やなぎ
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Japanese
Etymology
| Alternative spellings |
|---|
| 柳 楊 楊柳 |
From Old Japanese. Cognate with Kunigami 柳 (yanāji), Miyako 柳 (yanagzï), Okinawan 柳 (yanaji) (likely all early borrowings from Middle Japanese).
The ultimate derivation is uncertain, with several theories presented in reference works. Some of the main theories:
- Appears to be derived from a compound, possibly 矢 (ya, “arrow”) + な (na, Old Japanese apophonic form of possessive particle の (no)) + 木 (ki, “tree”).[1] The ki changes to gi as an instance of rendaku (連濁).
- Alternatively, the ya might be from the 字音 (jion, “character reading”) of Middle Chinese 楊 (MC yang, “willow”) + Japanese 木 (ki, “tree”).[1]
Considering the existence of synonymous form やぎ (yagi) that appears in certain compounds, the medial na element is likely the particle.
First cited to roughly 759 CE, in the Man'yōshū collection of poetry with the phonetic Man'yōgana spelling 也奈宜.[1]
Pronunciation
Noun
- 柳, 楊, 楊柳: a willow tree
- 柳, 楊柳: a style of 襲の色目 (kasane no irome, “color combination by layering of garments”), with white on the front and greenish-blue (or yellowish-green) on the back
- 柳, 楊柳: Short for 柳色 (yanagi-iro): a dark yellow-green color, as from a willow leaf
- 柳: (card games) a suit in 花札 (hanafuda), representing the month of November
Usage notes
- As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as ヤナギ.
- In some compounds, yanagi becomes yagi. See that entry for fuller details: やぎ.
Derived terms
Derived terms
Proverbs
- 柳は緑花は紅 (yanagi wa midori hana wa kurenai, “willows are green, flowers are red”)