shikishi means A small card or paper board for drawing sketches, writing poetry, autographs, etc. on, often having a square shape and gilded border. It carries an Arena rating of 1442, earned across 17 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, shikishi ranks #541 of 17,130 for Most Beautiful Words, #1,419 of 17,140 for Most Whimsical Words, #2,351 of 17,127 for Most Vivid Words, #3,332 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words.
Why “shikishi” is a great word
A small, typically square board or card, often bearing a gilded border, used for sketching, inscribing poetry, or gathering signatures. Its name, borrowed from the Japanese 色紙 (shikishi), fuses 色 (shiki, "color") with 紙 (shi, "paper"). Unlike the tanzaku, a long, narrow poem strip meant for festive display, or the utilitarian shitajiki, a mere under-sheet for writing, the shikishi is a self-contained field of intention. It is the faint graphite ghost of a chrysanthemum bloom on a gold-rimmed square, the deliberate black stroke of a haiku brushed just off-center, and the singular flourish of a name bestowed where a drawing might have been—a modest stage for a moment of permanence.
Etymology
Borrowed from Japanese 色紙 (shikishi).
noun
- A small card or paper board for drawing sketches, writing poetry, autographs, etc. on, often having a square shape and gilded border.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- omikuji 52% match — A random fortune, often written on a strip of paper or on a stick of bamboo, available at Japanese shrines in exchange for a small offering. vs shikishi →
- tanzaku 50% match — A slip of paper that can be written on, especially those hung on bamboo or other trees during the Tanabata festival. vs shikishi →
- mizuhiki 50% match — Japanese cord made from paper and used to decorate gifts. vs shikishi →
- shikho 49% match — A kneeling posture with joined hands and bowed head, used in Burma to show respect to a superior. vs shikishi →
- fukusa 49% match — A piece of decorated silk used to cover gifts in the Japanese tradition. vs shikishi →
- shikigami 48% match — A kind of ghost or spirit in Japanese folklore. vs shikishi →
- chigi 48% match — In Japanese architecture, a V-shaped finial used mainly on Shinto shrine roofs. vs shikishi →
- furoshiki 48% match — A traditional Japanese wrapping-cloth, used for clothes, gifts etc. vs shikishi →