縁起物

Japanese

Kanji in this term
縁	起	物
えん Grade: S	き > ぎ Grade: 3	もの Grade: 3
on'yomi		kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
緣起物 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

Compound of 縁起 (engi, “omen; luck”) +‎ 物 (mono, “thing”).^[1]

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) えんぎもの [èńgímónó] (Heiban – [0])^[2]
IPA^(key): [ẽ̞ŋʲɡʲimo̞no̞]

Noun

縁(えん)起(ぎ)物(もの) • (engimono)

a talisman, a lucky charm
Examples include the rope ties or pine boughs used for decoration at New Years, a 招(まね)き猫(ねこ) (maneki neko, “lit. beckoning cat”), a 達磨(だるま) (daruma, “Dharma doll”), or an ornamental 熊手(くまで) (kumade, “bamboo rake”) as sold in winter holiday markets in November and December.

Related terms

護符(ごふ) (gofu): a protective charm issued by a Shinto shrine
神札(しんさつ) (shinsatsu): a protective charm issued by a Shinto shrine
御守(おまもり) (omamori), お守(まも)り (omamori): a protective charm issued by a Shinto shrine
破魔矢(はまや) (hamaya): a decorative arrow used as a ward against evil
御札(おふだ) (ofuda): a protective charm

References

^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN