狐火

Japanese
FWOTD – 31 October 2023
狐火 (kitsunebi): a print depicting the commonly held folk belief that will o' the wisps or foxfire was caused by a fox.
Kanji in this term
狐 火
きつね
Hyōgaiji		 ひ > び
Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Etymology

Compound of 狐(きつね) (kitsune, “fox”) + 火(ひ) (hi, “fire”).[1][2] The hi changes to bi as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

First cited to a text from 1488.[1]

Pronunciation
  • (Tokyo) きつね​び [kìtsúnéꜜbì] (Nakadaka – [3])[2][3]
  • IPA(key): [kʲi̥t͡sɨᵝne̞bʲi]

Noun

狐(きつね)火(び) • (kitsunebi) 

  1. a mysterious pale fire often seen in the fields and mountains at night from winter to early spring: will o' the wisp, foxfire
    Synonyms: 燐火 (rinka), 鬼火 (onibi), 狐の提灯 (kitsune no chōchin)
    • 1488, Sanjōnishi Sanetaka (三条西実隆), 実隆公記 [Sanetakakōki]:
      夜(ヤ)前(ゼン)於(オイテ)㆓野(ノ)路(ヂニ)㆒有(アリ)㆓狐(キツネ)火(ビ)㆒
      yazen noji ni oite kitsunebi ari
      will o' the wisps appeared in the field path last night
    • 1784, Yosa Buson, 蕪村句集 [Buson kushū]:
      狐(きつね)火(び)や髑(どく)髏(ろ)に雨(あめ)のたまる夜(よ)に
      kitsunebi ya dokuro ni ame no tamaru yo ni
      There's foxfire on nights when the rain collects in the skull.
  2. kabuki props designed to imitate will o' the wisps
    Synonyms: 焼酎火 (shōchūbi), 樟脳火 (shōnōbi)
  3. Synonym of 野鶏頭 (nogeitō /⁠ノゲイトウ⁠/, “plumed or silver cockscomb (Celosia argentea)”)
  4. Synonym of 埃茸 (hokoritake /⁠ホコリタケ⁠/, “puffball (Lycoperdon perlatum)”)

References
  1. Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN
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