襟首

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 襟首 is read as えりくび and is a noun for the nape where a collar rests or for the scruff of an animal's neck.
• Basic usage: Cold rain entering through the back of a collar appears in 雨が襟首から入る, while a mother cat taking a kitten by the scruff appears in 子猫の襟首をくわえる.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Where the back of the neck meets the collar
  • It can identify the rear collar area on a person or the scruff grasped when carrying an animal.
• Difference from 首
  • Unlike the word for the neck as a whole, this term focuses on the nape or the area around the back of a collar.