1.
chestnut in its spiny husk
A chestnut still enclosed in its prickly green outer burr (毬). The fully ripe form that drops from the tree before being opened.
毬栗が道に落ちていた。
There was a spiny chestnut burr lying on the road.
秋になると毬栗が木から落ちてくる。
When autumn comes, spiny chestnut burrs fall from the trees.
足で毬栗を踏むと靴に棘が刺さって痛い。
If you step on a spiny chestnut burr, the spines stick into your shoes and it hurts.
2.
close-cropped spiky hair; buzz cut
By metaphor, a very short hairstyle that resembles the bristly burr of a chestnut. Often used affectionately for young boys.
弟は毬栗頭にした。
My younger brother got a buzz cut.
毬栗頭の男の子が校門から出てきた。
A boy with a buzz cut came out of the school gate.
部活の野球部員たちはみんな毬栗頭にしている。
The members of the baseball club all have buzz cuts.
Compound of 毬 (the prickly burr of a chestnut) + 栗 (chestnut). The hair-cut sense is always used with 頭 or 刈り.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 毬栗頭: buzz cut (literally "chestnut-burr head")
- 毬栗刈り: a close-cropped haircut
- 毬栗が落ちる: spiny chestnuts fall (from the tree)
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 栗: chestnut — the nut itself, without the burr
- 坊主頭: shaved head — even shorter than 毬栗頭