みかん

• 読み: みかん
• ローマ字: mikan
• 漢字の分解: 蜜 (mitsu) — honey, nectar; 柑 (kan) — citrus
• 発音: /mi.kaɴ/

意味

Mandarin orange; tangerine; satsuma. A small, sweet citrus fruit extremely popular in Japan.

Specifically refers to the satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu), also called 温州みかん (unshu mikan). While the kanji 蜜柑 exists, the word is nearly always written in hiragana. Mikan are a winter staple in Japan, traditionally eaten while sitting under a kotatsu heated table.

例文

1. こたつでみかんを食べましょう。
2. このみかんはとても甘いです。
3. 冬にみかんをたくさん買います。

使い方ガイド

場面: food, seasons, daily life

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

From 蜜柑, where 蜜 (mitsu) means 'honey/nectar' and 柑 (kan) means 'citrus.' The name literally describes the sweet flavour of this citrus fruit.

文化的背景

時代: Edo period

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal