孫の手

Etymology

From 麻 (ま)姑 (こ) (mako, “Mako, a nymph in Chinese mythology”) + の (no, “'s”) + 手 (て) (te, “hand”), literally “Mako's hand/claw”. Legend has it that Mako's fingernails resembled bird claws.

Compare the following verses in a poem by Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai:

明星玉女備灑掃，麻姑搔背指爪輕。 [Classical Chinese, trad.][▼ expand/hide]
明星玉女备洒扫，麻姑搔背指爪轻。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: 8th century CE, 李白 (Li Bai), 《西嶽雲台歌送丹丘子》 (A Song of Parting for Dan Qiuzi on Mt Hua's Cloudy Peak)

Míngxīng yùnǚ bèi sǎsǎo, Mágū sāobèi zhǐzhǎo qīng. [Pinyin]

The Jade Girl of the bright stars prepares to sprinkle and sweep;
Magu scratches her back lightly with claw-like nails.

This term was remodelled by folk etymology into the current form of 孫 (まご) (mago, “grandchild”) + の (no, “'s”) + 手 (て) (te, “hand”), i.e. literally “grandchild's hand”.

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) まごの​て [màgónóꜜtè] (Nakadaka – [3])^[1]
  • (Tokyo) まごのて​ [màgónótéꜜ] (Odaka – [4])^[1]
  • IPA^(key): [ma̠ɡo̞no̞te̞]

Noun

孫の手 (hiragana まごのて, rōmaji mago no te)

1. backscratcher
   • 2017, 40代になると巻き起こる老化怪奇現象の対処術

     生 (う)まれて初 (はじ)めて、お婆 (ばあ)さんが、孫 (まご)の手 (て)を使 (つか)って背中 (せなか)を掻 (か)く気 (き)持 (も)ちが分 (わ)かったっす。

     Umarete hajimete, obāsan ga, magonote o tsukatte senaka o kaku kimochi ga wakattassu.

     For the first time in her life, the old lady understood what it feels like to use a backscratcher to scratch her back.

References