noun
Historical term for a servant, especially a samurai's attendant in the Edo period.
時代劇では、侍の後ろに奴が控えている。
In period dramas, a servant stands behind the samurai.
noun
Edo-period term for a man of chivalrous spirit, often associated with the 侠客 (kyōkaku) subculture.
That man has the spirit of an Edo-period chivalrous man.
noun
cubed tofu
Abbreviation of 奴豆腐 (やっこどうふ). Cold cubed tofu, often served with condiments.
See also: 奴豆腐
夏は冷たい奴にしょうがをのせて食べるのが好きだ。
In summer, I like to eat cold cubed tofu with ginger on top.
noun
footman-shaped kite
Abbreviation of 奴凧 (やっこだこ). A kite shaped like an Edo-period footman.
See also: 奴凧
正月に奴を揚げるのが子供の頃の楽しみだった。
Flying a footman-shaped kite at New Year's was a childhood pleasure.
noun
Edo-period hairstyle
Abbreviation of 奴頭 (やっこあたま). A hairstyle worn by samurai's attendants in the Edo period.
See also: 奴頭
浮世絵に描かれた奴の髪型は独特だ。
The hairstyle of the attendants depicted in ukiyo-e is distinctive.
noun
enslavement (of a woman)
Edo-period punishment where a woman was enslaved for her own or her husband's crime.
江戸時代には、罪を犯した者の妻が奴にされることがあった。
In the Edo period, the wife of a criminal could be enslaved.
pronoun
Archaic derogatory third-person pronoun, used contemptuously for a person.
「奴め、よくも騙したな」と彼は怒った。
"That scoundrel, how dare he deceive me!" he said angrily.
The historical derivation is uncertain. The kanji 奴 originally meant 'servant' or 'slave', and the reading やっこ likely developed from a colloquial Edo-period term for a servant or attendant.