み

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み U+307F, み
HIRAGANA LETTER MI
← ま
 		Hiragana む →

Japanese

Stroke order
2 strokes

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Derived in the Heian period from writing the man'yōgana kanji 美 in the cursive sōsho style.

Syllable

み • (mi) 

  1. The hiragana syllable み (mi). Its equivalent in katakana is ミ (mi). It is the thirty-second syllable in the gojūon order; its position is ま行い段 (ma-gyō i-dan, “row ma, section i”).
See also

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of み – see the following entries.
【未】4
un-; in- (not yet)
the Sheep, the eighth of the twelve Earthly Branches
【味】3
flavor, taste
tasting, savoring
taste, savor
Alternative spelling of 身 (mi): body part
a flavour (UK)/flavor (US), taste
counter for kinds of food, drink, medicine, etc.
【弥】S
Used in transliterations.
【魅】S
charm; fascination
【眉】S
eyebrow
【美】3
beauty; beautiful
suffix used by female given names, such as 奈美 (なみ, Nami), 恵美 (えみ, Emi; めぐみ, Megumi), 宏美 (ひろみ, Hiromi)
(rare) suffix used by male given names
【微】S
tiny; small; minute
(This term, み (mi), is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.)
For a list of all kanji read as み, see Category:Japanese kanji read as み.)

Etymology 3

For pronunciation and definitions of み – see the following entries.
【身】3
a body; (by extension):
the main part of something
the blade of a sword (as opposed to the handle)
meat, flesh (as opposed to skin and bone)
wood (as opposed to the bark)
oneself
one's position, one's social standing, one's circumstances
【実】3
fruit (a product of fertilization in a plant)
seed
ingredients of soup (meat or vegetables)
(figurative) contents; substance; essence
(figurative) good result (Can we verify(+) this sense?)
Alternative spelling
子
【三】1
three
【御】S
(honorific, archaic) added to gods and other spiritually important things
(honorific, archaic) added to nouns to indicate godlike respect
(honorific, archaic) added to placenames to emphasize beauty
【神】3
(rare) a god or spirit
Alternative spelling
霊
【見】1
seeing, looking
the look or appearance of something
a view, as of a landscape
stem or continuative form of 見る (miru)
【箕】J
a winnow; a winnowing basket
【巳】J
the Snake, the sixth of the twelve Earthly Branches (by extension):
a year corresponding to the year of the Snake
south-southeast: a direction pointed thirty degrees from south to east
10 am
April
(This term, み (mi), is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.)
For a list of all kanji read as み, see Category:Japanese kanji read as み.)

(The following entries are uncreated: 深, 霊.)

Etymology 4

From Old Japanese. ⟨mi1⟩ → /mi/.

Further derivation unclear. Theories include:[1]

  • Might be a suffix all on its own.
  • Might be a particle.
  • Might be the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of an auxiliary, also seen in adjective verbalizations such as 悲しむ, 楽しむ, or 痛む.

If derived from an auxiliary, this may be the suppositional / presumptive auxiliary む (mu). Possibly related to 目 (me, “eye”), 見る (miru, “to see”); compare English look like as used to describe the quality of something.

Suffix

み • (-mi) 

  1. 味: (after an i-adjective stem) -ness; used for subjective "quality" of being, as opposed to suffix さ (sa), also translated as -ness, used for objective "degree" of being
    暖(あたた)かみ、厚(あつ)み、面(おも)白(しろ)み
    atatakami, atsumi, omoshiromi
    warmth, thickness, interest
  2. (Internet slang) (after other types of words as well) -ness[2][3]
    外国(がいこく)みがある
    gaikoku-mi ga aru
    has a foreign country-ish vibe
  3. (after an i-adjective stem) place
    高(たか)み、明(あか)るみ、深(ふか)み
    takami, akarumi, fukami
    high place, bright place, deep place
Usage notes

Sense 1 is sometimes confused or conflated with Sino-Japanese 味 (mi, “taste, flavor”), hence the ateji spelling.

See also

Etymology 5

From Old Japanese. ⟨mi1⟩ → /mi/.

Considered to be from the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of 見る (miru, “to try, to attempt”).[4]

Suffix

み • (-mi) 

  1. (after verbs with opposite meanings in the ren'yōkei continuative or -zu negative continuative) indicates alternation of action or state, equivalent to the modern expression …たり…たり (…tari …tari)
    降(ふ)りみ降(ふ)らずみ
    furimi furazumi
    sometimes raining and sometimes not raining → raining on and off
    照(て)りみ曇(くも)りみ
    terimi kumorimi
    sometimes shiny and sometimes cloudy

Etymology 6

Old Japanese. ⟨mi1⟩ → /mi/. Only used in waka since Early Middle Japanese.[5]

Suffix

み • (-mi) 

  1. (obsolete, after an i-adjective stem) as, because; forming an adverbial clause: being
    山(やま)を高(たか)み
    yama o takami
    as/because the mountain is high; the mountain being high
  2. (obsolete, after an i-adjective stem) Expresses thinking or feeling, followed by verbs like 思ふ and す.

Etymology 7

From みろ. Compare くれ, imperative of くれる.

Verb

み • (mi) 

  1. (colloquial) imperative of みる (“try”)

References

  1. ^ “み”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
  2. ^ 依田 綾乃 (2016) “ツイッターに用いられる「-み」の用法”, in 信大国語教育‎
  3. ^ 宇野 和 (2018) “Twitterで見られる名詞に後接する接尾辞ミ : 「ぽさ」「らしさ」と比較して [A Study of the Suffix “mi” Connected with Nouns Often Used on Twitter : Comparing “posa” and “rashisa”]”, in 人間文化創成科学論叢‎
  4. ^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  5. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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