照る照る坊主

Japanese

照る照る坊主 (teru teru bōzu): Examples of this rural folk amulet.

Kanji in this term
照	照	坊	主
て Grade: 4	て Grade: 4	ぼう Grade: S	す > ず Grade: 3

Alternative forms

てるてる坊主

Etymology

A phrase, composed of 照る (teru, “to shine, to be sunny”) + 坊主 (bōzu, “Buddhist monk”). Literally, “shine, shine monk”, whereby “shine” is partially in reference to fair weather.

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) てるてるぼーず [tèrú térú bóꜜòzù] (Nakadaka – [5])[1][2][3]
IPA^(key): [te̞ɾɯ̟ᵝ te̞ɾɯ̟ᵝ bo̞ːzɨᵝ]

Noun

照る照る坊主 (hiragana てるてるぼうず, rōmaji teru teru bōzu, historical hiragana てるてるばうず)

a small, traditional handmade doll made of white paper or cloth

Usage notes

Japanese farmers began hanging these outside of their windows on a string. This folk amulet is supposed to have magical powers to bring good weather, and to stop or prevent a rainy day.

References

2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13143-0
1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, ISBN 978-4-14-011112-3

[DJR-1] 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9

[SMK5-2] 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13143-0

[NHK-3] 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, ISBN 978-4-14-011112-3