雑草

Japanese

Kanji in this term
雑	草
ざつ > ざっ Grade: 5	そう Grade: 1
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
雜草 (kyūjitai)

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) ざっそー [zàssóó] (Heiban – [0])
IPA^(key): [d͡za̠sːo̞ː]

Noun

雑(ざっ)草(そう) • (zassō) ^{←ざつさう (zatusau)^?}

weeds (unwanted plants)
庭(にわ)の雑(ざっ)草(そう)を抜(ぬ)く
niwa no zassō o nuku
to weed the garden
(literally, “to take out the garden's weeds”)
- 1991 July 15, Mitsuru Adachi, “虫(むし)は虫(むし)、草(くさ)は草(くさ)の巻(まき) [Insects Are Only Insects, Grasses Are Only Grasses]”, in 虹色とうがらし(ＮＩＪＩ－ＩＲＯ　ＴＯＨＧＡＲＡＳＨＩ) [Rainbow-Colored Peppers], volume 4 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 48:
  
  虫(むし)は虫(むし)、草(くさ)は草(くさ)だろ。
  え。
  害(がい)虫(ちゅう)も雑(ざっ)草(そう)も人(にん)間(げん)の勝(かっ)手(て)な都(つ)合(ごう)で分(ぶん)類(るい)されたもんだろ。
  Mushi wa mushi, kusa wa kusa daro.
  E.
  Gaichū mo zassō mo ningen no katte na tsugō de bunruisareta mon daro.
  Insects are only insects, grasses are only grasses.
  Huh?
  Putting them into categories like pests or weeds is just one of people's arbitrary means.