stringiness; stretching out like a string
Describes a viscous liquid or sticky substance forming a string when pulled, e.g., melted cheese, natto, or glue.
Natto is often said to have strong stringiness.
This cheese becomes nicely stringy when heated.
silk reeling; silk spinning; filature
The process of unwinding silk filament from cocoons; also refers to the occupation or machine. Cross-referenced with 糸取り.
See also: 糸取り
My grandmother worked at a silk reeling factory when she was young.
pulling strings; manipulating behind the scenes
Figurative use: secretly controlling someone or something, like a puppeteer. Often used in the phrase 糸引きをする.
He must be pulling strings behind the scenes.
appearance of strings from Buddha's fingertips (folk belief)
A folk belief that when one prays earnestly, strings appear from the Buddha's fingertips. Rare, historical/religious context.
There is an old tale of a devout person seeing strings appear from the Buddha's fingertips.
Euphemistic term for menstruation, based on the stringy nature of discharge. Not common in modern everyday speech.
In old texts, 糸引き sometimes euphemistically refers to menstruation.
Standard kanji spelling for all senses.
Compound of 糸 (thread) and 引き (pulling), literally 'thread-pulling'. The various senses derive from the core image of drawing out a thread.