“Tangerine” and “mandarin,” it turns out we’ve been getting them mixed up all these years.
Release date:
2024-03-04
For years, I’ve always been unable to tell the difference between the Chinese characters "橘" and "桔."
When "桔" is pronounced jú, it serves as the informal variant of "橘"—commonly known as a "handheld character" (a character that is particularly popular among the public but doesn’t conform to standard writing rules).
Therefore, the two characters are entirely distinct—“桔” is not a simplified form of “橘,” and writing “橘” as “桔” is incorrect. Although both refer to plants, they have fundamentally different meanings.
The *Kangxi Dictionary* lists "橘" as pronounced *jú*, while "桔" has only one pronunciation, *jié*. The two characters remain clearly distinct, with no instances of them being used interchangeably.
The 1932 edition of "Etymology" lists only the pronunciation "jié" for the character "桔."
By 1980, the character "桔" in the *Cihai* dictionary had gained an additional pronunciation: (jú).
In 1977, the "Second Simplified Chinese Character Scheme" indeed simplified the character "橘" to "桔," with a specific note emphasizing that when used as the plant name "桔梗," the character is pronounced "jié."
Therefore, the two characters are entirely distinct—“桔” is not a simplified form of “橘,” and writing “橘” as “桔” is incorrect. Although both refer to plants, they have fundamentally different meanings.
It's only in recent decades, as people have mixed their usage and writing styles, that they've mistakenly come to believe these are a single Chinese character.
02 "Jué": fruit; "Júe": traditional Chinese medicine ingredient
What are the original meanings of "jué" and "jú"?
First, let’s look at “jué,” which originally referred to the orange tree but now broadly describes the fruit we eat today—specifically, oranges.
Meanwhile, the "jujube" (jié) is essentially a perennial plant that can be used medicinally, offering effects such as expectoration, soothing of the throat, and promoting the drainage of pus.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, there’s a herbal ingredient called "Jiegeng," which refers to the Chinese character "Jie." Interestingly, "Jie" originally had absolutely no connection to fruit in its essence.
"The Shuowen Jiezi also provides a remarkably clear explanation of these two characters. It states: 'Ju refers to a fruit grown in Jiangnan, while Jie denotes Platycodon grandiflorus, a medicinal herb.'"
03 "Jué" and "Júe": The Historical Evolution of Their Pronunciation
The *Kangxi Dictionary* records "橘" as pronounced *jú*, while "桔" has only one pronunciation, *jié*. The two characters remain clearly distinct, with no instances of them being used interchangeably.
The 1932 edition of "Etymology" lists only the pronunciation "jié" for the character "桔."
By 1980, the character "桔" in the *Cihai* dictionary had added an additional pronunciation: (jú).
During the same period, the *Xinhua Dictionary*, the *Homophone Dictionary*, and the *Modern Chinese Dictionary* stated that "ju" is a common or variant form of "ju," but it is not the original character for "ju."
04 "Jué" and "Jú," the Historical Reasons Behind Their Mixed Usage
Soon after the founding of New China, all sectors were called upon to embrace reform and innovation—and Chinese characters were no exception.
For simplicity and convenience, the reform simplified many traditional Chinese characters.
In 1977, the "Second Simplified Chinese Character Scheme" indeed simplified the character "橘" to "桔," with a specific note emphasizing that when used as the plant name "桔梗," the character is pronounced "jié."
However, after thousands of years, Chinese characters aren’t something that can simply be altered or changed on a whim.
Everyone involved in the implementation of the reform has found that the drawbacks of the simplified Chinese characters far outweigh the benefits.
In 1986, the country abolished the previous "Chinese Character Reform Plan."
Thus, "jú" is no longer used as a simplified form of "jú."
However, "jué" and "jú" have been used interchangeably for over a decade, and many people have already grown accustomed to using "jú."
05 "Tangerine" and "Citrus," What Are the Differences in Their Biological Characteristics?
First of all, oranges grow in the south; mandarins, however, thrive in the north.
Second, tangerines ripen and become available around the time of the Spring Festival each year, whereas oranges mature in the autumn.
Again, the orange tree is tall with thorny trunks, while the mandarin tree has many branches that spread out or droop downward, often bearing few or no thorns.
Then, mandarins have thick peels and the segments aren’t easily separated—most people cut them open with a knife to eat. In contrast, tangerines have thinner skins, and their juicy segments come neatly arranged in individual, easy-to-peel sections.
Although "jué" and "jú" have slight differences, both are rich in vitamin C and other nutrients, making them incredibly healthy fruits.
For years, Chinese characters, "ji," pronunciation—single syllable, reform, fruit—two-character word, "kikyō," essence.
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