(かと)

かとり
noun
mosquito repelling; mosquito repellent
1. mosquito repelling; mosquito-repellent device or product
The act or means of repelling or killing mosquitoes. Used as a prefix in compound words for mosquito-repellent products, especially the iconic spiral incense coil.
蚊取(かと)線香(せんこう)をつける。
To light a mosquito coil.
(なつ)になると蚊取(かと)りグッズがよく()れる。
Mosquito-repellent products sell well when summer comes.
縁側(えんがわ)蚊取(かと)線香(せんこう)()いて夕涼(ゆうすず)みをした。
We placed mosquito coils on the veranda and enjoyed the cool evening.

Composed of () (mosquito) and ()り (catching, removing). Most commonly encountered in the compound 蚊取(かと)線香(せんこう) (mosquito coil), a green spiral incense that is a quintessential symbol of Japanese summer. The coil is typically placed in a pig-shaped ceramic holder called a 蚊遣(かや)(ぶた).

COMMON COLLOCATIONS:

  • 蚊取(かと)線香(せんこう): mosquito coil (spiral incense)
  • 蚊取(かと)りマット: mosquito-repellent mat (heated electric type)
  • 蚊取(かと)りリキッド: liquid mosquito repellent
  • 蚊取(かと)(): mosquito-repelling device

CULTURAL NOTE:
The 蚊取(かと)線香(せんこう) is strongly associated with Japanese summer and traditional living. It appears frequently in literature, anime, and advertising as an evocative seasonal image alongside 風鈴(ふうりん) (wind chimes) and 西瓜(すいか) (watermelon).