ジョウロ

The Nihon Kokugo Daijiten gives Portuguese jorro, meaning a gush or jet of water, as the main source candidate for ジョウロ, and it adds another proposal from Portuguese jarra, a water jug. Priberam defines jorro as a forceful outflow of liquid and jarro as a rounded vessel with a handle. The Japanese dictionary cites 続無名抄 in 1680 with 如雨露. The borrowing fits the early Edo period, after Portuguese trade words had entered tools, food, clothing, and household vocabulary. The kanji 如雨露 and 如露 are ateji that suggest rain and dew, matching the watering action rather than the Portuguese spelling. The meaning shifted from a water flow or jug-type vessel to a garden tool: a container, handle, spout, and perforated head for scattering water over plants. Related Japanese words include 水差し, 霧吹き, 散水, and 植木鉢. Today ジョウロ means a watering can for gardens, balconies, and houseplants. Portuguese jorro is an event or flow, not the can itself, and jarro is a pitcher or sometimes a plant name. English watering can is more exact than jug. Horticulture catalogs list metal, plastic, and indoor ジョウロ types. One compact example is ベランダの花にジョウロで水をやる. The spelling 如雨露 remains common in dictionaries.