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指切り (ゆびきり) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

指ゆび切きり

ゆ

び

き

り

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb

pinky swear; pinky promise

A promise ritual where two people link their little fingers; often accompanied by a short song. Used as both a noun and a suru-verb.

子こ供どもの頃ころ、友とも達だちと指ゆび切きりをした。
When I was a child, I made a pinky swear with my friend.
「

指ゆび

切き

りげんまん

、

嘘うそ

つい

たら

針はり

千せん

本ぼん

飲の

ます

」

と

歌うた

い

ながら

指ゆび

切き

り

する

。

We do the pinky swear while singing, 'Pinky swear, if you lie, you'll swallow a thousand needles.'

Written forms

指ゆび切きりUsage95%
Standard kanji spelling; the most common written form.
ゆびきりUsage5%
Kana spelling; often used in children's contexts or when the kanji are considered difficult.
指ゆびきり
Mixed kanji-kana spelling; also seen, but less common than 指切り.

Kanji

指finger, point to, indicate
切cut, cutoff, be sharp

Similar words

約やく束そく
約束 is a general promise, while 指切り specifically refers to the pinky-linking ritual, often with a more childish or informal nuance.

Etymology

Compound of 指 (yubi, 'finger') and 切り (kiri, 'cutting'), from the gesture of linking little fingers as a symbolic 'cut' if the promise is broken. The exact historical origin is uncertain, but it is a well-established cultural practice.