豆まめまき

ま

め

ま

き

Meanings

1

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

sowing beans; planting beans

Refers to the agricultural act of sowing beans or pulses. Can also be used figuratively for scattering small items like beans.

畑はたけに豆まめまきをした。
We sowed beans in the field.
子こ供どもたちが豆まめまきのように小こ石いしをまいた。
The children scattered pebbles as if sowing beans.

2

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru'

bean scattering; Setsubun bean throwing

Specifically the ritual of throwing roasted soybeans during Setsubun (February 3rd) to drive away evil spirits and invite good fortune. Often accompanied by shouting 'Oni wa soto! Fuku wa uchi!'.

Written forms

豆まめまきUsage90%
Standard modern spelling; the most common form in news and everyday writing.
まめまきUsage7%
豆まめ撒まきUsage2%
Alternative kanji spelling using 撒く (to scatter); seen in some contexts, especially for the Setsubun ritual.
豆まめ蒔まき
Uses 蒔く (to sow seeds); rare and mostly limited to agricultural contexts.

Kanji

豆beans, pea, midget
撒scatter, sprinkle, give them the slip
蒔sow (seeds)

Similar words

節せつ分ぶん
Setsubun is the seasonal festival during which 豆まき is performed; 豆まき is the specific bean-throwing ritual.
豆まめ
Means 'bean'; 豆まき literally means 'bean scattering'.

Etymology

Compound of 豆 (mame, 'bean') and 撒き (maki, 'scattering', from 撒く). The agricultural sense is literal; the Setsubun sense derives from the ritual practice of throwing beans to expel evil spirits.