also: とくびこん
noun
fundoshi; loincloth
Traditional Japanese men's undergarment made from a length of cotton, worn wrapped around the waist and between the legs. Still used in festivals, sumo, and some traditional settings.
祭りでは、男たちがふんどし姿で神輿を担ぐ。
At the festival, men carry the portable shrine wearing fundoshi.
祖父は昔、毎日ふんどしを締め
My grandfather said he used to wear a fundoshi every day.
noun
Only with reading ふんどし / ふどし
A type of underskirt or wrap worn under a kimono; similar to a koshimaki (腰巻). This sense is restricted to the readings ふんどし and ふどし.
See also: 腰巻
昔の女性は、着物の下にふんどしのような腰巻を着けていた。
Women in the past wore a koshimaki-like underskirt under their kimono.
noun
sumo wrestler's ornamental apron
Only with reading ふんどし / ふどし
In sumo, a decorative apron-like garment worn by wrestlers during ceremonies. This sense is restricted to the readings ふんどし and ふどし.
力士は土俵入りのとき、豪華なふんどしを着ける。
Sumo wrestlers wear an ornate fundoshi during the ring-entering ceremony.
Rare kanji form; learners may encounter it in older texts or sumo-related materials.
Archaic kanji form with the obsolete reading とくびこん; not used in modern Japanese.
The origin is uncertain, but the word may be related to ふみとおし (踏み通し) or similar terms referring to stepping through the cloth. The kanji 褌 is a Chinese character for loincloth, adopted for its meaning.