1.
booger, dried nasal mucus, snot
Dried mucus from inside the nose. A common childhood word that remains in casual adult usage.
はなくそをほじる。
To pick one's nose.
A casual/crude word for dried nasal mucus. Composed of 鼻 (nose) + くそ (excrement/waste).
Writing
Can be written as 鼻糞 or 鼻屎, but kana is most common.
Common expressions
- はなくそをほじる: to pick one's nose (literally, "to dig out boogers")
- はなくそを取る: to remove a booger
- はなくそを飛ばす: to flick a booger
Related words
- 耳くそ (耳垢): earwax
- 目くそ (目やに): eye discharge, eye gunk
- 歯くそ: plaque, gunk on the teeth
Register
Casual and crude. Common in children's speech and informal adult conversation; not for polite settings. 鼻水 is a runny nose (liquid mucus), a different thing.