お年玉

Japanese

Kanji in this term
年	玉
とし Grade: 1	たま > だま Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Alternative spelling
御年玉

Etymology

From 御 (o-, honorific prefix) +‎ 年 (toshi, “year”) +‎ 玉 (tama, “ball; jewel”). Perhaps from the practice of offering balls of 餅 (mochi) to the gods in New Year.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) おとしだま [òtóshídámá] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [o̞to̞ɕida̠ma̠]

Noun

お年(とし)玉(だま) • (o-toshidama) 

1. a red envelope
   • 1988 July 30 [1985 July 25], Fujiko F. Fujio, “宇(そ)宙(ら)からのおとし玉(だま) [An Outta-the-Ballue Falltune]”, in 宇宙船製造法 [How to Build a Spaceship] (藤子不二雄少年SF短編集; 3), 6th edition, volume 3 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 10:

     かわったなあ、ミッちゃんも…………。手(て)をつないで学(がっ)校(こう)へかよったころもあったのに……。なにもかもかわっていくような気(き)がする。お正(しょう)月(がつ)さえも。たのしいことがいっぱいあったような気(き)がするなあ。すごろく、トランプ、たこあげ、お年(とし)玉(だま)…。

     Kawatta nā, Mitchan mo…………. Te o tsunaide gakkō e kayotta koro mo atta no ni……. Nani mo ka mo kawatteiku yō na ki ga suru. O-shōgatsu sae mo. Tanoshii koto ga ippai atta yō na ki ga suru nā. Sugoroku, toranpu, takoage, o-toshidama….

     Mitchan’s changed, too…. To think we used to go to school and back home, hand in hand…. It feels like everything’s changed now. Even New Year itself. There used to be a lot fun things to do. Playing sugoroku or cards, flying kites, collecting fortune money….