彼処

Japanese

Etymology 1

From Old Japanese. Appears to be a compound of 彼 (a, “that one over there”, distal marker, indicating something distant from both speaker and listener) +‎ し (shi, possibly the directional marker found in terms such as 昔 (mukashi, “ancient times”), 縦し (tatashi, “the standing or vertical direction”), 横し (yokoshi, “the sideways or horizontal direction”)) +‎ 処 (ko, “place”). May be the older form of modern asoko below.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) あしこ (Heiban – )
• IPA^(key):

Pronoun

彼(あし)処(こ) • (ashiko) 

1. (obsolete) yon place, that place yonder, that place over there, that area over there, that part over there
   • c. 1001–1014, Murasaki Shikibu, Genji Monogatari (Wakana, part 1)

     彼処(あしこ)に籠(こも)りなむのち

     ashiko ni komorinamu nochi

     ...after hiding there...

See also

Etymology 2

Etymology 3

Appears to be a compound of 彼 (a, “that one over there”, distal marker, indicating something distant from both speaker and listener) +‎ 処 (ko, “place”). First appears in the late 1500s, early 1600s, and used mostly in the Kansai region. Given the historical tendency for innovation in the Kansai region, the term may instead derive as an abbreviation of asoko above, by analogy with the -ko suffix in ここ (koko, “here”) and そこ (soko, “there”, closer to the listener than to the speaker).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) あ​こ (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Pronoun

彼(あ)処(こ) • (ako) 

1. (dialectal) yon place, that place yonder, that place over there, that area over there, that part over there

Usage notes

Generally only used in the Kansai region.

Etymology 4

Either a shift in pronunciation from asoko, or from ashiko.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) あすこ (Heiban – )
• IPA^(key):

Pronoun

彼(あす)処(こ) • (asuko) 

1. (rare, dialect, Hakata) yon place, that place yonder, that place over there, that area over there, that part over there

Etymology 5

Compound of 彼 (ka, “that one over there”, distal marker, indicating something distant from both speaker and listener) +‎ 処 (ko, “place”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Pronoun

彼(か)処(こ) • (kako) 

1. (rare, obsolete) yon place, that place yonder, that place over there, that area over there, that part over there
   • 1483, 地蔵菩薩霊験絵詞 (Jizō Bosatsu Reigen Eshi, “Jizō Bodhisattva Miracle Picture-scroll”)

     彼処(かこ)を退(そ)き去(さ)る也(なり)

     kako o sokisaru nari

     ... left that place...

Etymology 6

Appears to be a compound of 彼 (ka, “that one over there”, distal marker, indicating something distant from both speaker and listener) +‎ し (shi, possibly the directional marker found in terms such as 昔 (mukashi, “ancient times”), 縦し (tatashi, “the standing or vertical direction”), 横し (yokoshi, “the sideways or horizontal direction”)) +‎ 処 (ko, “place”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) か​しこ (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Pronoun

彼(かし)処(こ) • (kashiko) 

1. (rare) yon place, that place yonder, that place over there, that area over there, that part over there
2. (rare) that aforementioned place

See also

References