こっくりさん

こ

っ

く

り

さ

ん

Meanings

noun

kokkuri; table-turning game; spirit of the coin

usually written using kana alone

A Japanese divination game similar to table-turning or using a planchette, often played with a coin on a piece of paper. The term can refer to the game itself or the spirit summoned.

Kanji

狐fox
狗puppy, dog
狸tanuki, raccoon
様Esq., way, manner

Related words

こっくり
こっくり is a shorter form sometimes used to refer to the same game or spirit, but こっくりさん is more common and personified with the honorific さん.

Written forms

コックリさん
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling sometimes used for emphasis or in informal contexts.
狐こっ狗く狸りさん
Ateji kanji spelling; rarely used in practice.
狐こっ狗く狸り様さん
Variant with 様 instead of さん; even rarer than 狐狗狸さん.

Etymology

The origin is uncertain, but it is often said to derive from the sound of the table or coin moving (こっくり) combined with the honorific さん, or from a blend of 狐 (kitsune, fox), 狗 (inu, dog), and 狸 (tanuki, raccoon dog) as a playful reference to animal spirits. The kanji 狐狗狸 are ateji.