上様

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Japanese

 Japanese honorifics on Wikipedia


Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
あがり
Grade: 1
さま
Grade: 3
kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
上樣 (kyūjitai)
For pronunciation and definitions of 上様 – see the following entry: 上がり様

(The following entry is uncreated: 上がり様.)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
あげ
Grade: 1
さま
Grade: 3
kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
上樣 (kyūjitai)
For pronunciation and definitions of 上様 – see the following entry: 上げ様

(The following entry is uncreated: 上げ様.)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
うえ
Grade: 1
さま
Grade: 3
kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
上樣 (kyūjitai)
Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia ja

Compound of (ue, up, above) +‎ (-sama, honorific suffix).[1][2]

Cited to texts from the late 1300s.[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

(うえ)(さま) (uesamaうへさま (ufesama)?

  1. (honorific, address) form of address or reference for an emperor, shogun, or other individual of high social status: noble superior, Majesty, Highness, lordship
    • 2006 November 7, Hideaki Sorachi, “(だい)(ひゃく)()(じゅう)(はち)(くん) (うん)()(ぶん)(かん)(けい)ない [Lesson 128: Luck Has Nothing to Do with Social Status]”, in (ぎん)(たま) [Silver Soul], volume 15 (fiction), Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN:
      (ぎん)サン (いま)(うえ)(さま)ってきこえませんでした
      …Gin-san ima…Ue-sama tte kikoemasen deshita
      …Gin-san, just now… I think I heard him say Ue-sama
      きこえたな…いや でもまさか ねェ (いま) (うえ)(さま)って…
      Kikoeta na…Iya demo masaka Nē ima Ue-sama tte…
      I heard it too… But it can’t be. Hey, did he just say Ue-sama
      んなわけないでしょ どうして (てん)()(しょう)(ぐん)(さま)が こんなキャバクラに()るの さぁ どうぞ(うえ)(さま)こちらですぅ
      Nna wakenai desho Dōshite tenka no shōgun-sama ga konna kyabakura ni kuruno Sā dōzo Ue-sama kochira desū
      No way. Why would the shōgun ever come to this cabaret? Ue-sama, please come this way
      いや (いま) お(まえ)(うえ)(さま)って()ったろ
      Iya ima omae mo Ue-sama tte ittaro
      But you just said Ue-sama, too
      (うえ)(さま)なんてよくある()(まえ)アル (りょう)(しゅう)(しょ)なんてほとんど(うえ)(さま)
      Ue-sama nante yoku aru namae aru Ryōshūsho nante hotondo Ue-sama ne
      Ue-sama is a common name, eh? Most receipts are addressed to Ue-sama
      いや でも
      Iya demo
      Yeah, but
      (うえ)(すぎ)さんとかきき()(ちが)えたのではないか
      Uesugi-san toka kiki machigaeta no de wa nai ka
      Maybe you misheard it for Uesugi-san or something?
  2. (honorific, address) form of address or reference in formal correspondence: sir or madam; or in documentation, such as a receipt: valued customer (also encountered with the reading jōsama)
    • 2005 December 7, Hideaki Sorachi, “(だい)(はち)(じゅう)(いち)(くん) (せん)(ぷう)()つけっぱなしで()ちゃうとお(おか)こわしちゃうから()()けて [Lesson 81: Be Careful When Sleeping with the Fan on or You’ll Get a Stomachache]”, in (ぎん)(たま) [Silver Soul], volume 15 (fiction), Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN:
      ()(きゅう)(ぼう)(えい)(ぐん)より
      (うえ)(さま)
      Chikyū Bōeigun yori
      Ue-sama e
      From the Earth Defense Force
      Dear Sir or Madam

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
うえ
Grade: 1
さま > ざま
Grade: 3
kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
上樣 (kyūjitai)

Compound of (ue, up, above) +‎ (-sama, state, condition, way).[1][2] The sama changes to zama as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Cited to the 宇治拾遺物語 (Uji Shūi Monogatari) of the 1200s.[2]

Pronunciation

Noun

(うえ)(ざま) (uezamaうへざま (ufezama)?

  1. (archaic, possibly obsolete) up, the upward direction
    Synonyms: (ue), (ue no hō)
    Antonyms: (shita), (shita no hō)

Etymology 5

Kanji in this term
かみ
Grade: 1
さま
Grade: 3
kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
上樣 (kyūjitai)
Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia ja

Compound of (kami, upper, above) +‎ (-sama, honorific suffix).[1][2]

Cited to the 義経記 (Gikeiki) of roughly the mid-1300s.[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

(かみ)(さま) (kamisama

  1. (archaic, possibly obsolete)
  2. (honorific, address) form of address or reference for the wife of a daimyo, lord, or other individual of high social status: honored superior, milady
    Synonym: 奥方 (okukgata)
  3. (honorific, address) during the Edo period, form of address or reference for a widow or elderly mother of a household of good social standing
    Synonym: (widow, dowager) 後室様 (kōshitsu-sama)
  4. (honorific, address) during the Edo period, form of address or reference used by townsfolk for someone else's wife or mother
    Synonym: おかみさん (o-kami-san)
Usage notes

Not to be confused with 神様 (Kami-sama, God).

Etymology 6

Kanji in this term
かみ
Grade: 1
さま > ざま
Grade: 3
kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
上樣 (kyūjitai)

Compound of (kami, upper, above) +‎ (-sama, state, condition, way).[1][2] The sama changes to zama as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Cited to 枕草子 (The Pillow Book) of roughly 1000 CE.[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

(かみ)(ざま) (kamizama

  1. (archaic, possibly obsolete) up, the upward direction
    Synonyms: (ue), (ue no hō)
    Antonyms: 下様 (shimozama), (shita), (shita no hō)
Derived terms

Etymology 7

Kanji in this term
じょう
Grade: 1
さま
Grade: 3
goon kun'yomi
Alternative spelling
上樣 (kyūjitai)
Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia ja

Compound of (, top-class, the best) +‎ (sama, honorific suffix).[1][2]

Likely a shift from uesama, replacing the 訓読み (kun'yomi) of ue with the 音読み (on'yomi) of . Possibly influenced by homophone 嬢様 (jōsama, princess, honorific term of reference for someone else's daughter).

Pronunciation

Noun

(じょう)(さま) (jōsamaじやうさま (zyausama)?

  1. (honorific, address) form of address or reference in formal correspondence: dear sir or madam; or in documentation, such as a receipt: valued customer (also encountered with the reading uesama)

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. 3.0 3.1 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
  4. 4.0 4.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN