くじらひげ

also: げいしゅ · げいす

く

じ

ら

ひ

げ

Meanings

noun

whalebone; baleen

usually written using kana alone

Refers to the keratinous plates in the mouths of baleen whales, used historically for corset stays, umbrella ribs, and other flexible structures.

昔むかしはコルセットにくじらひげが使つかわれていた。
Whalebone was used in corsets in the old days.
くじらひげはプラスチックが普ふ及きゅうする前まえ、様さま々ざまな製せい品ひんに利り用ようされた。
Before plastic became common, baleen was used in various products.

Kanji

鯨whale
鬚beard, mustache

Related words

鯨くじら
Means 'whale' in general; くじらひげ specifically refers to the baleen plates.
ひげ
Usually means 'facial hair' or 'whiskers'; in this compound it refers to the baleen plates resembling a mustache.

Written forms

鯨鬚
- くじらひげ
  Rare kanji spelling; the reading げいしゅ or げいす may also be associated with this form, but くじらひげ is the most common reading.
- げいしゅ
  Sino-Japanese reading of 鯨鬚; rarely used in modern Japanese.
- げいす
  Alternate Sino-Japanese reading; even less common than げいしゅ.
げいす
げいしゅ

Etymology

Compound of 鯨 (くじら, 'whale') and ひげ ('beard, whiskers'), from the resemblance of baleen plates to a whale's mustache. The Sino-Japanese readings げいしゅ and げいす are based on the on'yomi of the kanji.