銀杏

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: The written form is 銀杏, read ぎんなん. The reading and whole-word meaning matter more than a literal character gloss; here the word denotes a ginkgo nut.
• Basic usage: 銀杏を拾う describes gathering fallen nuts, while 銀杏が一粒 counts one nut included in a dish.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Nuts gathered in autumn
  • The object gathered on the shrine grounds is the fallen nut, not the tree itself. Example: 秋になると境内で銀杏を拾う人がいる。 — People gather ginkgo nuts on the shrine grounds in autumn.
• A counted food ingredient
  • The ginkgo nut in the steamed egg custard is counted as one small piece. Example: 茶碗蒸しの中に銀杏が一粒入っていた。 — There was one ginkgo nut in the steamed egg custard.