梨

梨 (Kangxi radical 75, 木+7, 11 strokes, cangjie input 竹弓木 (HND) or 難竹弓木 (XHND), four-corner 2290₄, composition ⿱利木)

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 530, character 12
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 14873
• Dae Jaweon: page 918, character 10
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1215, character 10
• Unihan data for U+68A8
• Unihan data for U+F9E2

Historical forms of the character 梨
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ril) : phonetic 利 (OC *rids) + semantic 木.

Unknown. Also found in Proto-Hmong-Mien *rəj; folk etymology derives this from 利 (OC *rids, “sharp”) (Schuessler, 2007).

梨

梨

1. pear (Classifier: 個／个 m c; 隻／只 c)
2. ^† Alternative form of 剺 (lí, “to cut”)

• → Malay: lai (“pear”)
• → Proto-Hmong-Mien: *rəj (“pear”)

(grade 4 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. pear

• Go-on: り (ri)
• Kan-on: り (ri)
• Kan’yō-on: りん (rin)
• Kun: なし (nashi, 梨, Jōyō)
• Nanori: か (ka)

梨 (nashi, ri, rin: the tree) and the fruit.

From Old Japanese. Derivation unclear, with numerous theories. Two of the more common are given below.

• May be originally a compound of 中 (na, “middle, center”, hypothesized root of modern naka) +‎ 白 (shiro, “white”) in reference to the pale flesh of the fruit.

*/na ɕiro/ → /naɕi/

• Alternatively, may be originally a compound of 中 (na, “middle, center”, hypothesized root of modern naka) +‎ 酢 (su, “sour, acidic”) in reference to the way the flavor of the fruit becomes more astringent closer to the core.

*/na su/ → /naɕi/

• ナシ

• (Tokyo) なし​ [nàshíꜜ] (Odaka – [2])[1]
• (Tokyo) なし [nàshí] (Heiban – [0])[1]
• IPA^(key): [na̠ɕi]

梨(なし) • (nashi) 

1. a pear tree
2. a pear (the fruit)
3. more specifically, a Japanese pear or Asian pear (Pyrus pyrifolia)

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as ナシ.

From Middle Chinese 梨 (*li). Compare modern Mandarin reading lí.

• IPA^(key): [ɾʲi]

梨(り) • (ri) 

1. a pear tree
2. a pear (the fruit)
3. more specifically, a Japanese pear or Asian pear (Pyrus pyrifolia)

Alteration of ri reading.

/ri/ → /rin/

• IPA^(key): [ɾʲĩɴ]

梨(りん) • (rin) 

1. pear

梨 (eumhun 배나무 리 (baenamu ri), South Korea 배나무 이 (baenamu i))

1. Hanja form^? of 리/이 (“pear tree”).

梨: Hán Nôm readings: lê, lệ

1. chữ Hán form of lê (“pear”).
2. chữ Hán form of lệ (“pear”).