胡椒

こしょう · koshou · JLPT N3 · noun

pepper

胡椒 = foreign 胡 + spicy pepper plant 椒: pepper from the West

胡 was the old Chinese name for peoples beyond the western frontier, so many imports carry it: 胡麻 sesame, 胡瓜 cucumber. 椒 was the native Sichuan pepper, so black pepper became the foreigners' 椒.

More Japanese words · How Japanese works