言葉

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
こと
Grade: 2
は > ば
Grade: 3
(ateji)
kun’yomi
Alternative spellings

Etymology

From Old Japanese 言葉 (ko2to2ba), attestable since at least the Man'yōshū of 759 CE. In turn, reconstructed as deriving from Proto-Japonic *kətənpa.

Compound of (koto, word) +‎ (ha, edge; beginning, end). The ha changes to ba as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

The term (koto) was formerly the main term for word in Japanese. This term is also cognate with (koto, thing, fact, event). The ha may have been added to differentiate from (koto).

The spelling is an example of ateji (当て字).

Pronunciation

Noun

(こと)() (kotoba

  1. a word, a term
  2. language, speech

Usage notes

  • The alternative forms are used almost exclusively in compounds.

Synonyms

Derived terms

See also

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 言葉・詞・辞”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, Nihon Kokugo Daijiten) (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
  2. 2.0 2.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  4. ^ 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), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN
  • 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.
  • Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
  • 2002, Yasuo Kitahara, 明鏡国語辞典 (Meikyō Kokugo Jiten), First Edition (in Japanese), Tokyo: Taishūkan Shoten, →ISBN

Okinawan

Etymology

Kanji in this term
くとぅ
Grade: 2
は > ば
Grade: 3
Alternative spellings


From Proto-Ryukyuan *kotoba, from Proto-Japonic *kətənpa. Cognate with Japanese 言葉 (kotoba).

Pronunciation

Noun

(くとぅ)() (kutuba

  1. language; speech; lingo; dialect; way of speaking
  2. word; words; idiom; expression

References