燕尾(えんび)

えんび
noun
swallowtail; forked shape like a swallow's tail
appearance
1. swallowtail; a tail-like forked shape
The deeply forked shape of a swallow's tail, used to describe objects with a similar V-shaped split, such as a tailcoat, a pennant, or a joint in woodworking. Most often seen in compounds.
燕尾(えんび)の形(かたち)をしている。
It is shaped like a swallow's tail.
この旗(はた)の先(さき)は燕尾(えんび)に切(き)れ込(こ)んでいる。
The end of this flag is cut into a swallowtail.
燕尾服(えんびふく)の後(うし)ろは、燕尾(えんび)のように二(ふた)つに分(わ)かれている。
The back of a tailcoat splits into two like a swallow's tail.

Literally 'swallow tail.' Rarely used alone in conversation; it appears mostly in fixed compounds naming swallowtail shapes.

Common collocations

  • 燕尾服(えんびふく): tailcoat (formal evening dress)
  • 燕尾(えんび)形(がた): swallowtail shape
  • 燕尾(えんび)旗(き): swallowtail flag; pennant

Similar words

  • 二股(ふたまた): fork; two-pronged split — an everyday word for a Y-shaped division
  • 尾(お): tail — the plain word for an animal's tail
general
Added 2026.6.24 9:19 · Revised 2026.9.6 9:20
29000/29459_enbi