わ

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See also: わ゙ and ゎ

わ U+308F, わ
HIRAGANA LETTER WA
← ゎ
 		Hiragana ゐ →

Japanese

Stroke order
2 strokes

Etymology 1

Derived in the Heian period from writing the man'yōgana kanji 和 in the cursive sōsho style.

Pronunciation

Syllable

わ • (wa) 

  1. The hiragana syllable わ (wa). Its equivalent in katakana is ワ (wa). It is the forty-fourth syllable in the gojūon order; its position is わ行あ段 (wa-gyō a-dan, “row wa, section a”).
See also

Etymology 2

From Old Japanese.

Pronunciation

(women's particle):

(dialectal particle):

Particle

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Wikipedia

わ • (wa) 

  1. (women's speech, dated) a particle used in the end of sentences to indicate admiration or emotion
    あなたの髪(かみ)は長(なが)いわね！
    Anata no kami wa nagai wa ne!
    Wow, your hair is so long!
    今(いま)、行(い)くわ。
    Ima, iku wa.
    I'm coming.
    知(し)らないわ。
    Shiranai wa.
    I don't know.
  2. (dialectal or men's speech) a particle used in the end of sentences to indicate emphasis
    何(なに)言(い)ってんのか解(わか)んねえわ。
    Nani itten no ka wakannē wa.
    I've no idea what he's saying.
Usage notes
  • (Sense 1) In standard Japanese, this particle is mainly used by women, although its usage is almost extinct among younger generations.
  • (Sense 2) In various dialects, particularly western, it is used by both men and women, but with a different pitch accent.

Etymology 3

Reading for various kanji.

For pronunciation and definitions of わ – see the following entries.
【羽は】2
counter for birds
counter for leporids
Alternative spellings
ば, ぱ
【話】2
Counter for stories.
Counter for episodes of TV shows.
【回】2
(obsolete) a bend (of an area)
Alternative spelling
曲
【輪】4
ring; circle
(by extension) linked network
【環】S
a ring or circle shape (such as a ring for a finger, or Saturn's rings)
a hoop (such as for a barrel)
a wheel (as of a vehicle)
Alternative spelling
輪
【和】3
peace, harmony, tranquillity, serenity.
(mathematics) sum
Japan, Japanese, Nippo-
【倭】J
ancient Japan
(This term, わ (wa), is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.)
For a list of all kanji read as わ, see Category:Japanese kanji read as わ.)

(The following entries are uncreated: 把, 曲.)

Etymology 4

For pronunciation and definitions of わ – see the following entry.
【我】6
(obsolete or dialect) first-person personal pronoun: I, me
Alternative spelling
吾
(This term, わ (wa), is the hiragana spelling of the above term.)
For a list of all kanji read as わ, see Category:Japanese kanji read as わ.)

References

Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia