Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

kokeshi

Word Rarity Very rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 1.30 in modern English

Syllables: kokeshi
IPA

18

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

1

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

A Japanese wooden doll with a spherical head having simple painted-on features, and a limbless, cylindrical body, typically featuring a painted-on floral design.

Example Sentences

"I have a hurried look round my shelves: the Hawaiian belle of the dusky skin, the little Red Indian dolls from Lake Placid, the rows of kokeshis from Japan, which all bring back memories of wonderful Rotary friends, all over the world."
"The popularity of kokeshi among Japanese tourists today is thus an eloquent testimony to the survival of a folk tradition as well as to the modern generation's ignorance of its implications."
"The addition of decorative clothing a la simple rings of color and the expressive, even suggestive, faces that so many kokeshi wear, turned them from simple children's toys into works of collectible folk art."

Etymology

From Japanese こけし (kokeshi).

Origin

Source language: Japanese

Word Breakdown

Root: こけし

Inflected Forms

kokeshis (plural)

Questions

What does kokeshi mean?: A Japanese wooden doll with a spherical head having simple painted-on features, and a limbless, cylindrical body, typically featuring a painted-on floral design.
Where does kokeshi come from?: It is traced to Japanese.

How to pronounce kokeshi

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “kokeshi”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “kokeshi”.
Repeat and practice — Say “kokeshi” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.