Japanese edit

Kanji in this term
さまよ
Hyōgaiji Hyōgaiji
jukujikun
Alternative spellings
さ迷う
徘徊う (rare)

Etymology edit

From Old Japanese. First attested in the Nihon Shoki of 720.[1]

Possibly a compound of (sa, emphatic or beautification prefix) +‎ 迷う (mayou, to be lost, to stray; to be uncertain).[1] Compare () (sanu), さまねし (samaneshi).

Alternatively, might be a compound of (sama, direction) +‎ よう (you, of uncertain meaning, possibly “to be unsettled”; seen as the latter element in verbs 漂う (tadayou, to float about, to drift) or 猶予う (izayou, to hesitate)).[2]

One source suggests cognacy with now-obsolete verb 吟う呻吟う (samayou, to wail in sadness);[3] however, the semantics are difficult to reconcile.

The kanji are jukujikun (熟字訓), from Literary Chinese 彷徨 (pánghuáng).

Pronunciation edit

  • Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of "彷徨う"
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Stem forms
Terminal (終止形)
Attributive (連体形)
彷徨う まよ [sàmáyóꜜù]
Imperative (命令形) 彷徨え まよ [sàmáyóꜜè]
Key constructions
Passive 彷徨われる まよわれ [sàmáyówáréꜜrù]
Causative 彷徨わせる まよわせ [sàmáyówáséꜜrù]
Potential 彷徨える まよえ [sàmáyóéꜜrù]
Volitional 彷徨おう まよお [sàmáyóóꜜò]
Negative 彷徨わない まよわない [sàmáyówáꜜnàì]
Negative perfective 彷徨わなかった まよわなかった [sàmáyówáꜜnàkàttà]
Formal 彷徨います まよいま [sàmáyóímáꜜsù]
Perfective 彷徨った まよった [sàmáyóꜜttà]
Conjunctive 彷徨って まよって [sàmáyóꜜttè]
Hypothetical conditional 彷徨えば まよえば [sàmáyóꜜèbà]

Verb edit

彷徨(さまよ) (samayouさまよふ (samayofu)?intransitive godan (stem 彷徨(さまよ) (samayoi), past 彷徨(さまよ)った (samayotta))

  1. [from 720] to wander
    • 2007, 新時代日漢辭典新时代日汉辞典 (Xīn Shídài Rì-hàn Cídiǎn), 1st edition, 大新書局大新书局 (Dàxīn Shūjú), →ISBN:
      (まち)から(まち)あても()彷徨(さまよ)(ある)
      machi kara machi e atemonaku samayoi aruku
      to wander aimlessly from town to town

Conjugation edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. 1.0 1.1 さ迷・彷徨・徘徊”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, Nihon Kokugo Daijiten)[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
  2. ^ さ迷う”, in デジタル大辞泉[2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
  3. 3.0 3.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN