1.
bottle gourd plant; moonflower (Lagenaria siceraria)
A climbing vine whose large white flowers open in the evening. Its fruit is used to make 干瓢 (dried gourd strips, often eaten in sushi).
夕顔が咲いた。
The moonflowers have bloomed.
夕顔は夕方に白い花を咲かせる。
The moonflower opens white blossoms in the evening.
夕顔の実を細長く削って干したものが干瓢だ。
Kanpyo is the strips of moonflower fruit shaved thin and dried.
Named from 夕 (evening) + 顔 (face), reflecting that the flowers open at dusk. Belongs to the gourd family, not the morning-glory family despite the parallel naming.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 夕顔が咲く: moonflowers bloom
- 夕顔の実: the fruit of the moonflower
- 夕顔の棚: a moonflower trellis
CULTURAL CONTEXT:
夕顔 is also the name of a famous chapter and character in The Tale of Genji (源氏物語), giving the word strong literary associations.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 朝顔: morning glory — opens in the morning; the parallel-naming partner
- 昼顔: bindweed — opens during the day
- 夜顔: moonflower (Ipomoea alba) — different plant, also opens at night