also: そうぶ
noun
Acorus calamus, a wetland plant with aromatic rhizomes. Often associated with the Boy's Festival (端午の節句) where its leaves are used in baths.
端午の節句には菖蒲湯に入る習慣がある。
There is a custom of taking a bath with sweet flag leaves on the Boy's Festival.
Colloquial use for Iris ensata var. ensata, a popular garden plant with large, showy flowers. The more precise term is 花菖蒲 (はなしょうぶ).
See also: 花菖蒲
庭にきれいな菖蒲が咲いている。
Beautiful Japanese irises are blooming in the garden.
Obsolete reading; not used in modern Japanese.
Katakana spelling, often used in botanical or commercial contexts.
Specifically refers to the Japanese iris (Iris ensata), avoiding ambiguity with sweet flag.
Often written 菖蒲 as well, but typically refers to Iris sanguinea; a different species with narrower leaves and earlier bloom.
Iris laevigata, another iris species; distinguished by its aquatic habitat and white central stripe on the petals.
The kanji 菖蒲 are Chinese in origin, referring to the sweet flag. The Japanese reading しょうぶ is the on'yomi. The plant has been known in Japan since ancient times, and the name is deeply associated with seasonal traditions.