Japanese

Pronunciation

• On'yomi
• IPA^(key): [o̞ːto̞ː]

Noun

桜桃 ‎(shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai kanji 櫻桃, hiragana おうとう, romaji ōtō, historical hiragana あうたう)

1. alternate for 桜 ‎(sakura): a cherry tree
2. the 西洋実桜 ‎(seiyō mizakura), the wild cherry, Prunus avium
3. the 英桃 ‎(yusura ume), the downy cherry, Prunus tomentosa
4. (euphemistic) a beautiful woman; a beautiful woman's lips

Etymology 2

Numerous theories.

Possibly a compound of 桜 ‎(sakura, “cherry tree”) +‎ の ‎(no, “possessive particle”) +‎ 穂 ‎(ho, “a bud or fruit towards the end of a long stem”). The no contracts to n. The ho changes to bo due to rendaku (連濁).

Alternately, a compound of 桜 ‎(sakura, “cherry tree”) +‎ の ‎(no, “possessive particle”) +‎ 坊 ‎(bō, “a monk”), also used as a suffix to indicate affection, also used to allude to the round smooth shape of a monk's shaven head.

Alternately, a compound of 桜 ‎(sakura, “cherry tree”) +‎ 桃 ‎(momo, “peach; any bulging round fruit”).

Alternative forms

• 桜ん坊

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA^(key): [sa̠ku͍ɽa̠ɴbo̞], [sa̠ku͍ɽa̠ɴbo̞ː]

Noun

桜桃 ‎(hiragana さくらんぼ, romaji sakuranbo) (alternative reading hiragana さくらんぼう, romaji sakuranbō)

1. the cherry fruit