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なか. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
なか, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
なか in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
なか you have here. The definition of the word
なか will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
なか, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Japanese
Etymology 1
From Old Japanese. First cited to the Kojiki of 712 CE.[1]
From Proto-Japonic *naka. By surface analysis, ⟨na⟩ (indicating being inside, not found in isolation) + ⟨ka⟩ (a place (e.g. ありか (arika, “a place where something is, whereabouts”, from ある (aru, “to exist”) + 処 (ka, “place”), literally “existing place”), compare 所 (tokoro, “place”, see etymology for details))).[2][3][4]
The relationship sense was first attested in the Kokin Wakashū, around 905-914 CE, possibly from the sense of being a group of objects/people around a certain area.[1]
Pronunciation
Noun
なか • (naka) ←なか (naka)?
- 中: inside
- 箱の中には何もありません。
- Hako no naka ni wa nani mo arimasen.
- There is nothing in the box.
- 中: middle
- 中: among (a group or mass)
- この中に人狼がいます。
- Kono naka ni jinrō ga imasu.
- There is a werewolf among us / these people.
- 中: during (time); amidst
- 暑い中お疲れ様です。
- Atsui naka o-tsukare-sama desu.
- Thank you for your cooperation in these hot times.
- 猛暑の中
- mōsho no naka
- in the extreme heat
- 技術が進んでいく中
- gijutsu ga susundeiku naka
- in the midst of technological advancement
- 仲: relationship, terms
Derived terms
Proper noun
なか • (Naka)
- 仲: a surname
See also
Etymology 2
Pronunciation
Adjective
なか • (naka) †-ka
- Ka-ending dialect form of ない (nai)
- 佐賀はなんもなか
- Saga wa nan mo naka
- there's nothing (of worth) in Saga (local folk saying)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 “中・仲”, in 日本国語大辞典 (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
- ^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
- ^ Alexander Vovin (2014) “Out of Southern China?”, in Academia.edu
- ^ Samuel E. Martin (1987) The Japanese Language Through Time, New Haven, London: Yale University Press, →ISBN
- ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
- ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN