くしゃみ

also: くさめ · くっさめ

く

しゃ

み

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

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

sneeze; sneezing

usually written using kana alone

Common word for a sneeze; can be used as a noun or with する to mean 'to sneeze'.

2

expression

charm phrase against early death after a sneeze

idiomatic expressionusually written using kana alone

Only with reading くさめ

Idiomatic expression: くさめ is spoken twice in response to someone sneezing, as a traditional charm to ward off an early death. Rare and old-fashioned.

くしゃみUsage82%
Standard kana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
クシャミUsage16%
kana-only spelling
嚏Usage1%
rarely-used kanji form
- くしゃみ
  Rare kanji form; not commonly used.
- くさめ
  rarely-used kana form
- くっさめ
  rarely-used kana form
くさめUsage<1%
rarely-used kana form
Rare reading used in the idiomatic charm expression.
嚔
rarely-used kanji form
- くしゃみ
  Rare kanji form; not commonly used.
- くさめ
  rarely-used kana form
- くっさめ
  rarely-used kana form
くっさめ
rarely-used kana form
Rare emphatic variant of くさめ.

The origin is uncertain; it may be related to the old verb くしゃむ (to sneeze). The reading くさめ is an old form used in a charm.