ほととぎす

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Japanese

Etymology 1

Alternative spellings
子規
時鳥
杜宇
杜鵑
田鵑
蜀魂
郭公
不如帰
ほととぎす (hototogisu): a print of a flying lesser cuckoo by Utagawa Hiroshige.
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From Old Japanese.

The final su is most likely す (su, “bird”, ancient term only found in old compounds), itself possibly cognate with Korean 새 (sae, “bird”).

Pronunciation

Noun

ほととぎす or ホトトギス • (hototogisu) 

  1. the lesser cuckoo, Cuculus poliocephalus
    Synonyms: 卯月鳥 (uzukidori), 沓手鳥 (kutsutedori), 時つ鳥 (tokitsudori), 時の鳥 (toki no tori)
    Hypernym: 郭公 (kakkō)
    • 1187, Senzai Wakashū (book 3, poem 161; also Hyakunin Isshu, poem 81)
      ほととぎす鳴(な)きつる方(かた)をながむればただ有明(ありあけ)の月(つき)ぞ残(のこ)れる
      hototogisu nakitsuru kata o nagamureba tada ariake no tsuki zo nokoreru
      When I gaze in the direction of the crying cuckoo, only the moon lingers in the dawn.[2]
Derived terms
Derived terms
Proverbs

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of ほととぎす – see the following entry.
【杜鵑草】
the toad lily, Tricyrtis hirta
Alternative spellings
時鳥草, 油点草, ホトトギス
(This term, ほととぎす (hototogisu), is the hiragana spelling of the above term.)
For a list of all kanji read as ほととぎす, see Category:Japanese kanji read as ほととぎす.)

References

  1. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  2. ^ Haruo Shirane (1998) Traces of Dreams: Landscape, Cultural Memory, and the Poetry of Bashō, illustrated edition, Stanford University Press, →ISBN, page 208

Old Japanese

Etymology

From ほととぎ (poto2to2gi1, onomatopoeic imitation of the bird's cry) +‎ す (-su, suffix representing birds).

Noun

ほととぎす (poto2to2gi1su)

  1. the lesser cuckoo, Cuculus poliocephalus
    • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 17, poem 3914:
      保登等芸須　今之来鳴者　餘呂豆代爾　可多理都具倍久　所念可母
      poto₂to₂gi₁su IMAsi KI₁NAKABA yo₂ro₂duyo₂ ni kataritugube₂ku OMOPOYUkamo
      If the cuckoo came and cried right now, I think it needs to go down throughout generations!
  2. (poetic) allusion to 飛幡 (To1bata, a placename)
    • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 12, poem 3165:
      , text here
      霍公鳥飛幡之浦爾敷浪乃屢君乎將見因毛鴨
      poto2to2gi1su To1bata-no2-ura ni siku nami1 no2 sikusiku ki1mi1 wo mi1mu yo2si moga mo
      (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Japanese: ほととぎす (hototogisu)
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