Translation guide
A toy that spins on a point, common in many cultures. In Japanese, the general word is こま, but there are many traditional types with specific names.
こま
spinning top (toy)
The most common, everyday word for a spinning top.
The standard word for a spinning top. Can be written as 独楽, but hiragana is common.
The children are playing with spinning tops in the park.
このこまはよく回る。
This spinning top spins well.
Kanji form of こま, more common in written or formal contexts.
伝統的な独楽の作り方を学ぶ。
Learn how to make traditional spinning tops.
Specific types of spinning tops used in Japanese culture, often in games or as crafts.
A traditional Japanese spinning top made of metal, used in competitive games where players try to knock each other's tops out of a ring. Often associated with Showa-era nostalgia.
ベーゴマで勝負しよう。
Let's have a battle with beigoma.
A top spun by throwing it with a string. Common in traditional Japanese play.
投げごまをうまく回すのは難しい。
It's difficult to spin a throwing top well.
A type of spinning top from the Tohoku region, often made of wood and spun by hand.
ずぐりは東北地方の伝統的なこまです。
Zuguri is a traditional spinning top from the Tohoku region.
Literally 'fighting top', a type used in battles similar to beigoma, but often made of wood.
けんかごまはぶつけ合って遊ぶ。
You play with fighting tops by knocking them against each other.
Expressions using 'spinning top' figuratively.
Idiom meaning 'to work like a spinning top', i.e., to work busily and tirelessly.
彼はこまのように働いている。
He's working like a dog (literally: like a spinning top).
Literally 'the top spins', can metaphorically mean things are going smoothly or someone is in a good rhythm.
今日はなんだかこまが回らない。
I can't seem to get into the swing of things today.
In everyday conversation, こま is sufficient. Use specific names like ベーゴマ only when referring to that particular type or when the context requires it.