香箱座り

Japanese
Kanji in this term
香 箱 座
こう
Grade: 4		 はこ > ばこ
Grade: 3		 すわ > ずわ
Grade: 6
goon kun’yomi kun’yomi

Etymology

Compound of 香箱 (kōbako, “incense box”) +‎ 座り (suwari, “sitting”, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 座る (suwaru, “to sit”)). The suwari changes to zuwari as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Refers to the similarity in shape between an incense box, and a cat when sitting with its front and back paws tucked underneath and its tail wrapped closely along the side of its body.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): [ko̞ːba̠ko̞zɨᵝɰᵝa̠ɾʲi]

Noun

香(こう)箱(ばこ)座(ずわ)り • (kōbako-zuwari) 

  1. sitting in a catloaf pose
  • 香(こう)箱(ばこ)を作(つく)る (kōbako o tsukuru): “to make an incense box” → to sit down in a catloaf pose[1][2]
  • 香(こう)箱(ばこ)を組(く)む (kōbako o kumu): “to come together / fold one's limbs into an incense box shape” → to sit down in a catloaf pose[3]

References
  1. Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. 『もっと知りたい!ねこの気持ち』 (Motto Shiritai! Neko no Kimochi, in Japanese), PHP Institute, pp. 34-35
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