Nyōbō kotoba
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Nyōbō kotoba (女房言葉 or 女房詞, lit. "woman's words") was a cant that was originally used by Japanese court ladies during the Muromachi era, and subsequently spread and came to be thought of as a general women's language. It consisted primarily of a special vocabulary of words for food, clothing, and other household items.
Many nyōbō kotoba words were formed by adding the prefix o-, which indicates politeness, or by dropping part of a word and adding -moji, meaning "character, letter".
Some nyōbō kotoba words passed into general usage, and are today part of the standard Japanese language.
Examples
| Source | Nyōbō kotoba | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 強飯 kowameshi | okowa | rice with red beans |
| 厠 kawaya | okawa | toilet |
| 中 naka "middle" | onaka | stomach |
| 鳴らす narasu "to sound" | onara | fart |
| 奥様 okusama | okumoji | wife |
| 髪 kami | kamoji | hair |
| 鯉 koi | komoji | carp |
| 杓子 shakushi | shamoji | rice scoop |
| 寿司 sushi | sumoji, osumoji | sushi |