菊
chrysanthemum
Kanji 1141
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Chrysanthemums are all-important in Japan. The imperial chrysanthemum seal pops up on coins, passports, and battleships. People eat these flowers, drink them, and dress dolls with them. There are mum festivals and a chrysanthemum month. We find 菊 in the names of movies, animals, and a stone. It has worked its way into folklore and is even in slang for a body part!
Revision history:
Dec. 21, 2023: pp. 14 and 16: Fixed broken links.
May 24, 2023: p. 8: Fixed the spelling of an English word.
Feb. 24, 2022: p. 18: Fixed a graphics problem.
Jan. 4, 2020: Fixed several broken links. Also made these changes:
- p. 2: Etymology Box: Replaced the old Henshall etymology with the new one.
- p. 14: Changed the name and location of the Nihonmatsu Chrysanthemum Festival.
- p. 16: Revised the first paragraph.
- p. 17: Added a link to the Kanshudo games.
March 15, 2013: Originally published.
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