相合傘

相合傘

Japanese

相合傘 (aiaigasa): a couple walking together under a shared parasol.

Kanji in this term
相	合	傘
あい Grade: 3	あ(い) Grade: 2	かさ > がさ Grade: S
kun’yomi

Alternative spellings
相合い傘 相々傘 相相傘

Etymology

Compound of 相合 (aiai, “doing things together”) +‎ 傘 (kasa, “umbrella”). The kasa changes to gasa as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

相合傘 has a strong romantic implication, stemming in part from a play on words. The first two characters are pronounced あい (ai), the same as the word 愛(あい) (ai, “love”), and thus the connotation is that both people under the umbrella are in love.

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
• (Tokyo) あいあいが​さ [àíáígáꜜsà] (Nakadaka – [5])[1]
• IPA^(key): [a̠ia̠iɡa̠sa̠]

Noun

相(あい)合(あい)傘(がさ) • (aiaigasa) ^{←あひあひがさ (afiafigasa)?}

1. an umbrella or parasol shared by two people, which alludes to a romantic situation

   相(あい)合(あい)傘(がさ)で散(さん)歩(ぽ)している二(ふた)人(り)が向(むこ)うに見(み)えます。

   Aiaigasa de sanpo shiteiru futari ga mukō ni miemasu.

   You can see a couple walking together under an umbrella over there.

   • 1999 February 20 [Dec 15 1994], Takahashi, Rumiko, “ＰＡＲＴ(パート).６(ろく)　伝(でん)説(せつ)の相(あい)合(あい)ガサ [Part 6: The Legendary Coupling Umbrella]”, in らんま½ [Ranma ½], volume 31 (fiction), 9th edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 87:

     そのカサに一(いっ)緒(しょ)にはいった二人(ふたり)は必(かなら)ず相(そう)思(し)相(そう)愛(あい)の仲(なか)になるんですって、だから伝(でん)説(せつ)の相(あい)合(あい)ガサ。

     Sono kasa ni issho ni wa itta futari wa kanarazu sōshi sōai no naka ni naru n desu tte, da kara densetsu no aiaigasa.

     Legend has it as long as two people are under that umbrella together, they’re always in love, and that’s the legendary coupling umbrella.

     ロマンチックよねー。

     Romanchikku yo nē.

     How romantic.

2. (figuratively) an infatuation between two people

   その二(ふた)人(り)はもう相(あい)合(あい)傘(がさ)だわ。

   Sono futari wa mō aiaigasa da wa.

   Those two are already sharing an umbrella, don't you know.

3. (slang, figuratively) a love affair, a romantic relationship

Derived terms

• 相(あい)傘(がさ) (aigasa)

References

1. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN