山車

山車

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
山	車
だし
Grade: 1	Grade: 1
irregular

From 出(だ)し (dashi, “go out”), as it is believed that gods ride out on the vehicle.[1] The form だんじり (danjiri) is used in the Kansai area.

Alternative forms

• 花車(だし) (dashi)
• 楽車, 地車, 檀尻(だんじり) (danjiri)

Noun

A 山車(だんじり) (danjiri) at Saijō Festival in Ehime Prefecture, Japan

山車(だし) or 山車(だんじり) • (dashi or danjiri) 

1. a float; a vehicle used in a festival

   Synonym: 山鉾 (yamaboko)

Etymology 2

From Chinese. Attested from the 10th century.[2]

Kanji in this term
山	車
さん Grade: 1	しゃ Grade: 1
on’yomi

Noun

山(さん)車(しゃ) • (sansha) 

1. synonym of 山車 Etymology 1, above
2. a wooden cart that appears spontaneously without being made by man as an auspicious sign of the time of peace and tranquility

See also

• 瑞祥(ずいしょう) (zuishō, “an auspicious sign”)
• 天下太平(てんかたいへい) (tenkataihei, “reign of peace and tranquility”)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
山	車
やま Grade: 1	くるま > ぐるま Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Noun

山(やま)車(ぐるま) • (yamaguruma) 

1. wheel tree, Trochodendron aralioides

Usage notes

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary).

References

1. “山車”, in ブリタニカ国際大百科事典 小項目事典 (Buritanika Kokusai Dai Hyakka Jiten: Shō Kōmoku Jiten, “Encyclopædia Britannica International: Micropædia”)‎ (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Britannica Japan Co., Ltd., 2014
2. “山車”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎ (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000, →ISBN