0

I have been reading this book and from time to time I come across these double 々々 and also this symbol /\ oftentimes within it.

From what I know, this 々 means repetition of the previous character. But in this book there are many instances in which it is used doubly: 々々 after aa double kanji. For example:

1.『さよう、女というものは、手遅れにならんうちに懲らしめておかんと、すっかり滅茶々々になってしまいますて。』

2.『なに、大した悦びでもありませんよ。わたしはポズドヌイシェフです――ちょうど今あなたのいわれた際どいエピソードをおこした男です。つまり、自分の女房を殺したというエピソードをね。』すばやくわたしたちを一人々々見廻しながら、彼はいった。

3.恐らく彼も茶が利いたのであろう。次第々々に興奮の度を増して、その声はだん/\と音楽的に表情が強くなっていった。

4.ペトロフさんのところではお医者の勧めで、早く方々の病院へ別れ々々に入院さしたので、子供らは命拾いをしましたが、別々に離さなかった子供は死んでしまいました。

5.妻の一言々々は毒を含んでいて、しかも彼女はどこがわたしの最も痛いところかよく心得ているので、そこを狙って刺をさすのです.

6.そんなところに一人で寝て待っているのも、馬鹿々々しい話ですからね。

7.『すると、不思議なことではありませんか! わたしが書斎を出て、見馴れた部屋々々を通り抜けて行くとき、またもや「何事もなかったのだ」という空頼みのこころが起りました。

Personally, I think they are read doubly: 滅茶々々 (めちゃめちゃ)、一人々々(ひとりひとり)and so on, but it is number 4 that I have my qualms for: 別れ々々, as to how to read it. Is it わかれわかれ? (That is the only word that has not aa double kanji before 々々).

And about this symbol /\ (like in number 3, and there quite aa lot within the book). How does it work within the paragraphs? Because frankly it is kind of annoying to come across it while one is reading.

前もってお願いします。

2

1 Answer 1

3

This /\ represents くの字点, an old symbol to repeat two or more characters (usually kana). It was used in old Japanese where everything was written vertically, and there is no simple way to reproduce this symbol on browsers. This /\ is an workaround used by 青空文庫 to simulate the くの字点 in horizontal text. It's explained here.

々々 repeats two characters (usually kanji), as you have correctly suspected. 別れ別れ is a relatively uncommon no-adjective that means "separate" (like 離れ離れ).

When a repeated part included both kana and kanji (like 別れ別れ), both the くの字点 and 々々 were used according to the writer's preference. I don't know which was more popular. Only single-々 is surviving today.

2
  • What about /″\? Sep 22, 2020 at 3:45
  • It's Aozora Bunko's way or writing voiced くの字点. See the links.
    – naruto
    Sep 22, 2020 at 3:47

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .