裏金

Japanese

Kanji in this term
裏	金
うら Grade: 6	かね > がね Grade: 1
kun'yomi

Etymology

From 裏(うら) (ura, “back; behind the scenes”) + 金(かね) (kane, “metal; money”). The kane changes to gane as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɯ̟ɾa̠ɡa̠ne̞]

Noun

裏(うら)金(がね) • (uragane) 

1. (archaic) a thin piece of metal attached to the heel of a sandal; a leather sandal with such a metal piece [18th century]
2. a bribe [from 20th century]
3. a slush fund
   • 2024 February 12, “Jiki shūinsen: Kokumin minshu to gōryū Rikken Okada-shi iyoku [Next lower house election, work with DPP: opinion of CDP’s Mr Okada]”, in Mainichi Shimbun, page 3:

     自(じ)民(みん)党(とう)派(は)閥(ばつ)の裏(うら)金(がね)事(じ)件(けん)を念(ねん)頭(とう)に「国(こく)民(みん)民(みん)主(しゅ)と自(じ)民(みん)の関(かん)係(けい)はおかしくなってきている」と指(し)摘(てき)した。

     Jimintō habatsu no uragane jiken o nentō ni “Kokumin Minshu to Jimin no kankei wa okashikunattekiteiru” to shiteki shita.

     In light of the Liberal Democratic Party factions’ slush fund issue, he suggested, “relations between the DPP and LDP are becoming strained”.

4. (carpentry) a short blade affixed slightly offset against the cutting edge of a plane