木こ枯がらし

こ

が

ら

し

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

noun

cold wintry wind; winter wind that strips trees bare

Specifically refers to a strong, cold wind in late autumn to early winter that blows leaves off trees. Often used in poetry and seasonal descriptions.

木こ枯がらしが吹ふき荒あれる夜よるだった。
It was a night when a cold wintry wind was raging.
木こ枯がらしが街まちの落おち葉ばを舞まい上あげた

。

The winter wind sent the fallen leaves dancing through the streets.

Written forms

木こ枯がらしUsage57%
Standard kanji spelling with high priority.
木枯こがらしUsage18%
Variant spelling without the okurigana ら; also common.
木枯こがらしUsage15%
search-only kanji form
Search-only abbreviated form; not normally used in writing.
凩こがらしUsage10%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used single-character form (国字).

Kanji

木tree, wood
枯wither, die, dry up
凩wintry wind, (kokuji)

Similar words

北きた風かぜ
北風 is a general cold north wind, while 木枯らし specifically evokes the seasonal wind that strips trees and signals winter's arrival.
冬ふゆの風かぜ
冬の風 is a plain description of winter wind; 木枯らし carries a poetic, seasonal nuance tied to late autumn/early winter.

Etymology

Compound of 木 (tree) and 枯らし (from 枯らす, to wither). The wind that makes trees bare. The single-character form 凩 is a 国字 (kokuji) created in Japan.