noun
lock of hair on the side of the head; side hair
Refers to the hair growing on the sides of the head, often styled or cut. Commonly used in contexts of hairdressing or traditional hairstyles.
美容師に小鬢をもう少し短く切ってもらった。
I had the hairdresser cut my side hair a little shorter.
彼女は小鬢を耳の後ろにかけた。
She tucked her side hair behind her ear.
もみあげ refers specifically to sideburns, the hair growing in front of the ears, while 小鬢 is a broader term for the hair on the side of the head.
Compound of 小 (small, little) and 鬢 (side hair, hair on the temples). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word straightforwardly describes the hair on the sides of the head.