What is the difference between 楊 and 柳 which both mean “Willow”

Question

I've come across two kanji, which are both read やなぎ　and both mean "willow".

From what I've found out so far, 柳 has an On'yomi of リュウ　and it seems to mean more "things with the qualities of a willow"; while 楊　has an On'yomi of ヨウ　and means the type of tree. That being said it also seems to be a name element.

Can anyone confirm this or shed some more light on the subject?

　

Answer 1

柳 やなぎ リュウ:

• Used for willows which have their branches hanging down including しだれやなぎ. Can refer more broadly to the tall deciduous trees in the willow family and as a general term for shrubs as well according to Kanjigen.
• Has a frequency of 1169/2501 and is classified as a general usage Kanji according to Kanjidic.

楊 かわ やなぎ ヨウ:

• Used for willows which have their branches going upwards including かわやなぎ and ねこやなぎ according to Kanjigen.
• Has a frequency of 1815/2501 so is less common and is classified as a 人名用{じんめいよう} Kanji for use in people's names according to Kanjidic.

Answer 2

According to dictionary.goo.ne.jp, maybe 柳 is the collective name for all willows, and 楊 may be used for some specific species (カワヤナギ,ネコヤナギ).

However, the kun reading(やなぎ) of 楊 is usually not used, and 楊 is usually only used in some compound words. So when referring to willow, 柳 would be used.

Note that for tree names formed with the two characters may refer to different kinds of trees. E.g, 白楊【はくよう】 may be ヤマナラシ (Populus tremula), which is not a kind of willow.