びわ（びわ、biwa）
- loquat

The word びわ refers to the loquat fruit. It's a small, round or pear-shaped fruit with a fuzzy, yellowish-orange skin and sweet, slightly acidic flesh. The fruit typically contains large, dark brown seeds.

⚫︎この びわはとても甘いですね。 Translation: This loquat is very sweet, isn't it? ⚫︎庭に びわの木があります。 Translation: There is a loquat tree in the garden.

You can use びわ to talk about the fruit itself, the loquat tree, or the season when they are available (typically late spring to early summer). It’s a common word, understood by most people.

⚫︎The word びわ is typically written in hiragana: びわ. ⚫︎The kanji form 枇杷 is also used, but it's less common, and beginners may not be familiar with it. The kanji represents both the fruit and the tree.

There aren't many direct synonyms for びわ. You might use the more general term 果物 (fruit) if you want to avoid specifying which fruit you're talking about.

There are no direct antonyms for びわ. The concept of "not a loquat" would require a different word.

夏の終わりごろに、びわが実をつけ始めます。 ・Translation: Around the end of summer, loquats start to bear fruit. ・Explanation: This sentence explains the time of the year when loquats are in season.

おばあちゃんの家の庭には大きなびわの木があって、毎年たくさん実をつけます。 ・Translation: My grandmother's garden has a big loquat tree, and it bears a lot of fruit every year. ・Explanation: This sentence describes the location of a loquat tree and how much fruit it produces.

The etymology of びわ is related to the word's origin in China. The Japanese word びわ is derived from the Chinese word 枇杷 (pí pá), which is also the Chinese name for the fruit and tree.