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ゴミ. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
ゴミ, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
ゴミ in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
ゴミ you have here. The definition of the word
ゴミ will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
ゴミ, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Japanese
Etymology
Uncertain. Nihon Kokugo Daijiten cites numerous theories from earlier dictionaries.[1] These include:
- Shortened from チリゴミ (chirigomi “dispersed in; scattered upon”); see 散る (chiru), 込む (komu)
- From コミ (komi “flooding”), perhaps from waste dispersed in flood waters
- Shortened from コヅミ (kozumi “stacks; that which accumulates”); see 積 (tsumu)
- From クヅツミ(屑積) (kuzutsumi “waste”); see 屑 (kuzu)
- From ゴ (go), a regionalism meaning “pine needles”
Other authors note that go is used for “leaves” as well as “pine needles” in various regions of Japan.[2]
Pronunciation
Noun
ゴミ or ごみ • (gomi)
- trash, rubbish, garbage
- Synonyms: あくた (akuta), 塵芥 (jinkai), 塵 (chiri)
-
- 見ろ！人がゴミのようだ！
- Miro! Hito ga gomi no yō da!
- Look! The people look just like garbage!
Usage notes
In a survey conducted by the Agency of Cultural Affairs in 2019, respondents were asked whether they preferred writing ゴミを捨てる or ごみを捨てる (“throw out trash”). 73.0% of respondents said they preferred the spelling ゴミ while 20.8% preferred ごみ.[3]
References
- ^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
- ^ “Gomi”, in Gogen yurai jiten , 2024 March 1 (last accessed)
- ^ “平成30年度「国語に関する世論調査」の結果の概要”, in Agency for Cultural Affairs, 2022 May 16 (last accessed)