梅

In Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese scripts, the right side component is written 每 (contains 母 with 2 dots). In Japanese shinjitai, the component is simplified to 毎 (contains 毋 with a single middle stroke). Due to Han unification, both characters (梅/梅) are encoded under the same Unicode codepoint. A CJK compatibility ideograph (U+FA44) exists for the kyūjitai form of 梅.

梅 (Kangxi radical 75, 木+7 in Chinese, 木+6 in Japanese, 11 strokes in Chinese, 10 strokes in Japanese, cangjie input 木人田卜 (DOWY), four-corner 4895₇, composition ⿰木每(GHTKV) or ⿰木毎(J))

• 𠻽, 𡠫, 䔦, 𫂚

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 528, character 8
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 14795
• Dae Jaweon: page 916, character 23
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1215, character 13
• Unihan data for U+6885
• Unihan data for U+FA44
• Unihan data for U+2F8E2

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *mɯː) : semantic 木 (“tree”) + phonetic 每 (OC *mɯːʔ).

Seemingly related to Old Japanese 梅 (ume₂) (Shibatani, 1990; Miyake, 1997; apud Schuessler, 2007) (which was possibly borrowed from Middle Chinese). Its origin is unknown (Schuessler, 2007); its referent, prunus mume, originated around the Yangtze River,[1] now in south China yet initially outside the Chinese civilization's cradle in the Central Plain.

梅

1. Prunus mume (Chinese plum or Japanese apricot)

   話梅／话梅  ―  huàméi  ―  li hing mui

   烏梅／乌梅  ―  wūméi  ―  smoked plum

2. (in compounds) A plant sharing similarities with Prunus mume in habit, flowers or fruits

   蠟梅／蜡梅  ―  làméi  ―  Chimonanthus praecox

   茶梅  ―  cháméi  ―  Camellia sasanqua

   楊梅／杨梅  ―  yángméi  ―  Myrica rubra

   西梅  ―  xīméi  ―  Prunus domestica

3. (obsolete) Alternative name for 楠 (nán, “Machilus nanmu”).
4. Short for 梅雨 (méiyǔ).
5. Short for 梅州 (Méizhōu).
6. a surname

   梅光達 [Cantonese, trad.]
   梅光达 [Cantonese, simp.]

   mui⁴ gwong¹ daat⁶ [Jyutping]

   Mei Quong Tart (merchant)

   梅艷芳 [Cantonese, trad.]
   梅艳芳 [Cantonese, simp.]

   mui⁴ jim⁶ fong¹ [Jyutping]

   Anita Mui (singer)

• → Malay: boi

Others:

• →? Old Japanese: 梅 (ume₂)
  • Japanese: 梅(うめ) (ume), 梅(むめ) (mume)
• → Vietnamese: mơ

• “梅”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

(grade 4 “Kyōiku” kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 梅)

• Go-on: まい (mai)^{←まい (mai, historical)}; め (me)^{←め (me, historical)}
• Kan-on: ばい (bai, Jōyō)^{←ばい (bai, historical)}
• Kun: うめ (ume, 梅, Jōyō)
• Nanori: め (me)

梅 (ume): Japanese plum trees and white plum blossoms of Hirohashi Bairin in Shimoichi, Nara

梅 (ume): a generic plum blossom crest

⟨me₂⟩ → */mːəɨ/ → *⟨mume₂⟩ → ⟨ume₂⟩ → */uməɨ/ → /ume/

From Old Japanese.[5][6][7]

Probably ultimately from Middle Chinese 梅 (MC mwoj),[6][7] with the borrowed me reading gaining a pronounced kind of initial m- sound, perhaps realized as *mme. The phonetic spelling was often rendered as むめ (*mme, mume) from the Heian period,[5][7] with *mme/mume and ume apparently existing in free variation. The reading eventually settled on うめ (ume). Compare the similar pattern of phonetic shift for 馬 (ma → *mma → muma → uma, “horse”), likely from Middle Chinese 馬 (MC maeX).

• (Tokyo) うめ [ùmé] (Heiban – [0])[6]
• IPA^(key): [ɯ̟ᵝme̞]

梅(うめ) or 梅(ウメ) • (ume) 

1. Japanese plum or apricot, Prunus mume
2. a white plum blossom, as opposed to 紅梅 (kōbai, “red plum blossom”)

   Synonym: 白梅 (hakubai)

3. the lowest of a three-level rank system

   Hypernym: 松竹梅

   Coordinate terms: 松, 竹, 梅

4. a 家紋 (kamon, “family crest”) with varying designs of plum blossoms
5. Short for 梅襲 (ume-gasane): a style of layering garments with dark crimson over light crimson
6. (card games) the suit of plum blossoms in 花札 (hanafuda), representing the month of February

   Coordinate terms: 松, 梅, 桜, 藤, 菖蒲, 牡丹, 萩, 芒, 菊, 紅葉, 柳, 桐

7. (historical, colloquial) Synonym of 天神 (tenjin): the second-highest ranked prostitute in Edo-period Kamigata, below the 大夫 (tayū)

• As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as ウメ.

For quotations using this term, see Citations:梅.

• 桜(さくら)切(き)る馬(ば)鹿(か)梅(うめ)切(き)らぬ馬(ば)鹿(か) (sakura kiru baka ume kiranu baka)

• English: ume

• 李(スモモ) (sumomo), 酸(ス)桃(モモ) (sumomo)

梅(うめ) • (Ume) 

1. a female given name
2. a surname

⟨me₂⟩ → */mːəɨ/ → *⟨mume₂⟩ → /mume/

Possibly from Old Japanese.

This reading becomes common during the Heian period,[5][7] later falling into disuse.

Superseded by the ume reading above.

梅(むめ) • (mume) 

1. (archaic, obsolete) the Japanese plum or apricot, Prunus mume

For quotations using this term, see Citations:梅.

• 唐(から)梅(むめ) (karamume)

• → Translingual: mume

From a later borrowing of Middle Chinese 梅 (MC mwoj).

梅(ばい) • (bai) 

1. (usually in Chinese contexts) the Japanese plum or apricot, Prunus mume
2. (historical, colloquial) Synonym of 天神 (tenjin): the second-highest ranked prostitute in Edo-period Kamigata, below the 大夫 (tayū)

梅(ばい) • (bai) 

1. plum
2. Short for 梅雨 (baiu): East Asian rainy season
3. Short for 梅毒 (baidoku): syphilis

梅(ばい) • (Bai) 

1. a surname

From Middle Chinese 梅 (MC mwoj). Recorded as Middle Korean ᄆᆡ (moy) (Yale: moy) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Wikisource 梅 (eumhun 매화나무 매 (maehwanamu mae))

1. Hanja form^? of 매 (“Prunus mume, a fruit tree”).
2. Hanja form^? of 매 (“plum blossom, a blossom of this tree”).
3. Hanja form^? of 매 (“a Korean surname”).

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

Possibly a shift from Middle Chinese 梅 (MC mwoj).[1][2]

梅 (ume₂) (kana うめ)

1. the Japanese plum or apricot, Prunus mume

• Also used phonetically as 借音 (shakuon) for ⟨me₂⟩.

For quotations using this term, see Citations:梅.

• Japanese: 梅(うめ) (ume), 梅(むめ) (mume)

梅: Hán Nôm readings: mai

1. rattan

• 梅花 (mai hoa, “red avadavat; red munia; strawberry finch”)