# 牛蒡
## Chinese

* 牛蒡 (Written Standard Chinese)
* Gō͘-bō͘ (Southern Min)

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): niúbàng
    (Zhuyin): ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄅㄤˋ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): ngau$^4$ bong$^2$
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): giû-pông / gû-pông / gû-bō / gō͘-bō͘ / gō-bō
    (Teochew, Peng'im): ghu$^5$ pang$^5$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: niúbàng
*** Zhuyin: ㄋㄧㄡˊ ㄅㄤˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: nióubàng
*** Wade–Giles: niu$^2$-pang$^4$
*** Yale: nyóu-bàng
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: nioubanq
*** Palladius: нюбан (njuban)
*** Sinological IPA : /ni̯oʊ̯³⁵ pɑŋ⁵¹/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: ngau$^4$ bong$^2$
*** Yale: ngàuh bóng
*** Cantonese Pinyin: ngau$^4$ bong$^2$
*** Guangdong Romanization: ngeo$^4$ bong$^2$
*** Sinological IPA : /ŋɐu̯²¹ pɔːŋ³⁵/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: giû-pông
*** Tâi-lô: giû-pông
*** Phofsit Daibuun: giu'poong
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /ɡiu²³⁻³³ pɔŋ²³/
*** IPA (Taipei): /ɡiu²⁴⁻¹¹ pɔŋ²⁴/
** (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: gû-pông
*** Tâi-lô: gû-pông
*** Phofsit Daibuun: gu'poong
*** IPA (Taipei): /ɡu²⁴⁻¹¹ pɔŋ²⁴/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /ɡu²³⁻³³ pɔŋ²³/
** (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: gû-bō
*** Tâi-lô: gû-bō
*** Phofsit Daibuun: gu'boi
*** IPA (Taipei): /ɡu²⁴⁻¹¹ bo³³/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /ɡu²³⁻³³ bɤ³³/
** (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: gō͘-bō͘
*** Tâi-lô: gōo-bōo
*** Phofsit Daibuun: goxbo
*** IPA (Taipei): /ɡɔ³³⁻¹¹ bɔ³³/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /ɡɔ³³⁻²¹ bɔ³³/
** (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: gō-bō
*** Tâi-lô: gō-bō
*** Phofsit Daibuun: goixboi
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /ɡɤ³³⁻²¹ bɤ³³/
*** IPA (Taipei): /ɡo³³⁻¹¹ bo³³/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: ghu$^5$ pang$^5$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: gû phâng
*** Sinological IPA : /ɡu⁵⁵⁻¹¹ pʰaŋ⁵⁵/
* Middle Chinese: ngjuw pangX
Rime :
| Character | 牛 | 蒡 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 2/2 |
| Initial (聲) | 疑 (31) | 幫 (1) |
| Final (韻) | 尤 (136) | 唐 (101) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) | Rising (X) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open |
| Division (等) | III | I |
| Fanqie | 語求切 | 北朗切 |
| Baxter | ngjuw | pangX |
| Reconstructions |||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /ŋɨu/ | /pɑŋ$^X$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /ŋiu/ | /pɑŋ$^X$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /ŋiəu/ | /pɑŋ$^X$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /ŋuw/ | /paŋ$^X$/ |
| Li Rong | /ŋiu/ | /pɑŋ$^X$/ |
| Wang Li | /ŋĭəu/ | /pɑŋ$^X$/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /ŋi̯ə̯u/ | /pɑŋ$^X$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | yóu | bǎng |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | ngau$^4$ | bong$^2$ |

### Noun

牛蒡
* burdock

#### Synonyms

* 牛子 (niúzǐ)

#### Descendants

* → Middle Korean: 우워ᇰ (wuweng)
** Korean: 우엉 (ueong)

### References

* 小川尚義 (OGAWA Naoyoshi), editor (1931–1932), “gû-bō”, in 臺日大辭典 [Taiwanese-Japanese Dictionary]‎, volume 1 (overall work in Hokkien and Japanese), Taihoku: Government-General of Taiwan, →OCLC, page 398
* “牛蒡”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.

## Japanese
### Etymology

Kanji in this term :
| 牛 | 蒡 |
| ご Grade: 2 | ぼう Hyōgai |
| kan'yōon ||
* Alternative spellings
* 午蒡 (dated) 牛房 (obsolete) 午房 (obsolete)
Certainly from Middle Chinese 牛蒡 (MC ngjuw pangX), but with a shift from the expected go-on reading of *guhō (or with rendaku as *gubō); compare Korean 우엉 (ueong).
First cited to the Iroha Jiruishō (1177-1181).

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) ごぼー [gòbóó] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [ɡo̞bo̞ː]

### Noun

牛(ご)蒡(ぼう) or 牛蒡(ゴボウ) • (gobō)
* [from 1177-1181] burdock (Arctium lappa)
* [unknown] Abbreviation of 牛蒡注連 (gobōjime, “a type of 注連縄 (shimenawa) that is bundled with straw and tied like a burdock used for celebrations such as New Years or Shinto shrines”).
* [unknown] a penis; a cock; a stalk

#### Usage notes

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

#### Derived terms

* (penis, cock, stalk): 牛蒡(ごぼう)を洗(あら)う (gobō o arau, “to have sex”, literally “to rinse a cock”)

### References

* 1 2 “ご‐ぼう［‥バウ］ 【牛蒡】”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000-2002, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here
* ↑ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* ↑ Yamada, Tadao et al., editors (2011), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Seventh edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN