𛀁

𛀁 U+1B001, 𛀁 HIRAGANA LETTER ARCHAIC YE (Corrected: HENTAIGANA LETTER E-1) ← 𛀀 Kana Supplement 𛀂 →

Japanese

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や行え

Wikipedia ^ja

Etymology 1

From cursive man'yōgana 江. Became obsolete for representing ye in the mid-Heian period when ye merged with e in spoken Japanese; later resurrected by linguists in the late Edo period or Meiji period for representation of Old and Early Classical Japanese.

Syllable

𛀁 (romaji ye, alternative romaji e)

1. (obsolete) The hentaigana syllable ye or e.

   燃(も)𛀁る ― moeru ― to burn, etymologically from classical 燃(も)ゆ (moyu)

2. (obsolete) The hiragana syllable 𛀁 (ye). Its equivalent in katakana is エ (ye) or 𛄡 (𛄡) (ye).

Usage notes

• 𛀁 and 𛀀 are used to represent the Japanese language before the mid-10th century, in which /e/ and /je/ were different phonemes.

	/e/	/je/
hiragana	え	𛀁
katakana	𛀀	エ

In modern Japanese, old /e/ and /je/ both evolved into /e/, and are both written as え in hiragana and エ in katakana. Later reintroduction of the sound /je/ is written as いぇ in hiragana and イェ in katakana. Retrospective discussion of /je/ in Old and Early Classical Japanese (prior to the mid-Heian period merger with /e/) uses 𛀁 in hiragana and 𛄡 in katakana (the latter invented for this purpose during the Meiji period to prevent confusion with the modern use of エ to represent /e/ rather than its ancient sound value of /je/).

• 𛀁 was used historically as a hentaigana character, as an alternative form of え (e).

Etymology 2

Particle

𛀁 • (ye) 

1. (obsolete) Identical in meaning to the particle へ, but used only after pronunciations of え, 𛀁, and ゑ. (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)

See also

Old Japanese

Etymology 1

Native readings.

Noun

𛀁 (ye)

1. 兄: eldest or oldest sibling
2. 江: inlet

Etymology 2

Suffix

𛀁 (-ye)

1. irrealis of ゆ (yu, spontaneous / passive / potential auxiliary)
2. continuative of ゆ (yu, spontaneous / passive / potential auxiliary)