坊ぼう主ず

ぼ

う

ず

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

noun

Buddhist priest; monk

Refers to a Buddhist priest or monk, often with a shaved head. The reading ぼんず is dialectal.

お寺てらの坊ぼう主ずが毎まい朝あさお経きょうをあげている。
The temple's Buddhist priest chants sutras every morning.

2

noun

shaved head

; close-cropped hair

; crew cut

Describes a head shaved bald or hair cut very short, like a monk's. Also used for a person with such a hairstyle.

夏なつは暑あついので坊ぼう主ずにした。
I shaved my head because it's hot in summer.
彼かれは坊ぼう主ず頭あたまがよく似に合あう。
A shaved head really suits him.

3

noun

boy; lad; sonny

familiar languagederogatory

Familiar, often derogatory term for a young boy. Similar to calling a boy 'kid' or 'sonny' in a rough or dismissive way.

おい、坊ぼう主ず、そこで何なにしてるんだ。
Hey, kid, what are you doing there?

4

noun

getting skunked; catching nothing

fishing

Fishing term for a day with no catch. Often used in the phrase 坊主だった (I got skunked).

Written forms

坊主Usage92%
- ぼうず
  Standard kanji spelling for all senses.
- ぼんず
ぼうずUsage4%
Kana spelling is common in casual writing, especially for the 'boy/lad' and 'shaved head' senses.
ボウズUsage4%
ぼんずUsage<1%
房主
rarely-used kanji form
- ぼうず
  Rarely used kanji form; 坊主 is overwhelmingly preferred.
- ぼんず

Kanji

坊boy, priest's residence, priest
主lord, chief, master
房tassel, tuft, fringe

Similar words

お坊ぼうさん
Polite and respectful term for a Buddhist priest, unlike the neutral or sometimes casual 坊主.
スキンヘッド
Loanword for a completely shaved head, often with a fashion or subculture nuance, while 坊主 can be any very short or shaved style.

Etymology

Originally referred to a Buddhist priest or monk, whose head is traditionally shaved. Extended to mean a shaved head, and then to a young boy (from the shaved head of apprentice monks) and to a fishing term for catching nothing (from the image of a monk's bald head).