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まつ毛 (まつげ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

まつ毛げ

ま

つ

げ

JLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

eyelashes

usually written using kana alone

Refers to the hairs on the edge of the eyelid. No special nuance; a common everyday word.

彼かの女じょはまつげが長ながい。
She has long eyelashes.
マスカラでまつげを上あげる。
I curl my eyelashes with mascara.

Written forms

まつ毛げUsage19%
Common mixed kanji-kana spelling; the 毛 part is straightforward, and まつ is often written in kana.
まつげUsage57%
Kana-only spelling; usually written in kana.
睫毛まつげUsage16%
Full kanji spelling; both characters are non-jōyō, so this form is less common in everyday writing.
睫まつげ

Usage

7%

rarely-used kanji form

Single-kanji abbreviation; rarely used and easily confused with other readings.

マツゲUsage1%

Kanji

毛fur, hair, feather
睫eyelashes

Similar words

眉まゆ毛げ
眉毛 means 'eyebrows', while まつげ means 'eyelashes'. They are different parts of the face.
目め
目 is the general word for 'eye', while まつげ specifically refers to the eyelashes.

Etymology

Compound of 目 (me, 'eye') + つ (an old possessive particle) + 毛 (ke, 'hair'), literally 'hair of the eye'. The reading まつげ is a contraction of めつげ.