苦瓜

Chinese

		bitter; intensely; miserable bitter; intensely; miserable; painful	melon; claw; gourd melon; claw; gourd; squash
trad. (苦瓜)		苦	瓜
simp. #(苦瓜)		苦	瓜

苦瓜

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): kǔguā

  (Zhuyin): ㄎㄨˇ ㄍㄨㄚ

  (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): ku³ gua¹

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): fu² gwaa¹

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): fu² ga^1-4

• Gan (Wiktionary): 'ku³ gua¹
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): fú-kôa

  (Meixian, Guangdong): fu³ gua¹

• Jin (Wiktionary): ku² gua¹
• Northern Min (KCR): kǔ-guá
• Eastern Min (BUC): kū-guă
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): khó͘-koe / khó͘-koa

  (Teochew, Peng'im): kou² guê¹

• Wu (Wugniu)
  • (Northern): ⁵khu-ko
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): ku³ gua¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: kǔguā
    • Zhuyin: ㄎㄨˇ ㄍㄨㄚ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: kǔgua
    • Wade–Giles: kʻu³-kua¹
    • Yale: kǔ-gwā
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: kuugua
    • Palladius: кугуа (kugua)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰu²¹⁴⁻²¹ ku̯ä⁵⁵/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: ku³ gua¹
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: kugua
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰu⁵³ kua⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: fu² gwaa¹
    • Yale: fú gwā
    • Cantonese Pinyin: fu² gwaa¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: fu² gua¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /fuː³⁵ kʷaː⁵⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: fu² ga^1-4
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /fu⁵⁵ ka³³⁻²¹/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: 'ku³ gua¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ˈkʰu²¹³⁻¹³ kua⁴²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fú-kôa
    • Hakka Romanization System: fu` gua´
    • Hagfa Pinyim: fu³ gua¹
    • Sinological IPA: /fu³¹ ku̯a²⁴/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: fu³ gua¹
    • Sinological IPA: /fu³¹ kua⁴⁴/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: ku² gua¹
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /kʰxu⁵³ kua¹¹/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: kǔ-guá
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰu²¹ kua⁵⁴/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: kū-guă
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰu³³⁻²¹ ^(k-)ua⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, General Taiwanese, Singapore)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khó͘-koe
    • Tâi-lô: khóo-kue
    • Phofsit Daibuun: qofkoef
    • IPA (Xiamen, Taipei): /kʰɔ⁵³⁻⁴⁴ kue⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Singapore): /kʰɔ⁴²⁻²⁴ kue⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /kʰɔ⁴¹⁻⁴⁴ kue⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Penang)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khó͘-koa
    • Tâi-lô: khóo-kua
    • Phofsit Daibuun: qofkoaf
    • IPA (Penang): /kʰɔ⁴⁴⁵⁻³³ kua³³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: kou² guê¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: khóu kue
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰou⁵²⁻³⁵ kue³³/
• Wu
  • (Shanghai):
    • Wugniu: ⁵khu-ko
    • MiniDict: khu^去 ko
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²khu-ko
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /kʰu³³ ko⁴⁴/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: ku³ gua¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰu⁴¹ ku̯a̠³³/

Noun

苦瓜

1. bitter melon; bitter gourd

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 苦瓜 (“bitter melon”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		苦瓜
Taxonomic name		苦瓜
Mandarin	Beijing	苦瓜
	Taiwan	苦瓜
	Langfang	苦瓜
	Tangshan	癩不頭
	Cangzhou	苦瓜
	Baoding	苦瓜
	Shijiazhuang	苦瓜
	Daming	苦瓜
	Harbin	苦瓜, 癩瓜
	Shenyang	癩瓜
	Jinan	苦瓜
	Luoyang	苦瓜
	Xi'an	苦瓜
	Yinchuan	苦瓜
	Lanzhou	苦瓜
	Xining	苦瓜
	Ürümqi	苦瓜
	Wuhan	苦瓜
	Chengdu	苦瓜
	Guiyang	苦瓜
	Guilin	苦瓜
	Liuzhou	苦瓜
	Xuzhou	苦瓜
	Nanjing	癩葡萄, 苦瓜
	Malaysia	苦瓜
	Singapore	苦瓜
Cantonese	Guangzhou	苦瓜, 涼瓜, 菩薘 dated
	Hong Kong	苦瓜, 涼瓜, 菩薘 dated
	Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)	菩薘
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	苦瓜
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	菩薘
	Taishan	苦瓜
	Kaiping (Chikan)	涼瓜
	Dongguan	苦瓜, 涼瓜, 菩薘
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	菩薘
	Yangjiang	苦瓜
	Nanning	苦瓜
	Wuzhou	苦瓜
	Yulin	苦瓜
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	苦瓜
Gan	Nanchang	苦瓜
	Pengze	苦瓜
	Lichuan	苦瓜
	Pingxiang	苦瓜
Hakka	Meixian	苦瓜
	Zengcheng (Zhengguo)	苦瓜
	Yudu	苦瓜
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	苦瓜
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	苦瓜, 苦瓜仔
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	苦瓜
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	苦瓜
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	苦瓜
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	苦瓜
	Hong Kong	苦瓜
	Luchuan (Daqiao)	苦瓜
Jin	Taiyuan	苦瓜
	Zhangjiakou	苦瓜
	Handan	苦瓜
Northern Min	Jian'ou	苦瓜
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	苦瓜
	Fuqing	苦瓜
Southern Min	Xiamen	苦瓜
	Zhao'an	苦瓜
	Tainan	苦瓜
	Penang (Hokkien)	苦瓜
	Singapore (Hokkien)	苦瓜
	Zhangping (Yongfu)	苦瓜
	Datian	苦瓜
	Pingnan (Shangdu)	苦瓜
	Haifeng	苦瓜
	Haikou	苦瓜
Central Min	Yong'an	苦瓜
Zhongshan Min	Sanxiang	菩督
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	苦瓜
Northern Pinghua	Guilin (Dahe)	苦瓜
Wu	Shanghai	苦瓜
	Suzhou	苦瓜
	Danyang	癩葡萄瓜
	Hangzhou	苦瓜
	Ningbo	苦瓜
	Wenzhou	紅瓤
	Jinhua	苦瓜
Xiang	Changsha	苦瓜
	Loudi	苦瓜
	Quanzhou	苦瓜

Derived terms

• 印度苦瓜
• 啞子食苦瓜／哑子食苦瓜
• 苦瓜乾／苦瓜干
• 苦瓜臉／苦瓜脸 (kǔguāliǎn)
• 苦瓜面

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (苦瓜):

• → Korean: 고과(苦瓜) (gogwa)
• → Vietnamese: khổ qua (苦瓜)

Others:

• → English: bitter melon, bittermelon (calque), bitter gourd (calque), foo qua
• → Paiwan: kawkuy
• → Vietnamese: mướp đắng (calque)

Further reading

• “Entry #5483”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.

Japanese

Kanji in this term
苦	瓜
にが Grade: 3	うり Jinmeiyō
kun’yomi

Etymology

苦 (niga, “bitter”) +‎ 瓜 (uri, “gourd”)

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) にが​うり [nìgáꜜùrì] (Nakadaka – [2])
• (Tokyo) にがうり [nìgáúrí] (Heiban – [0])
• (Tokyo) にがう​り [nìgáúꜜrì] (Nakadaka – [3])
• IPA^(key): [ɲ̟iɡa̠ɯ̟ᵝɾʲi]

Noun

苦(にが)瓜(うり) or 苦瓜(ニガウリ) • (nigauri) 
(alternative reading hiragana にがごい, rōmaji nigagoi) (Kagoshima dialect)
(alternative reading hiragana にがごり, rōmaji nigagori) (Miyazaki dialect)

1. bitter melon; bitter gourd

Synonyms

• 蔓(ツル)茘(レイ)枝(シ) (tsurureishi)

Okinawan

Kanji in this term
苦	瓜
Grade: 3	Jinmeiyō

Noun

苦瓜(ごーやー) (gōyā) 

1. bitter melon; bitter gourd

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
苦	瓜

Noun

苦瓜

1. chữ Hán form of khổ qua (“bitter melon; bitter gourd”).