Meanings
nounchonmage (plural chonmage)
- A traditional Japanese topknot haircut worn by men, traditionally associated with samurai and more recently with sumo wrestlers.
That the actors portraying samurai wear headpieces in the traditional “chonmage” style, in which a ponytail is folded back over the top of the head, creates a sense of androgynous uniformity. (Mitsuteru Okuyama did the wigs.)
2022 October 24, Elisabeth Vincentelli, “‘Chushingura — 47 Ronin’ Review: A Sprawling Tale of Loyalty”, in The New York Times, archived from the original on 27 Oct 2022
Origin
- Japanese丁髷
- Englishchonmage
Borrowed from Japanese 丁髷 (chonmage).
More words from Japanese
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Japanese 丁髷
- 丁髷 (chonmage)topknot
Korean 상투
- 상투 (sangtu)topknot
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
APA
chonmage. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chonmage
MLA
“chonmage.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chonmage. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chonmage,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chonmage.
Source: chonmage on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.