髷
topknot
Readings
On'yomi
- キョク
Kun'yomi
- まげ
- わげ
Meaning
髷 centers on a traditional Japanese topknot hairstyle, where hair is gathered and tied on top of the head.
Most common words using 髷
- 丁髷ちょんまげ
chonmage; topknot hairstyle worn by men in the Edo period, and sumo wrestlers today
- 髷まげ
bun (hairstyle); chignon; topknot
- 丸髷まるまげ
traditional married woman's hair style with an oval chignon on top
- 付け髷つけまげ
hairpiece; fall; false coiffure
- 兵庫髷ひょうごわげ
female hairstyle starting from the Keicho period
- 大銀杏髷おおいちょうまげ
ginkgo-leaf top-knot worn by makuuchi and juryo division wrestlers
- 天神髷てんじんまげ
tenjin hairstyle
- 島田髷しまだまげ
pompadour-like hair style, popular for unmarried women in the Edo period; shimada coiffure
- 忍髷しのぶわげ
shinobu-wake; mid-18th century women's hairstyle consisting of a chignon with a small ring of hair on either side fastened with a hairpin
- 本多髷ほんだまげ
type of male haircut (Edo period)
- 笄髷こうがいわげ
type of Japanese woman's hairstyle using a hairpin (Edo period)
- 赤熊髷しゃぐままげ
hair tied with red yak's tail hair
- 髷物まげもの
period story (play, film, novel, etc.; set in the Edo period)
- 髷結いまげゆい
hairdressing of a wrestler's top-knot
Study
Etymology
髷 combines 髟 (hair) with 曲 (bend, curve), suggesting hair that is bent or tied into a topknot. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the component combination fits the meaning.
Meaning mnemonic
The top part 髟 represents long hair, and the bottom part 曲 looks like something bent or curved. Picture long hair being bent and tied up into a topknot.
Reading mnemonic
For キョク, imagine a topknot so tight it makes a 'kyok' sound when you pull it: kyok -> キョク, and the hair is bent into a topknot.