消しゴム

• Reading: けしゴム
• Romaji: keshigomu
• Kanji breakdown: 消 (shou/ke) — erase, extinguish
• Pronunciation: /ke.ɕi.ɡo.mɯ/

Meaning

An eraser; a rubber. Used to remove pencil marks from paper.

A compound of 消し (keshi, erasing, from the verb 消す) and ゴム (gomu, rubber, from Dutch 'gom'). A common everyday school supply. The ゴム part is typically written in katakana while 消し uses kanji.

Examples

1. 消しゴムを貸してくれませんか。 Could you lend me your eraser?
2. この消しゴムはよく消えます。 This eraser works really well.
3. 消しゴムが小さくなったから新しいのを買おう。 My eraser got small, so I should buy a new one.

Usage Guide

Context: school, stationery, office

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

Compound of 消し (keshi, from 消す meaning to erase) and ゴム (gomu, from Dutch 'gom' meaning rubber/gum). Reflects the Dutch influence on early Japanese scientific and material vocabulary.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal