🌏 Region(s): Ryukyu (Yonaguni)
ぐや【苦瓜】 : guya | define meaning
guya
Pronunciation: [ɡuja]
Definition
Noun
- Bitter melon (Momordica charantia sp.); bitter gourd; goya
Etymology
Cognate with Kagoshima にがごい nigagoi and ごい goi; Kumamoto and Miyazaki にがごり nigagori; Tokunoshima いぎゃうい igya'ui; Kunigami (Benoki) and Okinawan ごーやー gooyaa; Yonaguni ぐや guya; and standard Japanese にがうり【苦瓜】 nigauri "bitter melon".
Historical Ryukyuan attestations
- A Voyage of Discovery to the North Pacific Ocean, 1795-1798 (1804), by William Robert Broughton, records "Coya, A cucumber".
Notes
The bitter melon, locally known as "goya", is a common ingredient in Okinawan cuisine, especially in Chanpuru stir fries.
Spelling
| Orthography | Form |
|---|---|
| Kanji | 苦瓜 |
| Kana | ぐや |
| Romanization | guya |
| Pronunciation (IPA) | [ɡuja] |
意味：にがうり・ニガウリ【苦瓜】、つるれいし・ツルレイシ【蔓茘枝】、ゴーヤー、ゴーヤ
Categories:
苦瓜
Cite this entry: Read, Zachary. (2025, November 19). ぐや【苦瓜】 : guya | define meaning. JLect: Japonic Languages and Dialects Database. Retrieved 2025, December 5, from https://www.jlect.com/entry/4351/guya/.