さお

Japanese

Etymology 1

Alternative spellings
竿 棹 桿

From Old Japanese. First attested in the Kojiki of 712 CE. From Proto-Japonic *sawo.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) さお [sàóꜜ] (Odaka – [2])
• IPA^(key): [sa̠o̞]

Noun

さお • (sao) ^{←さを (sawo)?}

1. pole
2. (euphemistic, vulgar) penis

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:陰茎

Derived terms

• 釣(つり)竿(ざお) (tsurizao, “fishing pole”)
• 黐(もち)竿(ざお) (mochizao)

Etymology 2

Alternative spelling
さ青

See 青 (ao, “blue”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [sa̠o̞]

Noun

さお • (sao) ^{←さを (sawo)?}

1. (Classical Japanese, now literary) blue
   • 1928, Motojirō Kajii, Sakura no ki no shita ni wa [Under the cherry trees]‎^[2], Modern kanji and kana edition:

     白(しろ)い日(にっ)光(こう)をさ青(お)に煙(けむ)らせている木(き)の若(わか)芽(め)

     shiroi nikkō o sao ni kemuraseteiru ki no wakame

     (please add an English translation of this example)