鏡かがみ

noun

mirror; looking glass

The ordinary everyday word for a reflective mirror, from a bathroom mirror to a small hand mirror.

• 出でかける前まえに鏡かがみで髪かみを直なおした。

  I fixed my hair in the mirror before going out.

• この鏡かがみは部屋へやを広ひろく見みせる。

  This mirror makes the room look larger.

noun

barrel head; cask head

Specialized use for the flat circular end or lid of a barrel or cask, especially familiar in contexts such as sake-cask opening.

• 鏡かがみ開びらきでは、酒さか樽だるの鏡かがみを木き槌づちで割わる。

  At a sake-cask opening ceremony, the barrel head is broken with wooden mallets.

noun

document cover sheet; front summary page

Technical business or finance-related use for a page placed at the beginning of a document, listing information such as purpose, date, and author.

• 会かい計けい書しょ類るいの鏡かがみに、作さく成せい日びと担たん当とう者しゃ名めいを記き入にゅうした。

  I entered the preparation date and the person in charge on the cover sheet of the accounting documents.

noun

mirror-shaped mochi; kagami mochi

Abbreviation of 鏡餅; limited to New Year decoration or offering contexts where the mochi is already understood.

See also: 鏡餅 (かがみもち)

• 正しょう月がつ飾かざりの話はなしで「鏡かがみ」と言いえば、鏡かがみ餅もちを指さすことがある。

  When talking about New Year decorations, 鏡 can sometimes refer to kagami mochi.