西瓜

Chinese

		west	melon; claw; gourd melon; claw; gourd; squash
trad. (西瓜)		西	瓜
simp. #(西瓜)		西	瓜
Literally: “western melon”.

Wikipedia has articles on:

• 西瓜 (Written Standard Chinese^?)
• 西瓜 (Cantonese)
• 西瓜 (Classical)
• Să̤-guă (Eastern Min)
• Si-koe (Southern Min)
• 西瓜 (Wu)

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): xīguā

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧ ㄍㄨㄚ

  (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): xi¹ gua¹

  (Nanjing, Nanjing Pinyin): sìguà

  (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): щигуа (xigua, I-II)

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): sai¹ gwaa¹

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): lhai¹ ga¹

• Gan (Wiktionary): 'xi¹ gua¹
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): sî-kôa

  (Hailu, HRS): si^ˋ gua^ˋ

  (Meixian, Guangdong): xi¹ gua¹

• Jin (Wiktionary): xi¹ gua¹
• Northern Min (KCR): sí-guá
• Eastern Min (BUC): să̤-guă
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): si-koe / se-koe / si-koa / sai-koe

  (Teochew, Peng'im): si¹ guê¹

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹shi-ko
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): si¹ gua¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xīguā → xīgua (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧ ㄍㄨㄚ → ㄒㄧ ˙ㄍㄨㄚ (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Tongyong Pinyin: siguå
    • Wade–Giles: hsi¹-kua⁵
    • Yale: syī-gwa
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shi.gua
    • Palladius: сигуа (sigua)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi⁵⁵ ku̯ä⁵⁵/ → /ɕi⁵⁵ g̊u̯ä²/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: xi¹ gua¹
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: xigua
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi⁵⁵ kua⁵⁵/
  • (Nanjing)
    • Nanjing Pinyin: sìguà [Phonetic: sīguà]
    • Nanjing Pinyin (numbered): si¹ gua¹ [Phonetic: si⁴ gua¹]
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /si³¹⁻³³ kua³¹/
  • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic and Wiktionary: щигуа (xigua, I-II)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi²⁴ kua⁵¹/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: sai¹ gwaa¹
    • Yale: sāi gwā
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sai¹ gwaa¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: sei¹ gua¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɐi̯⁵⁵ kʷaː⁵⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: lhai¹ ga¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬai³³ ka³³/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: 'xi¹ gua¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ˈɕi⁴² kua⁴²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: sî-kôa
    • Hakka Romanization System: xi^ˊ gua^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: xi¹ gua¹
    • Sinological IPA: /si²⁴⁻¹¹ ku̯a²⁴/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: si^ˋ gua^ˋ
    • Sinological IPA: /si⁵³ kua⁵³/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: xi¹ gua¹
    • Sinological IPA: /si⁴⁴ kua⁴⁴/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: xi¹ gua¹
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /ɕi¹¹ kua¹¹/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: sí-guá
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /si⁵⁴ kua⁵⁴/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: să̤-guă
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɛ⁵⁵ ^(k-)ua⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Taichung, Hsinchu, Yilan, Lukang, Singapore, Philippines)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: si-koe
    • Tâi-lô: si-kue
    • Phofsit Daibuun: si'koef
    • IPA (Xiamen, Singapore): /si⁴⁴⁻²² kue⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou, Lukang, Philippines): /si³³ kue³³/
    • IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Yilan): /si⁴⁴⁻³³ kue⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Sanxia, Philippines)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: se-koe
    • Tâi-lô: se-kue
    • Phofsit Daibuun: se'koef
    • IPA (Xiamen): /se⁴⁴⁻²² kue⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Philippines): /se³³ kue³³/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Penang)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: si-koa
    • Tâi-lô: si-kua
    • Phofsit Daibuun: si'koaf
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /si⁴⁴⁻²² kua⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Penang): /si³³⁻²¹ kua³³/
  • (Hokkien: rare in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sai-koe
    • Tâi-lô: sai-kue
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sai'koef
    • IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /sai⁴⁴⁻³³ kue⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: si¹ guê¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: si kue
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /si³³⁻²³ kue³³/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹shi-ko
    • MiniDict: shi^平 ko
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹xi-ko
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɕi⁵⁵ ko²¹/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: si¹ gua¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key) (old-style): /si³³ ku̯a̠³³/
    • Sinological IPA ^(key) (new-style): /ɕi³³ ku̯a̠³³/

Noun

西瓜

西瓜

1. watermelon

Synonyms

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		西瓜
Taxonomic name		西瓜
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	西瓜
	Taiwan	西瓜
	Chengde	西瓜
	Chifeng	西瓜
	Hulunbuir (Hailar)	西瓜
	Heihe	西瓜
	Qiqihar	西瓜
	Harbin	西瓜
	Jiamusi	西瓜
	Baicheng	西瓜
	Changchun	西瓜
	Tonghua	西瓜
	Shenyang	西瓜
	Jinzhou	西瓜
	Singapore	西瓜
Jilu Mandarin	Tianjin	西瓜
	Tangshan	西瓜
	Cangzhou	西瓜
	Baoding	西瓜
	Shijiazhuang	西瓜
	Lijin	西瓜
	Jinan	西瓜
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Dalian	西瓜
	Dandong	西瓜
	Yantai	西瓜
	Yantai (Muping)	西瓜
	Qingdao	西瓜
	Zhucheng	西瓜
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	西瓜
	Lingbao	西瓜
	Jining	西瓜
	Wanrong	西瓜
	Linfen	西瓜
	Shangqiu	西瓜
	Yuanyang	西瓜
	Zhengzhou	西瓜
	Xinyang	西瓜
	Baihe	西瓜
	Xi'an	西瓜
	Baoji	西瓜
	Tianshui	西瓜
	Xining	西瓜
	Xuzhou	西瓜
	Fuyang	西瓜
	Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan)	西瓜
	Masanchin (Shaanxi Dungan)	西瓜
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	西瓜
	Lanzhou	西瓜
	Dunhuang	西瓜
	Hami	西瓜
	Ürümqi	西瓜
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	西瓜
	Nanchong	西瓜
	Dazhou	西瓜
	Hanyuan	西瓜
	Xichang	西瓜
	Zigong	西瓜
	Chongqing	西瓜
	Wuhan	西瓜
	Yichang	西瓜, 瓜
	Xiangyang	西瓜, 瓜
	Tianmen	西瓜
	Guiyang	西瓜
	Zunyi	西瓜
	Bijie	西瓜
	Liping	西瓜
	Zhaotong	西瓜
	Dali	西瓜
	Kunming	西瓜
	Mengzi	西瓜
	Guilin	西瓜
	Guilin (Lingui)	西瓜
	Liuzhou	西瓜
	Liuzhou (Luorong)	西瓜
	Nanning (Wuming)	西瓜
	Jishou	西瓜
	Changde	西瓜
	Hanzhong	西瓜
	Dagudi (Maliba)	西瓜
	Reshuitang (Longling)	西瓜
	Mae Salong (Lancang)	西瓜
	Mae Sai (Tengchong)	西瓜
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	西瓜
	Yangzhou	西瓜
	Lianyungang	西瓜
	Lianshui	西瓜
	Nantong	西瓜
	Anqing	西瓜
	Wuhu	西瓜
	Hefei	西瓜
	Hong'an	西瓜
Cantonese	Guangzhou	西瓜, 天然白虎湯 humorous
	Hong Kong	西瓜
	Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)	西瓜
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)	西瓜
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	西瓜
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	西瓜
	Macau	西瓜
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	西瓜
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	西瓜
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	西瓜
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	西瓜
	Foshan	西瓜
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	西瓜
	Foshan (Shunde)	西瓜
	Foshan (Sanshui)	西瓜
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	西瓜
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	西瓜
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	西瓜
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	西瓜
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	西瓜
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	西瓜
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	西瓜
	Taishan	西瓜
	Taishan (Guanghai)	西瓜
	Kaiping (Chikan)	西瓜
	Enping (Niujiang)	西瓜
	Heshan (Yayao)	西瓜
	Dongguan	西瓜
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	西瓜
	Qingyuan	西瓜
	Fogang	西瓜
	Yingde (Hanguang)	西瓜
	Yangshan	西瓜
	Lianshan (Butian)	西瓜
	Lianzhou (Qingshui Sihui)	西瓜
	Shaoguan	西瓜
	Shaoguan (Qujiang)	西瓜
	Renhua	西瓜
	Lechang	西瓜
	Zhaoqing (Gaoyao)	西瓜
	Sihui	西瓜
	Guangning	西瓜
	Deqing	西瓜
	Huaiji	西瓜
	Fengkai (Nanfeng)	西瓜
	Yunfu	西瓜
	Xinxing	西瓜
	Luoding	西瓜
	Yunan (Pingtai)	西瓜
	Yangjiang	西瓜
	Xinyi	西瓜
	Lianjiang	西瓜
	Nanning	西瓜
	Wuzhou	西瓜
	Yulin	西瓜
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	西瓜
	Hepu (Shatian)	西瓜
	Guiping	西瓜
	Mengshan (Xihe)	西瓜
	Guigang (Nanjiang)	西瓜
	Beiliu (Tangliao)	西瓜
	Baise	西瓜
	Bobai	西瓜
	Lingshan	西瓜
Pubei	西瓜
Qinzhou	西瓜
Qinzhou (Xiniujiao)	西瓜
Beihai	西瓜
Beihai (Nankang)	西瓜
Beihai (Yingpan)	西瓜
Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)	西瓜
Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)	西瓜
Ningming	西瓜
Hengzhou	西瓜
Hezhou (Pumen, Babu)	西瓜
Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)	西瓜
Danzhou	西瓜
Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	西瓜
Singapore (Guangfu)	西瓜
Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	西瓜
Móng Cái	西瓜
Mandalay (Taishan)	西瓜
Gan	Nanchang	西瓜
	Lichuan	西瓜
	Pingxiang	西瓜
Hakka	Meixian	西瓜
	Dabu (Xihe)	西瓜
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	西瓜
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	西瓜
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	西瓜
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	西瓜
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	西瓜
	Yudu	西瓜
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	西瓜
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	西瓜
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	西瓜
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	西瓜
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	西瓜
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	西瓜
	Hong Kong	西瓜
	Luchuan (Daqiao)	西瓜
	Beiliu (Tang'an)	西瓜
	Mashan (Pianlian)	西瓜
	Sabah (Longchuan)	水瓜
	Kuala Lumpur (Dabu)	西瓜
	Senai (Huiyang)	西瓜
	Sungai Tapang, Batu Kawa (Hepo)	西瓜
	Singkawang	西瓜, 水西瓜
Huizhou	Jixi	西瓜
	Shexian	西瓜
	Huangshan (Tunxi)	西瓜
Jin	Taiyuan	西瓜
	Pingyao	西瓜
	Yangyuan	西瓜
	Datong	西瓜
	Xinzhou	西瓜
	Lüliang (Lishi)	西瓜
	Changzhi	西瓜
	Linhe	西瓜
	Jining	西瓜
	Hohhot	西瓜
	Erenhot	西瓜
	Pingshan	西瓜
	Zhangjiakou	西瓜
	Handan	西瓜
	Linzhou	西瓜
	Suide	西瓜
Northern Min	Jian'ou	西瓜
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	西瓜
	Fuqing	西瓜
	Matsu	西瓜
Southern Min	Xiamen	西瓜
	Quanzhou	西瓜
	Zhangzhou	西瓜
	Taipei	西瓜
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	西瓜
	Kaohsiung	西瓜
	Yilan	西瓜
	Changhua (Lukang)	西瓜
	Taichung	西瓜
	Tainan	西瓜
	Hsinchu	西瓜
	Kinmen	生瓜
	Penghu (Magong)	生瓜
	Penang (Hokkien)	西瓜
	Singapore (Hokkien)	西瓜
	Manila (Hokkien)	西瓜
	Pingnan (Shangdu)	西瓜
	Chaozhou	西瓜
	Haifeng	西瓜
	Bangkok (Teochew)	西瓜
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	西瓜
	Singapore (Teochew)	西瓜
	Leizhou	西瓜
	Wenchang	西瓜
	Haikou	西瓜
	Singapore (Hainanese)	西瓜
Puxian Min	Putian	西瓜
	Putian (Donghai, Chengxiang)	西瓜
	Putian (Jiangkou, Hanjiang)	西瓜
	Putian (Nanri, Xiuyu)	紅瓜
	Xianyou	西瓜, 紅瓜
	Xianyou (Fengting)	西瓜
	Xianyou (Youyang)	西瓜
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	西瓜
	Zhongshan (Sanxiang)	西瓜
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	西瓜
	Nanning (Shajing)	西瓜
	Binyang (Xinqiao)	西瓜
Northern Pinghua	Guilin (Dahe)	西瓜
	Guilin (Chaoyang)	西瓜
	Guilin (Zhuyuan)	西瓜
	Lingchuan (Tanxia)	西瓜
Shehua	Chaozhou	西瓜
Wu	Shanghai	西瓜
	Shanghai (Songjiang)	西瓜
	Shanghai (Chongming)	西瓜
	Suzhou	西瓜
	Danyang	西瓜
	Hangzhou	西瓜
	Ningbo	西瓜
	Wenzhou	西瓜
	Jinhua	西瓜
Xiang	Changsha	西瓜
	Loudi	西瓜
	Shuangfeng	西瓜
	Quanzhou	西瓜
	Guanyang (Wenshi)	西瓜

Dialectal synonyms of 西瓜 (“watermelon”) [map]

Derived terms

• 揀了芝麻，丟了西瓜／拣了芝麻，丢了西瓜
• 王梨頭，西瓜尾／王梨头，西瓜尾
• 西瓜倚大爿
• 西瓜子 (xīguāzǐ)
• 西瓜帽 (xīguāmào)
• 西瓜效應／西瓜效应
• 西瓜波
• 西瓜皮
• 西瓜蟲／西瓜虫
• 西瓜霜
• 西瓜頭／西瓜头 (xīguātóu)
• 鳳梨頭，西瓜尾／凤梨头，西瓜尾

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (西瓜):

• → Japanese: 西瓜(すいか) (suika)
• → Korean: 서과(西瓜) (seogwa)

Others:

• → Brunei Malay: sikoi
• → English: xigua
• → Mongolian: шийгуа (šiigua)
• → Zhuang: sihgvah, sae'gva

Japanese

Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:

西瓜

Wikipedia ^ja

Kanji in this term
西	瓜
すい Grade: 2	か Jinmeiyō
tōon	kan'on

Alternative spelling
水瓜

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 西瓜 (MC sej kwae, literally “west melon”). Compare modern Mandarin 西瓜 (xīguā, “watermelon”). Sui is the 唐音 (tōon) of 西.^[1][2][3][4] There is an alternative spelling of 水瓜,^{[1][3][2][4][5]} which may be seen as both ateji and a calque of English watermelon.

Various Japanese references indicate that the fruit was imported from China in the early Edo period in the 1600s.^[1][3][2] However, the word is first attested in Japanese in a text from the 1360s, suggesting that the fruit was originally imported earlier, but did not become more widely known until the 1600s.^[4]

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) すいか [sùíká] (Heiban – [0])^[2][5][6]
• IPA^(key): [sɨika̠]

Noun

西(すい)瓜(か) or 西瓜(スイカ) • (suika) ^{←すいくわ (suikwa)?}

1. watermelon

Usage notes

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

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 西瓜糖(すいかとう) (suikatō, “watermelon sugar, sugar made by concentrating watermelon juice”)
• 西瓜割(すいかわ)り (suikawari, “a traditional Japanese game that involves splitting a watermelon with a stick whilst blindfolded”)

References

1. Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
2. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
3. “西瓜”, in デジタル大辞泉‎ (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
4. “西瓜・水瓜”, in 日本国語大辞典‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
5. Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
6. NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

Korean

Hanja in this term
西	瓜

Noun

西瓜 • (seogwa) (hangeul 서과)

1. hanja form^? of 서과 (“watermelon”)

Okinawan

Kanji in this term
西	瓜
しー Grade: 2	くゎ Jinmeiyō
on'yomi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɕiːkʷa/

Noun

西(しー)瓜(くゎ) or 西瓜(シークヮ) (shīkwa) 

1. watermelon

   Synonym: 広東瓜 (kwantuui)

References

• “シークヮ” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary (archived; reopens 2024).