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Kotomora

髷

topknot

Strokes16

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

Explore all words using 髷 →

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.