1.
bitter orange; Seville orange
A citrus fruit (Citrus aurantium) with a sour, bitter taste. Traditionally placed on top of kagami mochi as a New Year's decoration.
鏡餅の上に橙を飾る。
Place a bitter orange on top of the kagami mochi.
橙の果汁は酢の代わりに使われることがある。
Bitter orange juice is sometimes used as a substitute for vinegar.
橙は代々に通じるため縁起が良いとされる。
The bitter orange is considered auspicious because its name sounds like 'from generation to generation.'
2.
orange (color)
The color orange, named after the fruit. Often written as 橙色 for clarity, but 橙 alone can also mean the color.
夕焼けが橙色に染まった。
The sunset was dyed orange.
橙のTシャツを買った。
I bought an orange T-shirt.
信号が橙色に変わったら注意して進んでください。
When the traffic light turns orange, proceed with caution.
The word 橙 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 (stacked rice cakes) because its name is a homophone of 代々 (from generation to generation), symbolizing the continuation of the family line.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 橙色 (orange color)
- 橙を飾る (to decorate with a bitter orange)
- 鮮やかな橙 (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 or 橙色 is the traditional Japanese color name. The bitter orange fruit itself is different from the sweet eating orange (蜜柑).
SIMILAR WORDS:
- オレンジ — orange (loanword; used for both the color and the sweet fruit)
- 蜜柑 — mandarin orange (the common sweet orange eaten in Japan)
- 柑橘 — citrus (the broader category of citrus fruits)