貝合わせ

Japanese

Kanji in this term
貝	合
かい Grade: 1	あ Grade: 2
kun'yomi

Etymology

貝 (kai, “shellfish”) +‎ 合わせ (awase, “joining together”)

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) かいあわせ [kàíáꜜwàsè] (Nakadaka – [3])
• IPA^(key): [ka̠ia̠β̞a̠se̞]

Noun

painted shells for playing 貝合わせ (kai-awase)

貝(かい)合(あ)わせ • (kaiawase) ^{←かひあはせ (kafiafase)?}

1. kai-awase (a Heian period game involving matching two pieces of a clamshell)
2. (slang) tribadism

Usage notes

The game of kai-awase involves choosing one of two pieces of a clam or other bivalve shell, and attempting to find the matching piece, similar to the game of concentration or pelmanism. A similar image would be painted on each piece of the shell.