骸がい骨こつ

が

い

こ

つ

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

Refers to the bony framework of a body, either literal or figurative.

博はく物ぶつ館かんで恐きょう竜りゅうの骸がい骨こつを見みた。
I saw a dinosaur skeleton at the museum.
骸がい骨こつのように痩やせた猫ねこが道みち端ばたにいた。
There was a cat as thin as a skeleton by the roadside.

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Usage patterns

骸がい骨こつが見みつかるfor a skeleton to be found/discovered
山やまで古ふるい骸がい骨こつが見みつかった。
An old skeleton was found in the mountains.
骸がい骨こつのように痩やせるto become skeletally thin
病びょう気きで骸がい骨こつのように痩やせてしまった。
He became as thin as a skeleton because of his illness.
骸がい骨こつを発はっ掘くつするto excavate/dig up a skeleton
考こう古こ学がく者しゃが古こ代だいの骸がい骨こつを発はっ掘くつした。
The archaeologist excavated an ancient skeleton.

Expressions

骸がい骨こつを乞こうtender one's resignation; resign

Kanji

骸bone, body, corpse
骨skeleton, bone, remains

Related words

骨こっ格かく
骨格 refers to the skeletal structure or framework of a body in an anatomical or structural sense, while 骸骨 denotes the whole skeleton viewed as a visible object, often a bare bony corpse.
白はっ骨こつ
骸骨 is the common word for a skeleton, often used for anatomical models or Halloween decorations, while 白骨 stresses that the bones have been bleached white through exposure, as at a death scene.

Don't confuse with· 5

骨ほねN4
骨 means a bone or bones in general (one bone, a broken bone), whereas 骸骨 specifically means an entire skeleton, the full bony frame of a body.
亡骸なきがらN1
亡骸 refers to a whole dead body (often still fleshed), while 骸骨 specifically means a skeleton with the flesh gone.
人じん骨こつ
骸骨 usually refers to a whole skeleton (often as an image, e.g. of death), while 人骨 refers to human bone(s) in general, including single fragments.

Show 2 more

死し骸がい
死骸 refers to a whole dead body, while 骸骨 refers specifically to a skeleton with the flesh gone.
骨こっ子し
骸骨 means a skeleton (bones of a body), a very different, literal meaning from 骨子's abstract sense of the gist or framework of an idea, despite sharing the kanji 骨.

Written forms

骸がい骨こつUsage81%
Standard kanji spelling.
ガイコツUsage13%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling, often used for emphasis or in informal contexts.
がい骨こつUsage5%
search-only kanji form
Search-only form; not a standard spelling.
がいこつUsage2%

Etymology

Compound of 骸 (remains, corpse) and 骨 (bone). The reading がいこつ is the on'yomi of both characters.