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おっぱい. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
おっぱい, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
おっぱい in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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Japanese
Etymology
Generally agreed upon as originating from baby talk.
Derivation unclear. Possibilities include:
- A shift from ををうまい (wo wo umai, literally “huh huh delicious”), as something a baby might think while breastfeeding.
- /wo wo umai/ → /o o umai/ → /oːmai/ → /opːai/
- While suggestive, the phonetic changes required seem unlikely. Moreover, the pitch accent differs, in that うまい (umai) has a high pitch on the ma followed by a downstep, while おっぱい (oppai) has a high pitch on the initial o followed by a downstep.
- A shift from 一杯 (ippai, “one serving, one cupful; full”), as something a baby might say when done breastfeeding, or when asking to do so.
- /ipːai/ → /opːai/
- This seems more likely, as the phonetics align better: only one vowel changes, and the pitch accent in ippai is similar with a high pitch on the initial i followed by a downstep.
Pronunciation
Noun
おっぱい or オッパイ • (oppai)
- (childish) milk, breastmilk (liquid)
- Synonyms: 乳 (chi, chichi), (adult word for breastmilk) 母乳 (bonyū)
- おっぱいが出るようになる
- oppai ga deru yō ni naru
- to become able to produce milk
2018 April 13, “Oppai no nomikata, Itsutsu no kuse ga wakareba, junyū ga raku ni naru ”, in Benesse, archived from the original on 6 February 2019:
- もっとも気になることが「授乳！」というママも多く、おっぱいを上手に飲ませることができない、おっぱいをなかなか飲んでくれない…という悩みも。
- Mottomo ki ni naru koto ga “junyū!” to iu mama mo ōku, oppai o jōzu ni nomaseru koto ga dekinai, oppai o nakanaka nonde kurenai… to iu nayami mo.
- Many mothers say their biggest worry is ‘nursing!’, being unable to give breastmilk well, baby won't take much milk... worries like that.
2023 July 21, Kawai Emi, “Shinseiji no junyū no shikata no kotsu wa? Tadashii junyū shisei to idakikata, jikan ya kaisū ni tsuite ”, in Mama no ko, archived from the original on 22 February 2024:
- 生まれたばかりの赤ちゃんはおっぱいを飲むことに慣れておらず、1回の哺乳量も少ないため、1日に何度も授乳をしなければなりません。
- Umareta bakari no akachan wa oppai o nomu koto ni nareteorazu, ikkai no honyū ryō mo sukunai tame, ichinichi ni nando mo junyū o shinakerebanarimasen.
- Newborn babies are not used to taking breastmilk, and they drink a small amount in one feeding, so they must be nursed several times each day.
- (anatomy, childish) boobies, titties (breasts)
- Synonyms: パイオツ (paiotsu), 乳 (chi, chichi), 乳袋 (chibukuro), 乳房 (chibusa), (more general meaning of chest) 胸 (mune)
-
- キャサリーン！オッパイ 大きくなれよぉー！
- Kyasarīn! Oppai ōkiku nare yōo!
- Katharine! Your boobs! Grow them bigger, okay!?
-
- 八ツ橋のやわらかさは小学生のおっぱいと同じ… まじかよ 京都人ってど変態だな…
- Yatsuhashi no yawarakasa wa shōgakusei no oppai to onaji… maji ka yo Kyōto-jin tte do-hentai da na…
- Yatsuhashi are as soft as the tits of an elementary schooler… You serious? Kyoto must be seriously perverted…
Derived terms
Descendants
References
- ^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
- ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
- ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
Further reading