独楽

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独楽

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Appears to be a shortening of older reading komatsukuri or komatsuburi (see below).

The shorter form koma is now the most common reading. The kanji spelling is an example of jukujikun (熟字訓).

• (Tokyo) こま (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

独楽(こま) • (koma) 

1. a spinning top
2. (by extension) a rigid object that can rotate freely around a fixed point
3. a 家(か)紋(もん) (kamon, “family crest”) in the form or shape of a spinning top
4. a hexagonal or octagonal top, decorated with images and/or writing, used for gambling

   Synonym: 御花独楽 (ohanagoma)

Older form of koma above.

Compound of 高麗(こま) (Koma, “Goryeo; Korea; foreign lands”) + つぶり (tsuburi, “round thing”, cognate with 円(つぶ)ら (tsubura, “round”)).

• IPA^(key):

独楽(こまつぶり) • (komatsuburi) 

1. (archaic, possibly obsolete) Same as こま (koma) above

Additional older form of koma above, attested in the Wamyō Ruijushō (938 CE) with the phonetic spelling 古末都玖利.

Considering the appearance of final element kuri in synonym tsumukuri (also on this page), the term komatsukuri appears to be a compound of 高麗 (Koma, “Goryeo; Korea; foreign lands”) +‎ つ (tsu, Old Japanese possessive / genitive particle) +‎ 繰り (kuri, “winding”, the continuative / nominative form of verb 繰る (kuru, “to wind”), likely in reference to the way that one winds a string around a top in order to spin it).

• IPA^(key):

独楽(こまつくり) • (komatsukuri) 

1. (archaic, possibly obsolete) Same as こま (koma) above

Ancient alternative to koma above. Probably from 紡錘(つむ) (tsumu, “a spindle”, root of the verb 紡(つむ)ぐ (tsumugu, “to spin thread or yarn”)) + 繰(く)り (kuri, “winding”, the 連(れん)用(よう)形(けい) (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of the verb 繰(く)る (kuru, “to wind something onto something else”)).

Occasionally also encountered with rendaku as tsumuguri.

• IPA^(key):

独楽(つむくり) • (tsumukuri) 

1. (archaic, possibly obsolete) Same as こま (koma) above

From Middle Chinese 獨樂 (MC duwk lak).

• (Tokyo) どくらく (Heiban – )
• IPA^(key):

独(どく)楽(らく) • (dokuraku) 

1. fun or entertaining for one person alone

Used attributively with the particle の (no).

独(どく)楽(らく) • (dokuraku) 

1. something fun or entertaining for one person alone
2. (uncommon) Same as こま (koma) above