牛頭馬頭

Japanese

Kanji in this term
牛	頭	馬	頭
ご Grade: 2	ず Grade: 2	め Grade: 2	ず Grade: 2
on’yomi

Etymology

From 牛頭 (Gozu, “Ox-Head”) +‎ 馬頭 (Mezu, “Horse-Head”). Compare Chinese 牛頭馬面／牛头马面 (niútóumǎmiàn, literally “Ox-Head and Horse-Face”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ごずめず [gòzú mézú] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ɡo̞zɨᵝ me̞zɨᵝ]

Proper noun

牛(ご)頭(ず)馬(め)頭(ず) • (Gozu Mezu) ^{←ごづめづ (godumedu)?}

1. (Buddhism, Chinese mythology, Japanese mythology) Ox-Head and Horse-Face, the two guardians of hell