坊ぼう主ず

ぼ

う

ず

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

noun

Buddhist priest; monk

Refers to a Buddhist priest or monk, often with a shaved head. The reading ぼんず is dialectal.

お寺てらの坊ぼう主ずが毎まい朝あさお経きょうをあげている。
The temple's Buddhist priest chants sutras every morning.

noun

shaved head; close-cropped hair; crew cut

Describes a head shaved bald or hair cut very short, like a monk's. Also used for a person with such a hairstyle.

夏なつは暑あついので坊ぼう主ずにした。
I shaved my head because it's hot in summer.
彼かれは坊ぼう主ず頭あたまがよく似に合あう。
A shaved head really suits him.

noun

boy; lad; sonny

familiar languagederogatory

Familiar, often derogatory term for a young boy. Similar to calling a boy 'kid' or 'sonny' in a rough or dismissive way.

おい、坊ぼう主ず、そこで何なにしてるんだ。
Hey, kid, what are you doing there?

noun

getting skunked; catching nothing

fishing

Fishing term for a day with no catch. Often used in the phrase 坊主だった (I got skunked).

Usage patterns

頭あたまを坊ぼう主ずにするto shave one's head; to get a crew cut
夏なつ休やすみに頭あたまを坊ぼう主ずにした。
I got a crew cut over summer vacation.
坊ぼう主ずになるto become a Buddhist monk
彼かれは若わかくして坊ぼう主ずになった。
He became a monk while still young.
坊ぼう主ずだったgot skunked; caught nothing fishing
今日きょうの釣つりは坊ぼう主ずだった。
I got skunked fishing today.
〈人ひと〉を坊ぼう主ずにするto shave someone's head
母ははは弟おとうとを坊ぼう主ずにした。
Mom shaved my little brother's head.

Expressions

坊ぼう主ず丸まる儲もうけa monk's earnings are pure profit
坊ぼう主ず憎にくけりゃ袈け裟さまで憎にくいhating everything associated with someone you dislike
嘘うそと坊ぼう主ずの頭あたまはゆったことがないhaving never told a lie

Kanji

坊boy, priest's residence, priest
主lord, chief, master
房tassel, tuft, fringe

Related words· 10

僧そう侶りょN1sense 1
僧侶 is a formal, respectful term for a Buddhist priest, while 坊主 can sound casual or even disrespectful in the same sense.
和お尚しょう sense 1
和尚 specifically refers to a head priest or abbot, whereas 坊主 is a more general, sometimes blunt word for any Buddhist monk.
小こ僧ぞう sense 3
小僧 is a mildly derogatory term for a young boy or apprentice, similar in tone to 坊主 but with a nuance of inexperience.
坊ぼうやN2sense 3
坊や is an affectionate way to address a little boy, in contrast to 坊主, which can sound rough or dismissive when used for a boy.

Show 6 more

スキンヘッド sense 2
スキンヘッド is a loanword for a completely shaved head with a fashionable or subculture image, while 坊主 covers any very short or shaved hairstyle, including a monk's.
僧そうN1
坊主 is a casual, sometimes mildly derogatory word for a monk (also used for a shaven-headed boy), whereas 僧 is neutral and can be formal.
禿はげN1
坊主 can teasingly refer to a shaved or bald head (also meaning 'monk'), and is less harsh than the derogatory 禿.
坊ぼう
坊主 is a common colloquial (sometimes derogatory) word for a monk or a shaved head, while 坊 alone is older and more restricted, often appearing only as part of compounds.
法ほう師し
坊主 is a casual, everyday word for a Buddhist priest (and can also mean 'boy' or 'bald head'), while 法師 is more neutral and often historical or literary.
せがれN1
坊主 is a broader, casual term for a young boy or kid, whereas せがれ specifically implies 'son' with a dismissive or humble edge depending on context.

Politeness

お坊ぼうさんpolite 丁寧語N1sense 1
お坊さん is the polite, respectful way to refer to a Buddhist priest, while 坊主 is the neutral or sometimes casual/derogatory term for the same person.

Don't confuse with

坊ぼっちゃん sense 3
坊っちゃん refers respectfully to a young master or someone's son, unlike 坊主, which is a familiar or derogatory word for a boy.
坊ぼうさんN2
坊主 can mean a monk or a shaved head and often carries a rougher or teasing tone, whereas 坊さん is the plain familiar word for a monk.
坊ぼっちゃんN2
坊主 shares the 坊 kanji and sound pattern with 坊ちゃん but means a Buddhist monk or, casually, a shaven-headed boy, not a young master.

Counted with

人にん sense 1
坊主 is counted with 人 when referring to a Buddhist priest as a person.

Word family· 34

丸まる坊ぼう主ず
close-cropped head; shaven head; bald head · treeless; leafless; bald; bare
三みっ日か坊ぼう主ずN1
quitter; someone who can't stick to anything
海うみ坊ぼう主ず
umibōzu; sea yōkai; sea monster · green turtle
坊ぼう主ず畳だたみ
tatami mat without a decorative cloth edge
坊ぼう主ず頭あたま
close-cropped hair; shaven head

Show 8 more

大おお坊ぼう主ず
large monk · large bald man; big baldy · large bald-headed monster
小こ坊ぼう主ず
young priest; scamp
禅ぜん坊ぼう主ず
Zen monk
アブラボウズ
skilfish; skil
茶ちゃ坊ぼう主ず
tea-server; tea-serving attendant · flatterer; sycophant; brown-noser
ネギ坊ぼう主ず
onion flower head; scallion flower bud
蛸たこ坊ぼう主ず
bald man; shaven-headed man
青あお坊ぼう主ず
shaved head; person with a shaved head

See all 34 in Explore →

Written forms

坊主Usage92%
- ぼうず
  Standard kanji spelling for all senses.
- ぼんず
ぼうずUsage4%
Kana spelling is common in casual writing, especially for the 'boy/lad' and 'shaved head' senses.
ボウズUsage4%
ぼんずUsage<1%
房主
rarely-used kanji form
- ぼうず
  Rarely used kanji form; 坊主 is overwhelmingly preferred.
- ぼんず

Etymology

Originally referred to a Buddhist priest or monk, whose head is traditionally shaved. Extended to mean a shaved head, and then to a young boy (from the shaved head of apprentice monks) and to a fishing term for catching nothing (from the image of a monk's bald head).