ぺちゃんこ

Japanese

Alternative forms

• ぺったんこ (pettanko)

Etymology

Compound of ぺちゃん (pechan, “in a flattened or crushed manner”, adverb) + こ (-ko, noun-forming diminutive suffix).

First attested in 1908.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ぺちゃんこ [pècháꜜǹkò] (Nakadaka – [2])
• (Tokyo) ぺちゃんこ [pècháńkó] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [pe̞t͡ɕã̠ŋko̞]

Adjective

ぺちゃんこ • (pechanko) -na (adnominal ぺちゃんこな (pechanko na), adverbial ぺちゃんこに (pechanko ni))

1. [from 1908] flat, flattened

   タイヤがぺちゃんこ

   taiya ga pechanko

   the tire is flat

2. crushed, squashed, flattened

   地(じ)震(しん)でぺちゃんこにつぶれた

   jishin de pechanko ni tsubureta

   crushed flat in an earthquake

3. [from 1929] (figurative) defeated, deflated, crushed

   議(ぎ)論(ろん)してぺちゃんこに遣(や)り込(こ)める

   giron shite pechanko ni yarikomeru

   crush (defeat soundly) with an argument

Noun

ぺちゃんこ • (pechanko) 

1. (informal, slang) something flat, something that has been flattened
   • 2014 December 17, Takashi Kamei, “Kami no kei no pechanko ni naru riyū [The reason hair becomes flattened]”, in kame38.blog hairlife‎^[3]:

     それは髪(かみ)の生(は)え方(かた)や寝(ね)癖(ぐせ)よるものであれば、スタイリングで補(ほ)正(せい)できるのですがそれができないくらい「ぺちゃんこ」の状(じょう)態(たい)なら注(ちゅう)意(い)が必(ひつ)要(よう)かもしれません。

     Sore wa kami no hae kata ya neguse yoru mono deareba, sutairingu de hosei dekiru no desu ga sore ga dekinai kurai “pechanko” no jōtai nara chūi ga hitsuyō kamoshiremasen.

     If it is due to the way the hair grows or simply bed head, it can be corrected with styling, but you must take care not to get to a nearly unsalvageable “pechanko” condition.

See also

• 鼻(はな)ぺちゃ (hanapecha, “a small nose”)
• ペチャパイ (pechapai, “small breasts”)