Etymology

First recorded in the Edo period.

According to one theory, formed from 護摩 ‎(goma, “a holy fire in esoteric Buddhism”) + verbalizing suffix かす ‎(kasu), from a common fraud perpetrated in the Edo period of dressing as a monk and selling regular ash purported to be ash from such holy fires.

Alternatively, from 胡麻菓子 ‎(goma kashi, “sesame candy”), from a particular sesame candy in the Edo period called 胡麻胴乱 ‎(goma dōran) and notable for being a mostly empty shell.

The kanji spellings are examples of ateji. The more common spelling is in hiragana, as ごまかす.

Pronunciation

• On'yomi
• (Tokyo) ごまか​す [gòmákáꜜsù] (Nakadaka - [3])^[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [ɡo̞ma̠ka̠sɯᵝ]