kintama
{{Short description|Japanese slang for testicles}}
{{Nihongo|{{transliteration|ja|Kintama}}|金玉|kintama|lead=yes|{{lit|golden balls}}}} is a Japanese slang term for testicles, similar in use and concept to the English slang "family jewels". Sometimes it is used in the back slang form, {{transliteration|ja|tamakin}}.
History
Use of the term {{transliteration|ja|kintama}} has been traced back to the Edo Period.{{Cite book|author=穎原退蔵|author2=尾形仂(編)|date=2008-11-30|title=江戸時代語辞典|publisher=角川学芸出版|page=463|isbn=978-4-04-621962-6}} According to folklore, the {{transliteration|ja|tanuki}} has magical shapeshifting abilities, including their oversized scrotums (as depicted in art), which the animals could use in multiple ways. In addition, the skin of the {{transliteration|ja|tanuki}} was used traditionally by workers in Kanazawa for the production of gold leaf, linking gold to {{transliteration|ja|tanuki}} and, by extension, testicles.{{cite web |url=https://www.tanukistories.jp/post/kintama-meaning |title=Unraveling the Kintama Meaning: A Glimpse into Japanese Slang and Culture |author=Marco |date=June 20, 2024 |website=Tanuki Stories |access-date=20 November 2024}}{{cite video|people=高槻成紀(著者)|date=2016-01-06|title=タヌキ学入門 かちかち山から3.11まで 身近な野生動物の意外な素顔|medium=電子書籍|language=Japanese|publisher=誠文堂新光社|isbn=9784416115473}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{cite web |url=https://kaizokuou-ni-naru.tumblr.com/post/190735337495/heavy-sigh-okay-so-the-japanese-word-for |title=heavy sigh okay |author=Jonny |date=February 9, 2020 |website=tumblr.com}}