The study of the origin of words and the historical development of their meanings.
3
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1answer
108 views
Etymology of 必ず
In a comment on the question Origin of あしからず, I wrote:
What about 必ず? It's from 仮 + ならず. Does that fit the 形容動詞 + ならず pattern?
I said this because 大辞泉's entry for 必ず says the following:
...
11
votes
2answers
267 views
Etymology of ひざまずく
I can't resist trying to find patterns in words. These three words, for example, seem to fit a similar pattern:
頷{うなづ}く = [項]{うな} + 突{つ}く (source: community wiki)
躓{つまづ}く = [爪]{つま} + 突{つ}く (source: ...
6
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1answer
88 views
Was “乎” the manyogana spelling of the accusative/object particle “を”?
In the English Wiktionary entry for "を" there is a quote or example sentence using the character "乎" with no explanation seemingly where the particle "を" would normally occur.
Now I couldn't find ...
3
votes
1answer
105 views
「のれん代」(Goodwill) and 「のれん」 of 居酒屋
Is there any relation between 「のれん代」(Goodwill) and 「のれん」 of 居酒屋?
And how about those kanji, are they using same kanji for both?
If there are the same kanji, I would like to know their etymology, ...
4
votes
1answer
107 views
What is the meaning and etymology of the (slang?) word まめ?
私はあまりまめに書きませんが、ことばを学ぶのは大好きです。
I don't write that well, but I love learning the language.
What is the etymology of the word まめ here and what specifically does it mean?
My friend gave me this ...
5
votes
3answers
302 views
Why does 「というもの」 have a meaning of “recently/since”?
I have given three examples below to illustrate my question. I can't understand why the expression "というもの” equates to "recently/since".
この一週間というもの、忙しくてほとんど寝ていない。
For the / since last week I ...
8
votes
1answer
128 views
What is the etymology of 一人前?
I found this word today, and I thought it was pretty interesting. I read it in the context of "becoming and adult", or "coming of age", but I'd like to know the etymology of it. I could only find ...
9
votes
2answers
272 views
What is the breakdown of countries where loan words originate?
Is there any general idea of what percentage of loan words come from which languages? I always thought the majority of them came from English, but I keep seeing more and more that originated in ...
8
votes
1answer
100 views
Etymology of the term お局 and how it is used in slang
Can someone explain the etymology of the word お局 as well as how it is used in modern slang? I took an educated guess as to the colloquial meaning but am unsure of its nuances, be they comedic, ...
3
votes
2answers
156 views
What does 血のしょんべん mean?
I'm trying to figure out what 血のションベン means. I understand the individual words and literal meaning. So assuming it doesn't mean "bloods urine", what does this mean?
Perhaps the full sentance is ...
2
votes
1answer
98 views
What does 金 have in common with triggers/guns?
I read the word 「引き金」and the definition is:
１ 小銃・ピストルなどの、指で引く発射装置の金具。
２ ある事態を引き起こす直接の原因。きっかけ。「授業料の値上げが―となって大学紛争が起こった」
起因(きいん) ⇒類語辞書で詳しい使い方を調べる
誘因(ゆういん) 動機(どうき) モチーフ
But why is 金 ...
3
votes
2answers
197 views
Why does 丈夫 and 大丈夫 mean what they mean?
Looking at the individual kanji according to a dictionary:
丈 means height, stature, length
夫 means husband, man
大 means big, great
They seem unrelated to what these words using the kanji mean:
丈夫 ...
9
votes
2answers
282 views
Where does the word キレる come from?
I'm unsure of how to use this word 「キレる」. When I looked up the definition, it says something along the lines of "to get angry" or "to lose one's temper".
Where does this word come from? I'm somewhat ...
3
votes
1answer
155 views
Question on mnemonic device for characters such as 恋, 変, and 湾
I am currently studying kanji by using a number of sites, some of which provide mnemonics to aid in learning. While not a specific radical per se (I think), the top portions of the following ...
11
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1answer
236 views
How did 面白 end up meaning “Interesting”?
面 by itself means "face", while 白 by itself means "white". How did these two words combine together to mean "interesting"?
8
votes
1answer
158 views
Can けれども be analysed further?
Consider the conjunction ども, e.g.:
行けども
言えども
Formation rule:
Verb Hypothetical form (仮定形) + ども
This leads me to hypothesise that the conjunction けれども (meaning "but; however; although") is ...
12
votes
2answers
292 views
What is the meaning and root of 意味くじピーマン?
Recently a friend of mine threw the term 意味くじピーマン (imi kuji pi-man) into a story she was telling, and it totally threw me off. At first I thought, because I wasn't sure how to parse the くじ part, it ...
7
votes
1answer
218 views
Etymology and usage of 凸待ち
I've seen the internet slang 凸{とつ}待{ま}ち used for "waiting for incoming (Skype etc) calls" pretty frequently, but what is the etymology and usage of the word?
I've read on other sites that it came ...
7
votes
1answer
214 views
Imperative used instead of conditional form
This quesion:
と言っても vs とは言え .
reminded me of a similar case:
どっちにしても vs どっちにしろ
which are also synonymous as far as I can tell.
That got me thinking:
Is this coincidental? Are there ...
7
votes
3answers
346 views
[父]{ちち} vs. [乳]{ちち} — father vs. breast
Can one differentiate by pronunciation between [父]{ちち} and [乳]{ちち} (as for 雨 and 飴)?
If not, does anyone have a reasonable explanation for why 父 and 乳 have the same pronunciation? It seems unlikely ...
5
votes
1answer
153 views
Why do ~なんてもんじゃないよ/~たのなのって=とても？
Both the following two expressions from my text book 完全マスター聴解N１ are explained as とても（高い／人が多かった）:
高いなんてもんじゃないよ
人が多かったのなのって
Could someone explain what they are based on/where they come from ...
8
votes
2answers
215 views
Questions on the (underlying) meaning of the word お化け
If ばけもの / ばけもん / お化け can, in general, be understood to mean ghost/apparition/monster, what is the connection to the meaning of 化け, meaning "transform?" (or "transforming one's appearance")
Is it ...
7
votes
1answer
297 views
Why is there a 分 in 自分?
I didn't find anywhere why is the minute's kanji there in 自分? Is it because a meaning of 分 is "part". Please clarify.
6
votes
2answers
177 views
Understanding of the character 叉
I see the character 叉 in a lot of words that do not seem to have anything in common:
[夜叉]{やしゃ}
[三叉路]{さんさろ}
[叉焼]{チャーシュー}
[音叉]{おんさ}
Is there any commonality here? What does 叉 ...
20
votes
1answer
219 views
How is the wind related to illness?
I've seen the kanji 風 appear in several different illnesses: 風邪 (a cold), 中風 (paralysis), and 痛風 (gout). Conceivably there may be others, but I haven't seen them.
What does the wind have to do with ...
4
votes
1answer
136 views
The thin line? What is 線がうすい's meaning and etymology?
I just found this phrase in my book (I don't know how much context is relevant, this is the entire sentence):
それにな、わたしが商人の線がうすい、といった理由はもうひとつある。
I looked up the phrase and found this 線が細い. It ...
10
votes
3answers
353 views
Why are wisdom teeth called 親知らず in Japanese?
Why are wisdom teeth called 親知{おやし}らず in Japanese?
The literal meaning seems to be something like "unknown to the parents".
7
votes
2answers
594 views
Is B2F, B1F, 1F, 2F, … wasei-eigo?
While visiting Tokyo, I noticed that most levels were indicated by B2F, B1F, 1F, 2F, ... .
This doesn't look like the Romaji for -kai or -gai counter-words, which I assume would be chika ni-kai, ...
13
votes
3answers
377 views
Kanji for native Japanese concepts: Kun'yomi spanning multiple morphemes
There are a few words, which are written with Kanji imported from China, but where the intended native Japanese meaning would prefer a different choice of Kanji. My favourite examples are
雷 vs. 神鳴り ...
11
votes
2answers
259 views
What exactly is 「だらし」?
WWWJDIC states that 「だらしない」 can be written with kanji as 「だらし無い」, which suggests that the phrase is a negative construction that uses 「無い」, unlike words like 「すくない」 and 「あぶない」. Furthermore, 「だらしが無い」 ...
9
votes
1answer
205 views
How did 家, 手, and 士 come to be included in the names of professions?
When I look at the words for professions, there are usually kanji such as 員、者、長、師、屋 and such, that end the name. These appear to make sense to me; however, what about ones such as 家、手、and 士?
For ...
6
votes
2answers
203 views
Where does the phrase 「ノリが悪い」 come from and what is the meaning?
What is this phrase 「ノリが悪い」? I've seen it in a few places, but I haven't been able to find it in a dictionary yet. I had first thought it meant that "the seaweed was bad".
What is the meaning of ...
9
votes
2answers
222 views
Why do some Japanese men use お袋 to address their mothers?
I often hear Japanese males use the word お袋 in place of お母さん when annoyed or irritated. Is this word slang? How did this word come to mean 「お母さん」 and what are the circumstances it is used in?
I am ...
2
votes
0answers
99 views
same reading, similar meaning, different Kanji [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
do people actually respect the nuances of 探す vs 捜す?
There are many kanji that I have come across with similar meanings, and (seemly coincidentally) identical readings. ...
2
votes
1answer
135 views
The plural 等 in おいら, おら
Why do the singular first person pronouns 俺{おい}等{ら} and 俺{お}等{ら} involve the plural affix 等?
15
votes
1answer
176 views
How did 革 “leather” come to mean newness?
How did the word 革{かわ}, 革{カク} "leather" acheive the meaning "newness"? 広辞苑 lists one of the definitions (under かく) as "あらたまること, あらためること", and we can see this in some of its associated 熟語: 変革, 改革, 革新. ...
6
votes
2answers
168 views
Etymology of とんでもない
Where did とんでもない (meaning "not at all" or "outrageous!") come from?
Could it be 飛んでもない ? ("will not even jump/fly" in a similar way how "When pigs fly" is considered a remark for something ...
17
votes
1answer
466 views
Did ありがとう come from Portuguese “obrigado”?
I have heard before that ありがとう came from the word "obrigado" in Portuguese. Is this true and is there any evidence to support this, or is it an old wives' tale?
4
votes
1answer
143 views
Does 被【かぶ】る have any relation to “cover”?
Topic. I've heard/seen somewhere that 被【かぶ】る was "gairaigo-fied" (?) from the English word "cover" (similar to ダブる or デモる), and then presumably given ateji from 被【おお】う since the meanings overlap so ...
8
votes
2answers
202 views
What do the parts of じゃんけんぽん mean?
I imagine that in じゃんけんぽん, けん corresponds to 拳 which I interpret as "fist" which is "rock".
Do じゃん and ぽん correspond to "scissors" and "paper" ?
If not, then do the individual parts of じゃん, けん and ...
6
votes
4answers
243 views
Where exactly in your body is “心”?
Where in your body is [心]{こころ} located?
When people refer to [心]{こころ} do they refer to their heart or brain? I assume heart as the literal translation, but I've heard both so was wondering what the ...
9
votes
2answers
236 views
What is the correct veritable meaning of 水無月 and 神無月?
This question is the result of a conversation with Chocolate in chat, and also this Japanese calendar I have that lists the months according to the traditional Japanese names.
For some reason, there ...
8
votes
2answers
203 views
Why is「ん」the only kana without a vowel?
I've always wondered why「ん」is the only kana without having a vowel sound attached to it. The only thing I've ever heard is that 「ん」 is a special kana that can be the last kana in some words.
I've ...
5
votes
2answers
161 views
What is the etymology of the word プラスアルファ?
What is the etymology of the word プラスアルファ(+α)?
This is a neologism I believe, however I hear it quite often nowadays. I'm curious to what the origin would be?
7
votes
2answers
183 views
What is the etymology of the word バレる?
What is the etymology of the word バレる, and why is it often written with katakana?
ばれる(P); バレる (v1,vi) to leak out (a secret); to be exposed (a lie, improper behaviour, etc.) (behavior)
...
8
votes
1answer
160 views
What's the etymology of 負けず嫌い?
It seems strange to me that 負{ま}けず嫌{ぎら}い means "hate losing" and not "hate not losing". (食わず嫌い for example seems to mean "hate a food without trying it".)
Providing credible sources if possible, what ...
8
votes
1answer
317 views
How did the verb 掛ける come to have many meanings?
I think that this verb is the only one I've seen in Japanese that has so many definitions. とる and つく have multiple definitions as well (quite a bit IIRC). But not as much as 掛ける. In any case, I am ...
5
votes
1answer
298 views
What is “ブチャイク”?
ブチャイク
All I know is it's referring to someone's "looks" or appearance, and is not flattering. I suspect this is simply one of those "modern" Japanese slang phrases popular among young people that's ...
5
votes
4answers
736 views
What is the etymological connection between sake (alcohol) and sha-ke (salmon)?
I read once somewhere that the word 'sake' (酒, Japanese rice wine) comes from sha-ke (鮭, salmon). Can someone explain what this connection is?
Any thoughts on why most Japanese people * don't know ...
7
votes
2answers
155 views
Does バラの寝床 come directly from the English expression “bed of roses”?
I came across this phrase in a Haruki Murakami short story, and I was wondering if this is just a literal translation of the English phrase?
I tried googling the Japanese phrase, but I could only ...
