百人一首

Japanese

Kanji in this term
百	人	一	首
ひゃく Grade: 1	にん Grade: 1	いち > いっ Grade: 1	しゅ Grade: 2
goon

Etymology

Compound of百人(ひゃくにん) (hyakunin, “hundred persons”) + 一首(いっしゅ) (isshu, “poem”, literally "one + counter for poems").

Noun

百(ひゃく)人(にん)一(いっ)首(しゅ) • (hyakunin isshu) 

1. an anthology of one hundred poems by one hundred poets, one poet for each poem

   Synonyms: 百首 (hyakushu), 百人首 (hyakuninshu)

Derived terms

• 愛(あい)国(こく)百(ひゃく)人(にん)一首(いっしゅ) (Aikoku Hyakunin Isshu): the "Patriotic Hundred Poems" anthology, compiled during World War II
• 小(お)倉(ぐら)百(ひゃく)人(にん)一首(いっしゅ) (Ogura Hyakunin Isshu): the "Ogura Hundred Poems" anthology, compiled by Fujiwara no Teika in c. 13th century
• 狂歌(きょうか)百(ひゃく)人(にん)一首(いっしゅ) (Kyōka Hyakunin Isshu): the "Comic Hundred Poems" anthology, published in 1843
• 続(しょく)百(ひゃく)人(にん)一首(いっしゅ) (Shoku Hyakunin Isshu): the "Hundred Poems Continued", compiled in 1893
• 新(しん)百(ひゃく)人(にん)一首(いっしゅ) (Shin Hyakunin Isshu): the "New Hundred Poems" anthology, compiled in 1483

Proper noun

百(ひゃく)人(にん)一(いっ)首(しゅ) • (Hyakunin Isshu) 

1. short for 小倉百人一首 (Ogura Hyakunin Isshu): a famous "one hundred poems anthology", used as the basis of certain card games

Derived terms

• 百(ひゃく)人(にん)一首(いっしゅ)一(ひと)夕(よ)話(がたり) (Hyakunin Isshu Hitoyogatari): an interpretation of the Ogura Hyakunin Isshu poems by Ozaki Masayoshi

Usage notes

In haikai circles, the pronunciation is sometimes contracted to ひゃくにんしゅ (hyakuninshu), as in 百人首 (hyakuninshu, literally “collection of hundred poets”).