首くび輪わ

く

び

わ

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

animal collar

Refers to a collar worn by pets or other animals, typically for attaching a leash or identification.

犬いぬに新あたらしい首くび輪わを買かってあげた。
I bought a new collar for my dog.

2

necklace; choker

Used for a close-fitting necklace or choker worn by people; can also refer to a decorative collar-like accessory.

彼かの女じょはパーティーに真しん珠じゅの首くび輪わをしていった。
She wore a pearl choker to the party.

See all 17 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

首くび輪わをつけるto put a collar (on an animal) / to put on a necklace
犬いぬに首くび輪わをつけて散さん歩ぽに出でた。
I put a collar on the dog and took it for a walk.
首くび輪わを外はずすto take off a collar or necklace
家いえに帰かえったら猫ねこの首くび輪わを外はずしてあげた。
When I got home, I took off the cat's collar for it.
首くび輪わをするto wear a necklace or choker
彼かの女じょは今日きょう、シンプルな首くび輪わをしている。
She's wearing a simple choker today.

Kanji

首neck, counter for songs and poems
輪wheel, ring, circle
頸neck, head
環ring, circle, loop
頚neck, head

Related words

ネックレスN3sense 2
ネックレス is the general word for any necklace, while 首輪 specifically evokes a close-fitting collar or choker style.
チョーカー sense 2
チョーカー is a loanword for a tight-fitting choker used in fashion contexts, while 首輪 can also sound literal or animal-related.

Don't confuse with

腕うで輪わ
首輪 is worn around the neck, while 腕輪 is worn around the wrist, though both share the ring-shaped '輪' structure.
指ゆび輪わN5
首輪 goes around the neck, whereas 指輪 is a ring worn on a finger; both use '輪' for something circular.

Counted with

個こN5
首輪 is typically counted with 個, the general counter for small discrete objects like collars.

Word family

クビワオオコウモリ
Ryukyu flying fox; Ryukyu fruit bat
ノミ取とり首くび輪わ
flea collar
クビワペッカリー
collared peccary

Built from

首くび+輪わ

Written forms

首くび輪わUsage98%
Standard kanji spelling for both animal collar and necklace/choker senses.
くびわUsage1%
クビワUsage<1%
頸くび輪わ
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; 頸 is a less common character for 'neck'.
頸くび環わ
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; 環 means 'ring' or 'loop'.
頚くび輪わ
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; 頚 is a variant of 頸.

Etymology

Compound of 首 (kubi, 'neck') and 輪 (wa, 'ring, loop'). The reading くびわ is a straightforward kun'yomi combination.