お土産

おみやげ · omiyage · JLPT N4 · noun

keepsake

🎁 お土産 = honorific o + local (土) + product (産): a gift from the region

土 means earth or locality and 産 means produce, so 土産 is a local product. The reading miyage is irregular for these kanji, so learn the sound as one unit: o-mi-ya-ge. It is the gift you bring back from a trip for family or coworkers.

土 — pictograph of a mound of earth on the ground
土 is a pictograph showing a lump or mound of soil resting on the ground line. In oracle bone script it depicted an earthen heap, sometimes interpreted as an altar to the earth god. The meaning has remained stable: earth, soil, or ground.

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