巾着

Japanese

Kanji in this term
巾	着
きん Grade: S	ちゃく Grade: 3
kan’on

巾着 (kinchaku): a few traditional Japanese drawstring bags for sale.

Etymology

Japanese coinage based on Middle Chinese-derived roots, as a compound of 巾 (kin, “piece of cloth”) +‎ 着 (chaku, “to wear, to put on one's person”). First appears in texts from the late 1500s.

The purse appears to have evolved from the earlier 火打ち袋 (hiuchi-bukuro, “striking flint bag, bag for carrying a firestarter”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) きんちゃ​く [kìńcháꜜkù] (Nakadaka – [3])
• (Tokyo) きんちゃく​ [kìńchákúꜜ] (Odaka – [4])
• (Tokyo) きんちゃく [kìńchákú] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [kʲĩɲ̟t͡ɕa̠kɯ̟ᵝ]

Noun

巾(きん)着(ちゃく) • (kinchaku) 

1. [from late 1500s] kinchaku (a traditional Japanese drawstring purse, hung from the obi, used to contain small items such as a flint, money, or medicine)
2. [from 1702] (derogatory) a lackey, a toady, someone who is always at another's side in a subservient role
3. [from 1688] (historical, slang) during the Edo period, an unlicensed prostitute (possibly so called due to their lower earning capability than officially licensed prostitutes)
4. [from 1801] Synonym of 遣り手婆 (yarite baba): a madam in a bordello (so called for her role in handling the business side of things)
5. [from 1798] (slang) anything kept tightly closed; in particular, a woman's genitals
6. [from 1675] (historical, slang) a customer (in the jargon of the puppet theater community)

Derived terms

• チャック (chakku, “zipper”)

Descendants

• → English: kinchaku

See also

• 提(さ)げ物(もの) (sagemono): the general term for anything carried by hanging from one's 帯 (obi, “sash or belt”), including 巾着 (kinchaku, “drawstring purses”), 印籠 (inrō, “pillboxes”), or 煙草入れ (tabako ire, “tobacco pouches”)

Further reading

• 巾着 entry at Gogen Yurai Jiten (in Japanese)