Japanese

鷹の爪 (taka no tsume, the chili): a chili of similar shape to a common taka no tsume.

鷹の爪 (taka no tsume, the tree): the leaves and immature fruit of Gamblea innovans.

Noun

鷹の爪 ‎(hiragana たかのつめ, romaji taka no tsume)

1. Gamblea innovans, a deciduous tree native to Japan, used for its wood (possibly so called for the way the leaves grow in groups of three, similar to a hawk's claws)
2. a kind of chili (Capsicum annuum) that is curved and slender, used for pickling (so called for the way the shape resembles a hawk's claw)
3. a kind of high-quality tea (so called for the way guests may decide to stay longer to partake, as if caught by a claw)
4. alternate name for 爪草 (​tsumekusa), the Japanese pearlwort or Sagina japonica

Usage notes

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana in biological contexts, as タカノツメ.

Synonyms

• (tree): 芋の木 (いものき, ​imo no ki)
• (chili): 唐辛子 (とうがらし, ​tōgarashi)

References

1. ↑ 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. ↑ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9