壷
jar, pot, hinge knuckle, one's aim
Readings
On'yomi
- コ
Kun'yomi
- つぼ
Meaning
壷 centers on a container with a narrow opening: a jar or pot. The extended senses of a hinge knuckle (a socket-like part) and one's aim (a target, like a pot to aim at) are natural applications of that container idea.
Most common words using 壷
- 骨壷こつつぼ
funerary urn; cinerary urn; burial urn; cremation urn
- 滝壷たきつぼ
plunge basin; waterfall lake; plunge pool; basin under a waterfall
- 壷洗いつぼあらい
individually "washing" a partner's fingers or toes in one's vagina (esp. as a service at a soapland)
- 火消し壷ひけしつぼ
charcoal extinguisher
- 肉壷にくつぼ
pussy; cunt
- 野壷のつぼ
night-soil reservoir dug in the field; field latrine
- 金壷かなつぼ
metal jar; metal pot
Study
Etymology
壷 is a variant form of 壺, which is a pictograph of a lidded jar or pot. The top 士 represents the lid, and the lower enclosure represents the body of the container.
Meaning mnemonic
The top 士 looks like a lid, and the lower part is a wide container. Picture a lidded jar or pot. The hinge knuckle is like a socket that holds something, and one's aim is the target you want to hit, like aiming at a pot.
Reading mnemonic
For コ, imagine a small pot that makes a 'co' sound when you tap it: co -> コ. The jar is so small it just goes 'co'.