cut end; edge of a page
A physical term for an exposed cut face or edge, especially the cut end of wood or the outer edge of a book's pages.
There is a slight stain on the edge of the book's pages.
I applied a protective coating to the cut end of the wood.
noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
small amount; small quantity; small sum
Used for relatively small transactions, orders, lots, loans, or sums of money. Often contrasts with 大口, a large-scale or big-ticket amount.
Antonyms: 大口 (おおぐち)
We also handle small orders.
They collected many small donations.
Rare use for the start of something or a clue that opens the way forward. In modern Japanese, 糸口 is much more usual for this meaning.
In this usage, 小口 means the beginning of something or a clue.
dangerous place; jaws of death; tiger's den
Rare or variant use connected with 虎口, literally a tiger's mouth and figuratively a perilous place or deadly situation. This is not the everyday sense of 小口.
See also: 虎口
When 小口 is used in the sense of 虎口, it refers to a dangerous place or the jaws of death.
The edges of the book are decorated with gold.
Individual investors often buy stocks in small lots.
少額 specifically means a small sum of money, whereas 小口 more broadly covers small-scale orders, lots, or transactions in general.
The spelling combines 小, 'small', and 口, 'mouth, opening, edge'. This transparently fits the 'small amount' and 'edge/opening' senses, but the exact historical development of the rarer senses is uncertain; the dangerous-place sense is associated with 虎口.