鶏冠

See also: 雞冠 and 鸡冠

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
鶏	冠
とり > と Grade: S	Grade: S
kun'yomi	irregular

Alternative spelling
鷄冠 (kyūjitai)

/tosːaka/ → /tosaka/

Shift from earlier tossaka (see Etymology 2 below). Now the modern spelling.

The kanji spelling is from keikan (see Etymology 4 below).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) とさか [tòsákáꜜ] (Odaka – [3])
• (Tokyo) とさか [tòsáká] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [to̞sa̠ka̠]

Noun

鶏冠(とさか) • (tosaka) 

1. a comb, cockscomb (fleshy crest of a rooster)

   Synonyms: 冠 (saka), 肉冠 (nikukan)

2. (colloquial) short for 鶏冠海苔 (tosaka nori): a species of red algae, Meristotheca papulosa
3. (theater) a kind of wig used in kabuki, with the front hair cut and split apart on the sides; used by onnagata to portray old hags

Derived terms

• 鶏冠(とさか)草(ぐさ) (tosakagusa)
• 鶏冠(とさか)海苔(のり) (tosaka nori)
• 鶏冠(とさか)山(やま) (Tosaka-yama)
• 石(いし)鶏冠(とさか) (ishitosaka)
• 海(うみ)鶏冠(とさか) (umitosaka)
• 黄(き)花(ばな)鶏冠(とさか) (kibana tosaka)

Idioms

• 鶏冠(とさか)に来(く)る (tosaka ni kuru, “grow a comb → get angry”)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
鶏	冠
とり > とっ Grade: S	Grade: S
kun'yomi	irregular

Alternative spelling
鷄冠 (kyūjitai)

/tori saka/ → /tosːaka/

Shift from earlier torisaka (see Etymology 3 below).

The kanji spelling is from keikan (see Etymology 4 below).

Noun

鶏冠(とっさか) • (tossaka) 

1. (archaic) a comb, cockscomb (fleshy crest of a rooster)

   Synonym: 冠 (saka)

2. (archaic, colloquial) short for 鶏冠海苔 (tossaka nori): a species of red algae, Meristotheca papulosa

Derived terms

• 鶏冠(とっさか)海苔(のり) (tossaka nori)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
鶏	冠
とり Grade: S	Grade: S
kun'yomi	irregular

Alternative spelling
鷄冠 (kyūjitai)

Possibly a shift from a compound of 鶏 (tori, “chicken”) +‎ 坂 (saka, “hill”). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

The kanji spelling is from keikan (see Etymology 4 below).

Noun

鶏冠(とりさか) • (torisaka) 

1. (obsolete) a comb, cockscomb (fleshy crest of a rooster)

   Synonym: 冠 (saka)

Derived terms

• 鶏冠(とりさか)海苔(のり) (torisaka nori)

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
鶏	冠
けい Grade: S	かん Grade: S
kan'on

Alternative spelling
鷄冠 (kyūjitai)

/kei kʷan/ → /keːkan/

Ultimately from Middle Chinese 雞冠 (MC kej kwan).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) けーかん [kèékáń] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ke̞ːkã̠ɴ]

Noun

鶏(けい)冠(かん) • (keikan) ^{←けいくわん (keikwan)?}

1. a comb, cockscomb (fleshy crest of a rooster)
2. (mineralogy, colloquial) short for 鶏冠石 (keikanseki): realgar

Derived terms

• 鶏(けい)冠(かん)花(か) (keikanka)
• 鶏(けい)冠(かん)山(ざん) (Keikanzan)
• 鶏(けい)冠(かん)石(せき) (keikanseki)

Proper noun

鶏(けい)冠(かん) • (Keikan) 

1. Jiguan (a district of Heilongjiang, China)

Compounds

• 鶏冠井(かいで) (Kaide)
• 鶏冠木(カエデ) (kaede)

References

• “〈鶏冠〉”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026