# 桂花
## Chinese

* 桂花 (Cantonese)
* 桂花 (Written Standard Chinese)

### Etymology

Adaptation of 桂 (guì) to distinguish the osmanthus from the 肉桂 (ròuguì, “cassia; Chinese cinnamon”).

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): guìhuā
    (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄟˋ ㄏㄨㄚ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): gwai$^3$ faa$^1$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): kui-fâ
    (Hailu, HRS): gui$^ˇ$ fa$^ˋ$
    (Meixian, Guangdong): gui$^4$ fa$^1$
* Eastern Min (BUC): gié-huă
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): kùi-hoe
    (Teochew, Peng'im): gui$^3$ huê$^1$
* Wu (Northern, Wugniu): $^5$kue-ho / $^1$kue$_5$-ho$_1$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: guìhuā
*** Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄟˋ ㄏㄨㄚ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: guèihua
*** Wade–Giles: kuei$^4$-hua$^1$
*** Yale: gwèi-hwā
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gueyhua
*** Palladius: гуйхуа (gujxua)
*** Sinological IPA : /ku̯eɪ̯⁵¹ xu̯ä⁵⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: gwai$^3$ faa$^1$
*** Yale: gwai fā
*** Cantonese Pinyin: gwai$^3$ faa$^1$
*** Guangdong Romanization: guei$^3$ fa$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /kʷɐi̯³³ faː⁵⁵/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kui-fâ
*** Hakka Romanization System: gui fa$^ˊ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: gui$^4$ fa$^1$
*** Sinological IPA: /ku̯i⁵⁵ fa²⁴/
** (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
*** Hakka Romanization System: gui$^ˇ$ fa$^ˋ$
*** Sinological IPA: /kui¹¹ fa⁵³/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: gui$^4$ fa$^1$
*** Sinological IPA: /kuɪ⁵³ fa⁴⁴/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: gié-huă
*** Sinological IPA : /kie²¹³⁻⁵⁵ $^{(h-)}$ua⁵⁵/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kùi-hoe
*** Tâi-lô: kuì-hue
*** Phofsit Daibuun: kuie'hoef
*** IPA (Xiamen): /kui²¹⁻⁵³ hue⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /kui⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ hue³³/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /kui²¹⁻⁵³ hue⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Taipei): /kui¹¹⁻⁵³ hue⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /kui²¹⁻⁴¹ hue⁴⁴/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: gui$^3$ huê$^1$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kùi hue
*** Sinological IPA : /kui²¹³⁻⁵⁵ hue³³/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^5$kue-ho
*** MiniDict: kue$^去$ ho
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^2$kue-ho
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /kue³³ ho⁴⁴/
** (Northern: Suzhou)
*** Wugniu: $^1$kue$_5$-ho$_1$
*** MiniDict: kue$^去$ ho$^平$
*** Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /kue⁴⁴ ho/

### Noun

桂花
* sweet osmanthus (Osmanthus fragrans)

#### Synonyms

* 木樨 (mùxī)

### Proper noun

桂花
* (～村) Guihua (a village in Zhonglu, Lichuan, Enshi prefecture, Hubei, China)

## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 桂 | 花 |
| けい Jinmeiyō | か Grade: 1 |
| on'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 桂華 (rare)

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ke̞ːka̠]

### Etymology 1

*/kweːkwa/ → /keːkwa/ → /keːka/
From Middle Chinese compound 桂花 (kuei$^H$ xwæ, literally “cassia; osmanthus + flower”). Compare modern Min Nan reading kùi-hoe.

#### Noun

桂(けい)花(か) • (keika)
* sweet osmanthus
* the flowers of the sweet osmanthus

##### Usage notes

The term 桂花 is generally reserved for compounds. The tree and the flowers are usually distinguished within Japan between the white-blossoming 銀木犀 (ginmokusei, “silver osmanthus”) and the orange-blossoming 金木犀 (kinmokusei, “gold osmanthus”), with the latter being more popular.

##### Synonyms

* 金木犀(きんもくせい) (kinmokusei): gold osmanthus
* 銀木犀(ぎんもくせい) (ginmokusei): silver osmanthus
* 木犀(もくせい) (mokusei): Osmanthus fragrans in general

##### Derived terms

* 桂花茶(けいかちゃ) (keikacha): sweet osmanthus tea, a tea flavored with sweet osmanthus blossoms
* 桂花醤(けいかしょう) (keikashō): sweet osmanthus sauce, a sweet sauce flavored with sweet osmanthus blossoms
* 桂花陳酒(けいかちんしゅ) (keika chinshu): sweet osmanthus wine, an aged white wine flavored with sweet osmanthus blossoms

### Etymology 2

From a Chinese legend that the phases of the moon were caused by kei trees (桂, general name for Lauraceae and other fragrant trees), which would bud, blossom, then drop their flowers and leaves again as if in accelerated seasons. Literally, “kei flower”, likening the phases of the moon to the budding and blooming of the trees.

#### Noun

桂(けい)花(か) • (keika)
* (euphemistic) the moon

### References

* ↑ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN