尺八

Japanese

尺八(shakuhachi)

Etymology

Kanji in this term
尺 八
しゃく
Grade: 6		 はち
Grade: 1
on’yomi

From 尺 (しゃく) (shaku, archaic measure of length approximately equal to 30.3cm) + 八 (はち) (hachi, “eight”, as in 八寸, one 寸 (sun) is about 3.03cm). (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

Noun

尺八 (hiragana しゃくはち, rōmaji shakuhachi)

  1. shakuhachi, a Japanese end-blown flute
    時代劇 (じだいげき)では、虚 (こ)無 (む)僧 (そう)が尺八 (しゃくはち)を吹 (ふ)きながら現 (あらわ)れる。
    Jidaigeki de wa, komusō ga shakuhachi o fukinagara arawareru.
    In Japanese historical drama, mendicant Zen priests show up while playing shakuhachi.
  2. (by extension) any object (for example, paper or silk) measuring one shaku and eight sun (approximately 54.5 centimeters)
  3. (vulgar, dated) fellatio, oral sex

See also

References

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