1.
down; fluff; soft fine hair
Soft, fine hair or fibers, such as the downy feathers of a bird, the fuzz on a peach, or the fluffy seeds of a dandelion.
Compound of 綿 (cotton) and 毛 (hair/fur). Refers to anything soft, light, and fluffy — most iconically the seed heads of dandelions, but also the downy feathers of young birds and fine body hair.
Common collocations
- たんぽぽの綿毛: dandelion fluff/puff
- 綿毛が飛ぶ: fluff floats away
- 綿毛で覆われる: to be covered in down
- 綿毛のような: fluffy like down
Similar words
- 羽毛: feathers, down — specifically bird feathers; used in products like 羽毛ぶとん (down comforter)
- 産毛: fine body hair, peach fuzz — the soft hair on a baby's skin or a peach
- 毛: hair, fur — the general word for animal hair
Cultural note
Blowing dandelion 綿毛 is a well-known childhood activity in Japan, as elsewhere. It evokes a gentle, nostalgic image of spring and early summer.