🌏 Region(s): Ryukyu (Okinawa)
うんちぇー【蕹菜・甕菜】 : unchee | define meaning
unchee
Pronunciation: [ʔun̩t͡ɕeː]
Definition
Noun
- Water spinach (Ipomoea aquatica sp.); river spinach; Kangkong; water morning glory; water convolvulus; Chinese spinach; swamp cabbage
Etymology
Ultimately from Chinese【蕹菜・蓊菜・應菜・应菜】 "water spinach" (cf. Mandarin wèngcài, yōngcài; Cantonese ung3 coi3, ong3 coi3; Eastern Min óng-chái; Hokkien èng-chhài; Wu 1on-tshe; Sino-Japanese ようさい yousai and えんさい ensai), most likely borrowed from Eastern Min (Fuzhou).
Notes
Variant:
みじうんちぇー miji unchee
Spelling
| Orthography | Form |
|---|---|
| Kanji | 蕹菜 甕菜 |
| Kana | うんちぇー |
| Romanization | unchee |
| Pronunciation (IPA) | [ʔun̩t͡ɕeː] |
意味：ようさい・ヨウサイ【蕹菜・甕菜】、えんさい・エンサイ【蓊菜】
Categories:
蕹菜
Cite this entry: Read, Zachary. (2025, September 21). うんちぇー【蕹菜・甕菜】 : unchee | define meaning. JLect: Japonic Languages and Dialects Database. Retrieved 2025, December 5, from https://www.jlect.com/entry/5696/unchee/.