanese New Year decorations. The fruit is placed on top of 鏡餅(かがみもち) (stacked rice cakes) because its name is a homophone of 代々(だいだい) (from generation to generation), symbolizing the continuation of the family line.

Common collocations

• 橙色(だいだいいろ) (orange color)
• 橙(だいだい)を飾(かざ)る (to decorate with a bitter orange)
• 鮮(あざ)やかな橙(だいだい) (vivid orange)

Cultural note

In modern Japanese, the imported word オレンジ is more commonly used for the color orange in casual speech, while 橙(だいだい) or 橙色(だいだいいろ) is the traditional Japanese color name. The bitter orange fruit itself is different from the sweet eating orange (蜜柑(みかん)).

Similar words

• オレンジ — orange (loanword; used for both the color and the sweet fruit)
• 蜜柑(みかん) — mandarin orange (the common sweet orange eaten in Japan)
• 柑橘(かんきつ) — citrus (the broader category of citrus fruits)