忌み言葉 (imikotoba: taboo word) to abhor + word
Imikotoba aren’t curse words (which are known as 下品な言葉, gehinna kotoba, below + refinement + words) but rather “jinx” words based on superstition. For example, Japanese people avoid using 四 (shi: four) because it sounds just like 死 (shi: death).
Here’s a concept related to 忌み言葉:
言葉狩り (kotobagari: search for and censorship of politically incorrect words) word + to hunt
The final kanji, 狩 (SHU, kari: to hunt), breaks down in an interesting way. The lefthand side,
, is the “dog” radical. And 守 (mamo(ru)) means “to protect.” In this case, 守 also means “to be attentive and protective,” according to Kenneth Henshall (A Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters). He further says that all these meanings combine in 狩 to signify “a dog that protects (its master) and is attentive on all sides,” as in the example of a hunting dog. This hunting dog came to symbolize “hunt” in general.
