noun
bristly beard; bristly mustache
Refers to a coarse, bristly beard or mustache, likened to a tiger's whiskers. Usually written in kana.
彼はとらひげを生やしている。
He has a bristly beard.
とらひげを剃るのが大変だ。
Shaving a bristly beard is tough.
noun
tiger whiskers
Only with reading こしゅ / こぜん
Literal meaning: the whiskers of a tiger. Restricted to the rare readings こしゅ and こぜん.
「虎鬚」を「こしゅ」と読むと、虎のひげそのものを指す。
When 虎鬚 is read as こしゅ, it refers to the actual whiskers of a tiger.
General term for facial hair (beard, mustache, whiskers). とらひげ specifically describes a bristly, coarse texture.
Compound of 虎 (tora, 'tiger') and 髭 (hige, 'beard/whiskers'). The bristly beard sense is a metaphorical extension of the literal 'tiger whiskers' meaning.