＜prologue＞
I started a blog called “The Baby Boomer Generation’s Miscellaneous Blog”（Dankai-sedai no garakutatyou:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳） in July 2018, about a year before I fully retired. More than six years have passed since then, and the number of articles has increased considerably.
So, in order to make them accessible to people who don’t understand Japanese, I decided to translate my past articles into English and publish them.
It may sound a bit exaggerated, but I would like to make this my life’s work.
It should be noted that haiku and waka （Japanese short fixed form poems） are quite difficult to translate into English, so some parts are written in Japanese.
If you are interested in haiku or waka and would like to know more, please read introductory or specialized books on haiku or waka written in English.
I also write many articles about the Japanese language. I would be happy if these inspire more people to want to learn Japanese.
my blog’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多（がらくた）帳 | 団塊世代が雑学や面白い話を発信しています
my X’s URL:団塊世代の我楽多帳（@historia49) on X
(Reference) Original article in Japanese
・「外来の果物」の名前を漢字でどう書くか（和名）を知っていますか？
Previously, I wrote an article introducing how to read the kanji names of fruits that have existed in Japan for a long time. This time, I’d like to introduce how to write the Japanese names (wamyō) of foreign fruits, which have become increasingly diverse recently.
1. Names of Foreign Fruits
(1) A-row
① Acerola
② Avocado
③ Olive
④ Orange
(2) Ka-row
① Kiwi
② Guava
③ Cranberry
④ Grapefruit
(3) Sa-row
① Shikuwasa
② Jackfruit
③ Starfruit
(4) Ta-row
① Dragon Fruit
② Durian
(5) Ha-row
① Pineapple
① Haskap
② Passion fruit
③ Banana
④ Papaya
⑤ Blueberry
⑥ Prune
(6) Ma-row
① Muscat
② Mango
③ Melon
(7) Ra-row
① Lychee
② Lemon
2. Kanji names (Japanese names) of foreign fruits
(1) A-row
① Acerola: West Indian cherry (Nishi Indo Ōtō)（「西印度桜桃（にしいんどおうとう）」） / Barbados cherry (Barubadosu Sakura)（「バルバドス桜（ばるばどすさくら）」）
② Avocado: Crocodile pear（Wani nashi）（「鰐梨（わになし）」）
③ Olive: Kanran（橄欖)
④ Orange: Sweet orange (Tentou/Amadaidai)（「甜橙（てんとう）/甘橙（あまだいだい）」）
(2) Ka-row
① Kiwi: Bikōtō / Onimatatabi（「彌猴桃（びこうとう）/鬼木天蓼（おにまたたび）」）
② Guava: Pomegranate (banzakuro/bansekiryu)（「蕃柘榴（ばんざくろ/ばんせきりゅう）」）
③ Cranberry: Lingonberry（「蔓苔桃（つるこけもも）」）
④ Grapefruit: Grape Yuzu（「葡萄柚（ぶどうゆず）」）
(3) Sa-row
① Shikuwasa: Hirami Lemon（「平実檸檬（ひらみれもん）」）
② Jackfruit: Paramita（「波羅蜜（ぱらみつ）」）
③ Star fruit: Gorenshi（「五歛子（ごれんし）」）
(4) Ta-row
① Dragon Fruit: Fire Dragon Fruit (Dragon Fruit)（「火龍果（どらごんふるーつ）」）
② Durian: Musk cat fruit (dorian)（「麝香猫果（どりあん）」）
(5) H-row
① Pineapple: Hōri（「鳳梨（ほうり）」）
① Haskap: Kurominouguisu Kagura（「黒実鶯神楽（くろみのうぐいすかぐら）」）
② Passion fruit: Fruit passionflower（「果物時計草（くだものとけいそう）」）
③ Banana: Sweet banana (kanshō)（「甘蕉（かんしょう）」）
④ Papaya: Bankaju / Manjumai / Chichiuri（「蕃瓜樹（ばんかじゅ）/万寿果（まんじゅまい）/乳瓜（ちちうり）」）
⑤ Blueberries: Swamp blueberries （Numasuguri）（「沼酢塊（ぬますぐり）/藍苺（ぶるーべりー）」）
⑥ Prune: Western plum（Seiyo sumomo）（「西洋李（せいようすもも）」）
(6) M-row
① Muscat: Musk grape (jakōbudō)（「麝香葡萄（じゃこうぶどう）」）
② Mango: Mango（「芒果・檬果・菴羅・菴摩羅（まんごー）」）
③ Melon: 甜瓜 (tenka/meron)
As a side note, the familiar “muskmelon” is written as “麝香甜瓜” (jakō tiangua). “Musk” refers to a fragrance made from the dried secretions of the musk deer, also known as “musk.” In English, muskmelon is called “Musk Melon,” and its name comes from the fact that it’s a melon with a strong, musk-like fragrance.
(7) Ra-row
① Lychee: 茘枝 (reishi)
② Lemon: Lemon (「檸檬（れもん）」)
