一人

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Chinese

one; single; a
one; single; a; (before verbs) as soon as, once; (before a noun) entire (family, etc.)
 
man; person; people
simp. and trad.
(一人)

Pronunciation


Noun

一人

  1. a person; one person; someone
    並非一人能夠定乾坤 [MSC, trad.]
    并非一人能够定乾坤 [MSC, simp.]
    Zhè jiàn shì bìngfēi nǐ yīrén zhī lì nénggòu dìng qiánkūn de.
    This course of events cannot be determined by you alone.
  2. (historical) emperor

Adverb

一人

  1. by one person; alone
  2. one person each
    一人一個一人一个  ―  yīrén yīge  ―  one each (literally, “one for each person”)
    一人 [Cantonese, trad.]
    一人 [Cantonese, simp.]
    nei5 loeng5 go3 jat1 jan4 siu2 geoi3 laa1!
    You two, stop quarrelling! (literally, “You two, each speak a sentence less!”)

Synonyms

Derived terms

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (一人):
  • Japanese: 一人(いちにん) (ichinin)

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
ひと
Grade: 1

Grade: 1
kun'yomi
Alternative spellings
独り
1人

From Old Japanese.

Derived from (hito, one, 1) +‎ (-ri, counter for persons).

Compare Old Japanese 一人 (pi1dari → hidari).

Pronunciation

Noun

(ひと)() (hitori

  1. one person
    一人(ひとり)()らすhitori de kurasuto live by oneself (without companions)
    一人(ひとり)カラオケヒトカラhitori karaoke/hitokaraone-man karaoke session
    一人(ひとり)時間(じかん)()(ひと)hitori no jikan ga suki na hitoperson who likes their alone time
  2. singleness, singularity
    Synonym: 単独 (tandoku)
  3. one's own efforts or strengths
    Synonyms: 自力 (jiriki), 独力 (dokuryoku)
  4. an unmarried person, single
    Synonym: 独身 (dokushin)
Usage notes
  • Like 二人 (futari), despite its etymology, furigana notations for this word tend not to use mono-ruby by attaching kana to each kanji ((ひと)()), but group-ruby by attaching all the kana to all the kanji as a whole (一人(ひとり)).
Derived terms
Idioms
Proverbs
See also
Japanese number-counter combinations for
1 2 3 4 5
(ひと)() (hitori)
(いち)(にん) (ichinin)
(ふた)() (futari)
()(にん) (ninin)
(さん)(にん) (sannin)
()(たり) (mitari)
()(にん) (yonin)
()(たり) (yotari)
(よっ)(たり) (yottari)
()(にん) (gonin)
(いつ)(たり) (itsutari)
6 7 8 9 10
(ろく)(にん) (rokunin)
()(たり) (mutari)
(むゆ)(たり) (muyutari)
(しち)(にん) (shichinin)
(なな)(にん) (nananin)
(なな)(たり) (nanatari)
(はち)(にん) (hachinin)
()(たり) (yatari)
()(にん) (kunin)
(きゅう)(にん) (kyūnin)
(ここの)(たり) (kokonotari)
(じゅう)(にん) (jūnin)
()(たり) (totari)
20 100 1,000 10,000 How many?
()(じゅう)(にん) (nijūnin)
廿(にじゅう)(にん) (nijūnin)
二十(はた)(たり) (hatatari)
廿(はた)(たり) (hatatari)
(ひゃく)(にん) (hyakunin)
(もも)(たり) (momotari)
(せん)(にん) (sennin)
()(たり) (chitari)
(いち)(まん)(にん) (ichimannin)
(まん)(にん) (mannin)
(ばん)(にん) (bannin)
(なん)(にん) (nannin)
(いく)(にん) (ikunin)
(いく)(たり) (ikutari)

Adverb

(ひと)() (hitori

  1. solely
    Synonym: 単独 (tandoku de)
  2. only, simply
    Synonyms: ただ (tada), ただ単に (tada tan ni), 単に (tan ni)
  3. alone, automatically, by itself, naturally
    Synonyms: 自然に (jinen ni), 独りでに (hitoride ni)

Proper noun

(ひと)() (Hitori

  1. a female given name

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
いち
Grade: 1
にん
Grade: 1
goon
Alternative spelling
1人

From Middle Chinese 一人 (MC 'jit nyin).

Pronunciation

Noun

(いち)(にん) (ichinin

  1. one person
  2. the first or top person in a particular place or field
  3. Synonym of 右大臣 (udaijin): a minister of the right in the imperial Council of State
Derived terms
Idioms
Proverbs
See also

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
いち
Grade: 1
じん
Grade: 1
goon kan'on

Compound of Middle Chinese elements (ichi, one, 1, goon reading) +‎ (jin, person, kan'on reading).

Pronunciation

Noun

(いち)(じん) (ichijin

  1. a ruler with a heavenly mandate, especially the Emperor of Japan
    Synonyms: 上一人 (kami ichinin), 上御一人 (kami go-ichinin), 天子 (tenshi), 天皇 (tennō)
Derived terms

Etymology 4

Various nanori readings.

Proper noun

一人(かずと) or 一人(かずひと) or 一人(かずんど) or 一人(くにひと) (Kazuto or Kazuhito or Kazundo or Kunihito

  1. a male given name

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  2. ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

Korean

Hanja in this term

Noun

一人 (irin) (hangeul 일인)

  1. hanja form? of 일인 (one person)

Old Japanese

Alternative forms

Etymology 1

From (pi1to2, one, 1) +‎ (-ri, counter for persons).

Noun

一人 (pi1to2ri) (kana ひとり)

  1. one person
    • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 5, poem 818:
      , text here
      波流佐禮婆麻豆佐久耶登能烏梅能波奈比等利美都都夜波流比久良佐武
      paru sareba madu saku yado1 no2 ume2 no2 pana pi1to2ri mi1tutu ya parupi1 kurasamu
      When spring comes and the first plums bloom in your garden, could you spend the long spring days looking on them by yourself?[1]
  2. an unmarried person, single
    • 711–712, Kojiki, poem 65:
      夜多能比登母登須宜比登理袁理登母意富岐彌斯與斯登岐許佐婆比登理袁理登母
      Yata no2 pi1to2mo2to2 suge2 pa pi1to2ri wori to2 mo2 opoki1mi1 si yo2si to2 ki1ko2saba pi1to2ri wori to2 mo2
      Though like the single stalk of Yata sedge, I remain alone, if Your Majesty agrees, It will not matter that I remain alone.[2]
Derived terms
Descendants
See also

Etymology 2

Two possible derivations:

  • From (pi1-, short form of pi1to2, “one, 1) +‎ (-tari, counter for persons). However, pi1- was never attested as a short form of pi1to2 until the Middle Japanese stage.
  • Alternatively, a shift from (pi1to2, one, 1) +‎ (-tari, counter for persons):
    ⟨pi1to2 tari⟩ → */pʲit̚tari/⟨pi1dari⟩

Given the shift of -ta to -da due to rendaku (連濁), the second derivation seems likely.

Noun

一人 (pi1dari) (kana ひだり)

  1. (rare, possibly regional, Eastern Old Japanese) one person
    • 720, Nihon Shoki, poem 11:
      愛瀰詩毗儾利毛毛那比苔比苔破易陪廼毛多牟伽毗毛勢儒
      Emi1si wo pi1dari momo na pi1to2 pi1to2 pa ipe2do2 mo tamukapi1 mo sezu
      A single Emishi is worth a hundred men, so they say, yet they did not resist.

References

  1. ^ Paula Doe, Yakamochi Ōtomo (1982) A Warbler's Song in the Dusk: The Life and Work of Ōtomo Yakamochi (718-785), illustrated edition, University of California Press, →ISBN, page 31
  2. ^ Jin'ichi Konishi (2017) Nicholas Teele, transl., Earl Roy Miner, editor, A History of Japanese Literature, Volume 1: The Archaic and Ancient Ages (Princeton Legacy Library), Princeton University Press, →ISBN, page 145