球茎

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: The spelling is 球茎, read きゅうけい, and it combines 球, meaning ball-shaped, with 茎, meaning stem.
• Basic usage: The basic sense of 球茎 is a corm, a short swollen underground stem that stores nutrients for a plant.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• A swollen stem rather than a root
  • Both examples use the form 球茎. Although it grows underground and may resemble a root, botanically it is enlarged stem tissue used for storage.
• Careful digging and an illustrated emerging shoot
  • 植物の球茎を傷つけないよう土から掘り出しました。 — We dug the plant's corm out of the soil without damaging it.
  • 図鑑には球茎から芽が出る様子が描かれています。 — The guide shows a shoot emerging from a corm.