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面頬 (めんぽお) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

面めん頬ぽお

also: めんぼお

め

ん

ぽ

お

Meanings

1

noun

face guard; visor

A protective face covering, especially the metal mask or visor attached to a samurai helmet (kabuto). Historical term.

甲冑かっちゅうの面めん頬ぽおは、顔かおを守まもるだけでなく、威い嚇かくの意い味みもあった。
The face guard of the armor not only protected the face but also served to intimidate.

Written forms

面頬Usage100%
- めんぽお
  Standard kanji spelling for this historical armor term.
- めんぼお
  Alternate reading; less common than めんぽお.

めんぼお

Kanji

面mask, face, features
頬cheeks, jaw

Similar words

兜かぶと
兜 is the helmet itself, while 面頬 is the face guard attached to it.
鎧よろい
鎧 is the general term for armor, of which 面頬 is a specific component.

Etymology

Compound of 面 (men, 'face') and 頬 (hō, 'cheek'), referring to a face-and-cheek guard. The reading めんぽお is a regular on'yomi combination; めんぼお is a variant with rendaku-like voicing.