MOKKO-RI もっこり
Meanings
Describes one rounded area bulging or rising conspicuously above an otherwise relatively flat surface.
Examples
A mole makes a rounded mound of earth.
A man in a tight leotard can have such a visible bulge at the crotch that you hardly know where to look.
Dogmatic Opinion
I picture one part of a flat area rising into a rounded mound.
In modern Japanese, however, MOKKO-RI very often makes people think of a visible male crotch bulge, especially under tight sportswear.
I would not normally use it for an erection on a naked body. The characteristic image is the clothing itself being pushed outward.
There was once a catchphrase on the TV program Yūyake Nyan Nyan: “Wednesday, the middle of the week—MANNaka MOKKO-RI.” Apparently the idea was to liven up Wednesday, while making excellent use of MOKKO-RI’s attention-grabbing naughty sound.
Nor would I call breasts MOKKO-RI even when they push clothing outward.
My personal geometry is that most of the visible field is expected to be flat, while perhaps two percent unexpectedly rises. A distant anthill-like mound on a horizon can therefore be MOKKO-RI.
Because of its sexual association, people probably think this word more often than they actually say it aloud.
Proximate Expression
bulge
Related Words
For Japanese Learners
Bulging, protruding, visibly raised, and forming a rounded mound may fit. For terrain, mound or bulge is neutral. On the human body, MOKKO-RI can strongly suggest a male crotch bulge, so an English translation should preserve that sexual implication when the context requires it.
