Japanese

竹蜻蛉 (take tonbo): a bamboo helicopter toy.

Alternative forms

• 竹とんぼ

Noun

竹蜻蛉 ‎(hiragana たけとんぼ, romaji take tonbo)

1. a bamboo-copter, a helicopter toy, consisting of a short bamboo or wooden dowel with a propeller affixed to one end, that flies when the dowel is spun and released

Usage notes

Sometimes spelled 竹とんぼ, due to the complexity and relative rarity of the kanji spelling of 蜻蛉 for tonbo.

References

1. ↑ 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. 1 2 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
3. ↑ 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, ISBN 978-4-14-011112-3