The study of the origin of words and the historical development of their meanings.
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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 ...
8
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2answers
276 views
Origin of onsen term “wani”
Why was "wani" (crocodile or alligator) chosen as a term for a gawker at a konyoku (mixed gender onsen)?
Was it because of the animal's ability to stare, the fact that it is a predator, or was it ...
8
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2answers
181 views
Where does the suffix 〜がる come from?
I've read that several bits of Japanese come from contractions with ある:
だ comes from で + ある (source)
なる comes from に + ある (source)
たり comes from て + あり (source)
たり comes from と + あり (source)
...
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1answer
1k views
What are the meanings of ~とも [tomo] and ~かしら [kashira]?
Sometimes I think:
～とも came from ～と思う
～かしら came from ～かしらん（知らない）
It's possible I'm wrong, so I would like to know the real meaning of those suffixes. Also, I'd like to know when I can use them ...
8
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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 ...
8
votes
1answer
182 views
Relation between -ますよ and -ましょう
They sound alike. Are they cognate historically?
Morphologically, is よ in both cases a particle or part of the morpheme in -ましょう?
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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, ...
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1answer
476 views
Left (ひだり) and right (みぎ) as cardinal directions
In many Indo-European ancient languages, there used to be a strong connection between the words for right and left on one side and the words for south and north1 (respectively) on the other side.
This ...
8
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2answers
214 views
Saying 「おかわり」 when requesting second helping: what is being exchanged?
I am aware that the phrase 「おかわり」 that is used when asking for second helping (of meals especially) is an idiomatic expression, so its usage is understood as it is. But, I'm curious about the origin ...
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1answer
171 views
i-adjectives that end in a 〜ない which doesn't seem to be 〜無{な}い
I noticed there are many 形容詞{けいようし} (i-adjectives) that end in 〜ない, where the な is not part of the kanji, and doesn't seem to have the meaning 無い.
Examples:
危{あぶ}ない means "dangerous", while 危 ...
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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 ...
8
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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 ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
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195 views
Why is 五右衛門 read “goemon”?
Why is the name 五右衛門 read as ごえもん?
How can the three kanji 五右衛 be read with only two syllables?
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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 ...
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3answers
333 views
Why is the meaning of人一倍 opposite of what it seems to say?
This could be just me, but at first glance the word (phrase?) 人一倍 looks like it would mean "one's own share of the work". I assumed 人 to mean one person, and 一倍 means "one share, one amount". I was a ...
7
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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.
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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 ...
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3answers
338 views
Are there any common Japanese words which were borrowed from Ainu or other indigenous languages?
I know plenty of Japanese words that came from English and a few from other European languages (obviously tons from Chinese), but what about words from Japan's indigenous languages such as Ainu? Also ...
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1answer
157 views
What is the etymology of the term [仏]{ほとけ}[様]{さま}?
What is the etymology of the term 仏様 ?
I am interested because of all the meanings this word can possess.
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161 views
Origin/etymology of こころ～ words
There are three unique words that begin with こころ～:
快い （こころよい）、 試みる （こころみる）、 志 （こころざし）
What is the origin of these words in relation to "heart/spirit/mind", if any??? Or is this just something ...
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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)
...
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votes
1answer
204 views
Words with metathesis
What common Japanese words underwent metathesis (transposition of sounds)?
Examples.
新{あたら}しい < あらたしい
秋葉原 {あきはばら} < あきばはら
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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, ...
7
votes
1answer
272 views
Do 擬態語 (いらいら, きらきら, すっきり, etc.) generally have root words?
I understand that 擬音語 (ぎおんご) imitate sounds, like どきどき imitates a heartbeat. So, if these onomatopoeia don't have roots I wouldn't be at all surprised.
But where do 擬態語 (ぎたいご) come from? Do いらいら (to ...
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1answer
217 views
Why is Jordan (the country) spelt ヨルダン?
I recently found out that Jordan (the country) is spelt ヨルダン, not ジョーダン, which is how it's spelt in a person's name.
Is this based on how it's pronounced in Arabic and/or Hebrew, or how it's ...
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1answer
228 views
Origin of あしからず
Could somebody explain the origin of あしからず , as found in the following expressions?
今回はお断りしますが，どうぞあしからず|
This time I have to say no, I hope you don't mind.
・・ですが、 悪しからず。|
I'm sorry ...
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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 ...
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2answers
335 views
What is the most common usage and meaning of もったいない?
もったいない (勿体無い)(勿体ない) can mean "what a waste!" / "too good".
Apparently it is originally (?) a buddhist term meaning “The essence or quality of the thing does not exist,” and supposedly has been ...
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3answers
193 views
Where does the いかない in ～わけにはいかない come from?
My first thought is that いかない in this phrase conveys the meaning of 行かない, that is, not progressing to something. But this is mere guesswork.
What is the history of いかない in ~わけにはいかない? Does it have ...
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1answer
219 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 ...
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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 ...
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0answers
204 views
Why do we say 頼もしい instead of 頼ましい?
In a previous question, I posted a list of adjectives produced from verbs using the しい suffix. In each example, it seems that しい attaches directly to the 未然形:
勇む → 勇ま ＋ しい isam-a-sii
悩む → ...
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1answer
416 views
Ancient practise of sneaking into women's bedrooms…?
I was looking up the meaning of スマ婚{こん}, when my mouse happened to roll over the kanji 婚{こん}, and this definition popped up in Rikaichan:
婚 よばい ancient practice of creeping at night into a woman's ...
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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 ...
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3answers
510 views
よかろう - What does it mean? Where does it come from?
This is another question that's come from a 昔話。
We have the following section:
大きい箱と小さい箱がありますが、どちらがいいですか。
どちらも結構じゃが、どうしてもと言うのなら、小さいほうでよかろう。
I'm having trouble with the second sentence. My ...
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2answers
372 views
Significance of the kanji 茶 in the set phrase 滅茶滅茶{めちゃめちゃ} / 目茶目茶{めちゃめちゃ}
While having fun looking up random words in my dictionary software, I found out that the phrase "めちゃめちゃ", which is often used in colloquial sentences like "めちゃめちゃかわいい" has two kanji variants:
滅茶滅茶
...
6
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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 ...
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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 ...
6
votes
1answer
140 views
Why do we use 子ども to refer to a singular child (and 子供たち for plural)?
I was just thinking about how the term 子どもたち seems redundant since ども and たち are both plural markers. Of course you can use just 子 to refer to a child, but how did 子供 (and thus 子供たち) come to be the ...
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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 ...
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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 ...
6
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1answer
148 views
regarding the kanjis 嗚呼; 於乎; 於戯; 嗟乎; 嗟夫; 吁; 嗟; 噫; 鳴呼
This question has 2 parts.
Why is it that ああ has so many different kanji 嗚呼; 於乎; 於戯; 嗟乎; 嗟夫; 吁; 嗟; 噫; 鳴呼 (source)
and is the average japanese (16 yr old and above) able to recognize them all?
6
votes
1answer
322 views
What is the function of と in とある?
What is the function of と in とある?
It doesn't seem to be the particle と--it doesn't seem to attach to whatever comes before it, which particles generally do. It also doesn't seem to fit any of the ...
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 ...
5
votes
3answers
335 views
What is the meaning and etymology of 蝶よ花よ?
In a book I was reading, a tomboyish character complained about the expectations her parents had of her as their only daughter. She said:
「蝶よ花よと育てたかったらしいんだけど」
EDICT defines 蝶よ花よ as "bringing up ...
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 ...
5
votes
2answers
241 views
Are there verbs that end with ず,づ, ふ, ぷ, しゅう, ちゅう and じゅう? Why not?
I noticed that verb ending syllables cover all of -u syllables (る,く,ぐ,す,つ etc) except ず,づ, ふ, ぷ, しゅう, ちゅう and じゅう.
I suspect that ず is reserved for the negative conjugation thus no plain form verb ...
5
votes
2answers
120 views
Why is there 丼 {どんぶり} in 丼勘定 {どんぶりかんじょう}?
How does 丼勘定 {どんぶりかんじょう} (sloppy accounting) related to 丼 {どんぶり} (bowl of rice with toppings)? I mean, why どんぶり of all foods and things? Was there special history for the origin of this set phrase?
