爪楊枝

Japanese

Kanji in this term
爪	楊	枝
つま Grade: S	よう Jinmeiyō	し > じ Grade: 5
kun'yomi	on'yomi

Etymology

楊(よう)枝(じ) (yōji, “poplar twig”) was once popular as a dental cleaning tool and by chewing it the natural compounds within could relieve pain and soothe toothache. The optional prefix 爪 indicates its use, so as not to have to soil one's nails when picking their teeth.

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) つまよーじ [tsùmáyóꜜòjì] (Nakadaka – [3])^[1]^[2]^[3]
IPA^(key): [t͡sɨma̠jo̞ːʑi]

Noun

爪(つま)楊(よう)枝(じ) • (tsumayōji) ^{←つまやうじ (tumayauzi)^?}

a toothpick

References

^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

[DJR-1] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[SMK5-2] Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-3] NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

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