The study of the origin of words and the historical development of their meanings.
21
votes
2answers
852 views
Where does “もしもし” (moshimoshi) for answering the telephone come from?
Does the term "もしもし" (moshimoshi) predate the telephone? Does it have any use besides answering the phone? Where does it come from, is it just a reduplication of "もし" (moshi) "if", and if so how does ...
20
votes
1answer
218 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 ...
17
votes
4answers
378 views
What are the origins of ヶ?
The ヶ in e.g. 一ヶ月 is a bit of an odd character - it looks a lot like a small version of the katakana ケ, but is it derived from that katakana originally? Or is it a normal kanji? Or is it something ...
17
votes
1answer
464 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?
15
votes
1answer
397 views
Why is a place that sells さけ a さかや?
Is it known why a さかや normally has a か, rather than a け like in さけ?
Are there many other -や constructions for stores that change the spelling of the word added to?
15
votes
1answer
173 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. ...
15
votes
4answers
595 views
Why is the correct counter for rabbits 羽（わ）
Why is the correct counter for rabbits 羽（わ）, the counter that is used for birds.
I figured it is because they jump, cause fly and jump are the same verb in Japanese, but then frogs are 匹.
14
votes
4answers
369 views
Words made from strokes of a kanji like 女 toくノ一
According to Wikipedia, one theory for the etymology of くノ一 (female ninja) is that it's made up of the strokes of the kanji 女 (woman).
Other theories include that it means nine and one, talking about ...
14
votes
2answers
337 views
Exceptional compounding forms
There are a number of Japanese words which have distinct compounding forms:
-a/-e alternation: 天・雨、酒、上、風、目 — many examples.
-u/-i alternation: 神（[神]{かむ}[集]{つど}ふ）、月（[月]{つく}[読]{よみ}）
-o/-i alternation: ...
13
votes
3answers
376 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 ...
13
votes
2answers
327 views
Where does the word ダイヤ come from that means “train schedule”?
For the longest time I've been hearing the word ダイヤ and just always assumed it meant "Diamond", but found recently it all means "train schedule". My question is, what word/language did this word ...
13
votes
3answers
610 views
Historical differences between colors that are i-adjectives and those that are simply nouns
EDIT: Started a bounty with hope of getting more definitive and elaborate answers, e.g. timeline of when color names started being used in Japan.
In Japanese language, there are colors that are ...
13
votes
1answer
202 views
What are the origins of the 「こそあど」 demonstratives?
I've noticed the following sets of words that seem to have a very obvious pattern, and, of course, their meanings are very closely related:
これ、 それ、 あれ、 どれ
この、 その、 あの、 どの
ここ、 そこ、 あそこ、 どこ
What are ...
12
votes
3answers
340 views
Why is “Xy” pronounced as “Ki Shi” in Xylitol「キシリトール」?
Why is "Xy" pronounced as "[Ki Shi]{キ シ}" in [Xylitol]{キシリトール}?
I believe "Xy" can pronounced as "Zai", which is probably a valid sound in Japanese.
I would like to know its etymology too, if there ...
12
votes
5answers
236 views
What is the origin and usage of the word いい?
According to Denshi Jisho, いい and よい share the same Kanji, and the both roughly mean "good". Why are there two different pronunciations for the same meaning, and what are some ways to be able to ...
12
votes
2answers
291 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 ...
12
votes
2answers
214 views
Was 俺 ever gender-neutral?
I've heard elderly women in Japan referring to themselves using 俺. This leads me to believe that the usage has changed overtime to become only used by males. Did 俺 used to be gender-neutral?
12
votes
1answer
199 views
Why did の disappear from 山手, but in 御茶ノ水 it's in katakana?
I realize that very likely the answer to this question is likely to be something along the lines of "that's just the way it is", but I thought it worth asking to see if there were some insights that ...
11
votes
4answers
553 views
Are there any old loanwords from Korean, especially any not written in katakana?
Given the close proximity and long history of interaction of various kinds within East Asia, the great influence of Chinese in both Japanese and Korean, and the similar structures of Japanese and ...
11
votes
4answers
203 views
History of 十干（じっかん）and modern uses
As I was studying vocabulary today, I happened to come across the titular 十干 which are as follows:
甲（こう）• 乙（おつ）• 丙（へい）• 丁（てい） •戊（ぼ）• 己（き）• 庚（こう）• 辛（しん）• 壬（じん）• 癸（き）
There's a somewhat lengthy ...
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」 ...
11
votes
1answer
234 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"?
11
votes
2answers
167 views
What are the origins of ド when used as emphasis, and is it always negative?
Sometimes I've seen ド as a prefix that adds emphasis to words. So saying someone is ドバカ is saying that they are much more stupid than just バカ.
I'm wondering what the origin of ド in this context is. ...
11
votes
1answer
239 views
Why “社会の窓” (shakai no mado)?
A few years ago I was told by a Japanese friend "社会の窓" (shakai no mado).
It was explained after some giggling that this is what is said to a man who has inadvertently left his fly open, and that it ...
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: ...
10
votes
5answers
602 views
Is there an objective source of the origins of kanji?
Is there an authoritative source that explains where the different kanji come from and what the radicals mean? I think it's hard to tell from most of the textbooks/other sources whether a shown ...
10
votes
3answers
352 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".
10
votes
3answers
266 views
The etymology of 関手【かんしゅ】
In Japanese mathematics, the word ‘functor’ is translated as 関手【かんしゅ】. What is the etymology of this word?
I suspect that it is a pun on 関数 (function). This leads to two further questions:
Why 関手 ...
10
votes
2answers
266 views
What is the etymology of [山葵]{わさび}?
I know that "わさび" 'wasabi' can also be written using kanji as "山葵" and that these two characters mean respectively "mountain" and "hollyhock", but hollyhock doesn't seem at first glance to be related.
...
10
votes
1answer
164 views
What is the significance of a large く character in literary texts?
I am currently reading an early story by Tanizaki Junichiro in Japanese. I have come across both the hiragana く and ぐ written twice the size they usually are, taking up the same amount of space on the ...
10
votes
1answer
179 views
How can [数]{す}[寄]{き}[者]{しゃ} both mean a tea ceremony master and a “lewd man, a lecher”?
I would like to understand better the etymology or the cultural context surrounding
数寄者
If I believe wwwjdic, this
compound is used to denote
a tea ceremony master (with a reference to a ...
10
votes
1answer
173 views
Unifying concept for noun-adjectives of the pattern Xかな
Consider these:
～か：
静か
愚か
厳か
～やか:
穏やか
鮮やか
賑やか
～らか:
柔らか
滑らか
明らか
There are many more that I've not listed.
The か/やか/らか at the end of these words ...
10
votes
2answers
267 views
Etymology of 土産 {みやげ}
The pronunciation "みやげ" does not correspond to on'yomi nor kun'yomi of 土産, so I thought it was a gikun (義訓), but the combination of kanji 土 and 産 does not seem to provide the meaning of "souvenir" ...
9
votes
4answers
266 views
Etymology of 右に出る
What is the etymology of 右に出る, as in 「右に出る者はいない」? What on earth makes the right superior to the left?
Relatedly, is 左に出る ever used to mean "inferior to"?
9
votes
3answers
441 views
Why does 「やきもち」 mean to be jealous?
I've heard this word used quite a few times now, and I'm tired of pretending to understand it. Why does 「やきもち」 refer to being jealous? Is this a slang word? How do people use this word?
9
votes
3answers
316 views
Nuance, usage and etymology of お[出]{い}で
I observed in drama and anime (being outside Japan, those are my only ways of keeping in touch with spoken 日本語) that elder people sometimes say お出で to younger people when they want to say something ...
9
votes
2answers
556 views
About 「同じ」 {onaji} and 「同じく」 {onajiku}
As far as I know, 「同じ」 {onaji} is not a 形容詞 {keiyoushi} (-i adjective) so how does it become 「同じく」 {onajiku}? Or does {onajiku} not come from {onaji}?
Also, are there any other non i-adjectives that ...
9
votes
1answer
353 views
Where does です come from?
I've heard various things about this construction from many different people, a few examples of which are:
It's a verb meaning "to be".
It's a contraction of something like でございます (de gozaimasu) or ...
9
votes
2answers
280 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 ...
9
votes
1answer
139 views
What is the connection between shrimp and old age?
Shrimp(えび) is written several different ways in Japanese. For example, there are the words commonly used in Chinese: 蝦 and 鰕. There is also a compound specific to Japan, 海老, and a kokuji, 蛯. Both of ...
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 ...
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 ...
9
votes
2answers
256 views
About ご[馳走]{ちそう}: two “runs” would give you “a feast”?
ご[馳走様]{ちそうさま}でした is the greeting that people say after being treat a meal while ご馳走 by itself means “a feast”.
I looked up this word in the dictionary to learn more about the kanji characters. It ...
9
votes
2answers
221 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 ...
9
votes
1answer
234 views
What is the meaning/usage of いざ?
Will someone please explain what this word いざ means? I've found several definitions, but I'm very unclear on what it really means and its usage. I've heard it mostly in the following ways:
...
9
votes
1answer
188 views
Was sake always called nihonshu?
Was nihonshu (what English refers to as "sake") always called nihonshu, or was it only called that once western alcoholic beverages were introduced to Japan?
9
votes
1answer
204 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 ...
9
votes
1answer
176 views
What is the proper pronunciation for 十分/１０分? じっぷん or じゅっぷん?
My Japanese textbook only lists じゅっぷん. Our Japanese sensei (a quite old woman) says じっぷん but notes that it's optionally じゅっぷん. Our TAs all say じゅっぷん.
I understand that Middle Chinese 十 was "jip" and ...
9
votes
1answer
355 views
Usage of お+[verb stem]+する for humble form and お+[verb stem]+になる for honorific form
Apart from using verb-specific humble and honorific versions (e.g. 参る < 行く < いらっしゃる), the general method of turning a verb into humble is by using お+[verb stem aka 連用形]+する while the general ...
9
votes
1answer
219 views
Why did オレンジ replace 橙【だいだい】?
This question about colours got me thinking:
Why, and how, did オレンジ come to replace 橙【だいだい】 to refer to the colour orange?
It seems weird to me that a 外来語【がいらいご】(word taken from a foreign language) ...
