独楽

Appears to be a shortening of older reading komatsukuri^[1] or komatsuburi^[1][2] (see below).

The shorter form koma is now the most common reading. The kanji spelling is an example of jukujikun (熟字訓).

• (Tokyo) こま [kóꜜmà] (Atamadaka – [1])^[2]
• IPA^(key): [ko̞ma̠]

独楽(こま) • (koma) 

1. a spinning top
2. (by extension) a rigid object that can rotate freely around a fixed point
3. a 家(か)紋(もん) (kamon, “family crest”) in the form or shape of a spinning top
4. a hexagonal or octagonal top, decorated with images and/or writing, used for gambling

   Synonym: 御花独楽 (ohanagoma)

Older form of koma above.

Compound of 高麗(こま) (Koma, “Goryeo; Korea; foreign lands”) + つぶり (tsuburi, “round thing”, cognate with 円(つぶ)ら (tsubura, “round”)).^[1][2]

• IPA^(key): [ko̞ma̠t͡sɨbɯ̟ɾʲi]

独楽(こまつぶり) • (komatsuburi) 

1. (archaic, possibly obsolete) Same as こま (koma) above

Additional older form of koma above, attested in the Wamyō Ruijushō (938 CE) with the phonetic spelling 古末都玖利.^[3]

Considering the appearance of final element kuri in synonym tsumukuri (also on this page), the term komatsukuri appears to be a compound of 高麗 (Koma, “Goryeo; Korea; foreign lands”) +‎ つ (tsu, Old Japanese possessive / genitive particle) +‎ 繰り (kuri, “winding”, the continuative / nominative form of verb 繰る (kuru, “to wind”), likely in reference to the way that one winds a string around a top in order to spin it).

• IPA^(key): [ko̞ma̠t͡sɨkɯ̟ɾʲi]

独楽(こまつくり) • (komatsukuri) 

1. (archaic, possibly obsolete) Same as こま (koma) above

Ancient alternative to koma above. Probably from 紡錘(つむ) (tsumu, “a spindle”, root of the verb 紡(つむ)ぐ (tsumugu, “to spin thread or yarn”)) + 繰(く)り (kuri, “winding”, the 連(れん)用(よう)形(けい) (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of the verb 繰(く)る (kuru, “to wind something onto something else”)).^[2][4]

Occasionally also encountered with rendaku as tsumuguri.

• IPA^(key): [t͡sɨmɯ̟kɯ̟ɾʲi]

独楽(つむくり) • (tsumukuri) 

1. (archaic, possibly obsolete) Same as こま (koma) above

From Middle Chinese 獨樂 (MC duwk lak).

• (Tokyo) どくらく [dòkúrákú] (Heiban – [0])^[2]
• IPA^(key): [do̞kɯ̟ɾa̠kɯ̟]

独(どく)楽(らく) • (dokuraku) 

1. fun or entertaining for one person alone

Used attributively with the particle の (no).

独(どく)楽(らく) • (dokuraku) 

1. something fun or entertaining for one person alone
2. (uncommon) Same as こま (koma) above