釵

Definitions

 * 1)  ornamental forked hairpin

Etymology 1


From. Compare modern 🇨🇬.

This character was originally used in Japanese to mean, and was read with a kun'yomi of kanzashi. The similarity in shape between a hairpin and the weapon called a sai later led to this character being used to refer to the weapon. In modern Japanese, this character is read primarily with its on'yomi of sai, and is used to refer to the weapon. The sense and kanzashi reading are more often spelled.

Noun

 * 1)  a sai: a short blunt weapon with a wide guard, used mainly for defense against opponents armed with swords

Etymology 2


→

Originally a compound of.

Noun

 * 1) a hairpin, particularly a fancy decorative hairpin used in Japanese women's hairstyles

Usage notes
This sense is more commonly spelled in kanji as or in kana as.

Etymology 3
May be a sound shift from kanzashi.

→

Alternately, this may be a compound of.

A folk etymology occasionally encountered is that this as a compound of +, as many decorative hairpins have floral themes. However, this etymology would mix the Chinese-derived on'yomi of ka and the 🇨🇬-derived kun'yomi of sashi, which seems less probable than the above two possibilities.

Noun

 * 1)  an ornamental hairpin (see above)

Related terms

 * : to stick in one's hair (as for decoration); to add decoration on top of something