五 円 玉(ごえんだま)

ごえんだま

noun

5-yen coin

1. 5-yen coin; five-yen piece

The Japanese five-yen coin. Distinctive for its brass color and the hole in the center. Often used as an offering at Shinto shrines because ごえん sounds like ご縁(えん) (good ties, favorable connections).

財布(さいふ)の中(なか)に五円玉(ごえんだま)が一枚(いちまい)あった。

There was one 5-yen coin in my wallet.

神社(じんじゃ)で五円玉(ごえんだま)を賽銭箱(さいせんばこ)に入(い)れてお参(まい)りした。

I put a 5-yen coin in the offertory box at the shrine and prayed.

五円玉(ごえんだま)は「ご縁(えん)」に通(つう)じるため、縁起(えんぎ)がいいとされ、初詣(はつもうで)のお賽銭(さいせん)に好(この)まれる。

The 5-yen coin is considered auspicious because it sounds like 'good ties' (ご縁), and is often preferred for New Year shrine offerings.

The five-yen coin (brass, with a hole) is the only Japanese coin with a hole in the center. Its pronunciation ごえん is a homophone of ご縁(えん) (good fortune, beneficial connections), making it a popular coin for shrine offerings.

Common collocations

五円玉(ごえんだま)を投(な)げる: to toss a 5-yen coin (into the offertory box)
五円玉(ごえんだま)でお参(まい)りする: to pray using a 5-yen coin
穴(あな)あき硬貨(こうか): perforated coin (a description of the 5-yen coin)

Cultural note: The punning connection between ごえん (five yen) and ご縁(えん) (good fortune, fate, relationships) makes this coin uniquely popular for shrine offerings, especially at 初詣(はつもうで) (New Year shrine visits).

general

Added 2026.6.10 2:39 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02

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