こま

こ

ま

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

1

usually written using kana alone

A toy that spins on a point; common in traditional Japanese play.

。

When I was a child, I often played with spinning tops.

〈物もの〉を回まわすto spin (a top)
子こ供どもが独楽こまを回まわして遊あそんでいる。
The child is playing by spinning a top.
〈物もの〉が回まわるfor a top to spin
独楽こまがくるくると回まわっている。
The top is spinning round and round.

駒こま
独楽 (こま) means 'spinning top', a completely different word that happens to share the same pronunciation as 駒 (こま).
コマ
独楽 (こま) is a spinning top toy, a completely different word that merely shares the same pronunciation with コマ (frame/panel).
コマ
独楽 (a spinning top toy) sounds exactly like コマ but has nothing to do with comets or lens aberrations.

個こN5
独楽 is a small toy typically counted with 個, the general counter for small objects.

The origin is uncertain; the word is native Japanese. The kanji 独楽 are an ateji-like spelling whose derivation is unclear.