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おでこ Japanese meaning | Kotomora

おでこ

お

で

こ

Common word›JLPTN4›Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

usually written using kana alone

Common, everyday word for the forehead. Often used in casual contexts.

See also: でこ

転ころ

ん

で

お

でこ

に

たんこぶ

が

でき

た

。

I fell and got a bump on my forehead.

熱ねつがあるかどうか、おでこに手てを当あててみて。

Put your hand on my forehead to see if I have a fever.

2

prominent forehead; beetle brow

usually written using kana alone

Refers to a forehead that sticks out noticeably. Can be used teasingly or descriptively.

彼かれはおでこが広ひろいね。
He has a broad forehead, doesn't he?

3

catching nothing (fishing)

usually written using kana alonecolloquial›fishing›

Colloquial fishing term for a day with no catch. Often used in the phrase おでこを食らう.

今日きょうは全ぜん然ぜん釣つれなくて、おでこだった。
I didn't catch anything at all today; it was a total blank.

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉のおでこにキスをするto kiss someone's forehead
母ははは子こ供どものおでこにキスをした。
The mother kissed her child's forehead.
おでこが出でているto have a prominent, protruding forehead
彼かれはおでこが出でているのでよく目め立だつ。
He has a prominent forehead, so he stands out.
おでこを食くらうto get skunked; to catch nothing (fishing)
今日きょうは一いち日にち中じゅう釣つりをしたのにおでこを食くらった。
I fished all day today but caught nothing at all.
おでこを出だすto expose one's forehead (e.g. with a hairstyle)
前まえ髪がみを上あげておでこを出だした。
She swept her bangs up to show her forehead.
おでこをぶつけるto bump one's forehead (against something)
ドアでおでこをぶつけてしまった。
I accidentally bumped my forehead on the door.

Kanji

凸convex, beetle brow, uneven

Related words

額ひたいN3sense 1
額 is the formal, literary word for the forehead, while おでこ is the casual, friendly term used in everyday speech.
でこ sense 1
でこ is a shorter, more casual or dialectal form of おでこ, and おでこ is the standard, slightly more polite version with the お- prefix.

Politeness

でこplain
おでこ adds the polite prefix お to 凸(でこ), making it the softer, more polite or child-friendly way to say 'forehead'.

Etymology

Derived from でこ (forehead), with the honorific prefix お added. The origin of でこ is uncertain, but it may be related to the shape of a protruding forehead.