Japanese

大勲位: the Order of the Chrysanthemum.

Noun

大勲位 ‎(hiragana だいくんい, romaji dai-kun'i, historical hiragana だいくんゐ)

1. an order of merit higher than first class in the Japanese honors system

   This equates to the 大勲位菊花章 ‎(Dai-kun'i Kikka Shō, “Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum”), of which there are two versions, both technically conferring the same honor:

   • the 大勲位菊花章頸飾 ‎(Dai-kun'i Kikka Shō Keishoku, “Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum”)
   • the 大勲位菊花大綬章 ‎(Dai-kun'i Kikka Daiju Shō, “Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum”)

   Although both versions ostensibly belong to the same class, the Collar, awarded with the badge on a chain, has been awarded much less frequently. See the Wikipedia article for details.

Derived terms

• 大勲位菊花章 (だいくんいきっかしょう, ​Dai-kun'i Kikka Shō): Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum
• 大勲位菊花章頸飾 (だいくんいきっかしょうけいしょく, ​Dai-kun'i Kikka Shō Keishoku): Collar of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum
• 大勲位菊花大綬章 (だいくんいきっかだいじゅしょう, ​Dai-kun'i Kikka Daiju Shō): Grand Cordon of the Supreme Order of the Chrysanthemum

References

1. ↑ 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. ↑ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9