K is for Kaki

I took a leaf out of another A - Z Challenge blogger for a post for the K letter and simply looked one up using google. The first word to jump out at me from the huge list was Kaki. I think this word caught my eye as I had several imaginary friends as a child and the only one I remember clearly was named Kaki for some obscure reason, even to me. There wasn't an actual spelling for his name but Kaki will do. He was long and thin and adult aged who helped and played with me, but wasn't quite human. No idea why I imagined him, just one of those childhood things for which there is no particular explanation.

So, to the real meaning of Kaki. There are a few, one is a bird which paddles about in water with it's long legs, it is also called a Stilt (various types) -  perhaps the origin of the word for the sticks used for walking tall, that is used by stilt walkers. This bird lives in the Southern hemisphere, the name Kaki is the Maori name for the Black Stilt.

The other usage of the word is for a tree, also called the Japanese Persimmon, seen here.

It is also the Japanese name for oyster, and the name of a city in Iran.

Even though I haven't 'played' with my imaginary friend Kaki in some decades I'm a little embarrassed to say I do occasionally still think of him and the adventures we went on, one of which was flying off on my bed to faraway lands AKA the film Bedknobs and Broomsticks, my bed actually had those Victorian knobs so you can imagine how shiny the became with all the turning of them we tried - well I tried, obviously Kaki didn't really as he was in my mind - or was he? He seemed pretty real to me at the time.

Did you have a Kaki or other imaginary friend when you were younger? I'd love to know.