1.
mulberry; mulberry tree
A deciduous tree of the genus Morus, whose leaves are the sole food of silkworms. Historically central to Japan's silk industry, and the source of edible mulberry fruit (berries) and mulberry-bark paper.
桑の木。
A mulberry tree.
蚕は桑の葉を食べる。
Silkworms eat mulberry leaves.
祖母の家の庭には大きな桑の木がある。
There is a large mulberry tree in my grandmother's garden.
昔、この地域では養蚕のために広く桑が栽培されていた。
In the past, mulberry was widely cultivated in this region for silkworm raising.
A tree species historically of enormous economic importance in Japan because its leaves are the only food that silkworms (蚕) will eat. In premodern and modern Japan up through the mid-twentieth century, entire regions were dedicated to 桑畑 ('mulberry fields') to support the silk industry.
USAGE:
- The kanji 桑 is written with a distinctive three-又 component on top representing leaves.
- 桑 can refer to both the tree itself and, by extension, its leaves and fruit in context.
- The edible berries are usually called 桑の実 ('mulberry fruit') to distinguish from the tree.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 桑の木: mulberry tree
- 桑の葉: mulberry leaf (eaten by silkworms; also used for tea)
- 桑の実: mulberry berry; mulberry fruit
- 桑畑: mulberry field; mulberry orchard
- 桑を栽培する: to cultivate mulberry
CULTURAL NOTES:
- The phrase 桑原桑原 is a traditional incantation muttered to ward off lightning or misfortune, based on the folk belief that lightning would not strike mulberry groves.
- 桑 has its own symbol (Y) on older Japanese topographic maps to indicate mulberry fields, reflecting how common they once were.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 蚕: silkworm — the creature that feeds on mulberry leaves.
- 養蚕: silkworm raising; sericulture — the traditional industry supported by mulberry cultivation.
- マルベリー: mulberry — English loanword, used mainly in modern food/supplement marketing (e.g., mulberry tea).