月下美人

Japanese

Kanji in this term
月	下	美	人
げつ > げっ Grade: 1	か Grade: 1	び Grade: 3	じん Grade: 1
kan'on

Etymology

Literally, “moonlit beauty”, 月下(げっか) (gekka, “moonlit”) + 美人(びじん) (bijin, “beauty”)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɡe̞k̚ka̠bʲiʑĩɴ]

Noun

月(げっ)下(か)美(び)人(じん) or 月下美人(ゲッカビジン) • (gekkabijin) 

1. queen of the night, dutchman's pipe cactus (Epiphyllum oxypetalum)

Usage notes

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