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天津乙女 (あまつおとめ, amatsuotome) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

天あま津つ乙女おとめ

あ

ま

つ

お

と

め

Meanings

1

celestial maiden; heavenly maiden

Mythological being; a beautiful maiden from the heavens, often appearing in Japanese folklore and classical literature.

天あま津つ乙女おとめが天てんから降おりてきて、湖みずうみで水みず浴あび

を

し

た

と

いう

伝でん

説せつ

が

ある

。

There is a legend that a celestial maiden descended from heaven and bathed in the lake.

Kanji

天heavens, sky, imperial
津haven, port, harbor
乙the latter, duplicate, strange
女woman, female
少few, little

Related words

天てん女にょ
More common term for a celestial maiden or heavenly nymph; 天津乙女 is a more archaic and poetic variant.

Built from

天あまつ+乙女おとめ

Written forms

天あま津つ乙女おとめ
Standard kanji spelling for the mythological celestial maiden.
天あまつ少女おとめ
Alternate kanji spelling using 少女 for 'maiden'; less common than 天津乙女.

Etymology

Compound of 天つ (amatsu, 'heavenly', archaic possessive form of 天) and 乙女 (otome, 'maiden'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is firmly rooted in classical Japanese mythology.