忙しい

Japanese edit

Etymology 1 edit

Kanji in this term
忙
いそが Grade: S
kun’yomi

Alternative spellings
急がしい (uncommon) 急しい (rare)

Derived from verb 急ぐ (isogu, “to hurry, to rush, to hasten”).^[1]^[2]^[3]

First attested in a text from 850.^[4]

By one analysis, this is the verb's 未然形 (mizenkei, “incomplete or irrealis form”) 急が (isoga) plus the adjectivizing suffix しい (-shii, “having that kind of quality”, classical terminal form -shi).

Alternatively, may be derived from the causative. The classical terminal form of the adjective is identical to the classical continuative or infinitive form of the causative verb, which was used in certain constructions to conclude sentences.

急ぐ (isogu, “to rush, to hurry”) → 急がす (isogasu, “to cause to rush, to cause to hurry”) → 急がし (isogashi, “having the quality of causing one to rush or hurry”)

Pronunciation edit

(Tokyo) いそがしい [ìsógáshíꜜì] (Nakadaka – [4])^[2]^[5]^[6]
IPA^(key): [iso̞ɡa̠ɕiː]

Tokyo pitch accent of inflected forms of "忙しい"

Stem forms
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Continuative (連用形)	忙しく	いそがしくいそがしく	`[ìsógáꜜshìkù]` `[ìsógáshíꜜkù]`
Terminal (終止形)	忙しい	いそがしい	`[ìsógáshíꜜì]`
Attributive (連体形)	忙しい	いそがしい	`[ìsógáshíꜜì]`
Key constructions
Informal negative	忙しくない	いそがしくないいそがしくない	`[ìsógáꜜshìkùnàì]` `[ìsógáshíꜜkùnàì]`
Informal past	忙しかった	いそがしかったいそがしかった	`[ìsógáꜜshìkàttà]` `[ìsógáshíꜜkàttà]`
Informal negative past	忙しくなかった	いそがしくなかったいそがしくなかった	`[ìsógáꜜshìkùnàkàttà]` `[ìsógáshíꜜkùnàkàttà]`
Formal	忙しいです	いそがしいです	`[ìsógáshíꜜìdèsù]`
Conjunctive	忙しくて	いそがしくていそがしくて	`[ìsógáꜜshìkùtè]` `[ìsógáshíꜜkùtè]`
Conditional	忙しければ	いそがしければいそがしければ	`[ìsógáꜜshìkèrèbà]` `[ìsógáshíꜜkèrèbà]`

Adjective edit

忙(いそが)しい • (isogashii) -i (adverbial 忙(いそが)しく (isogashiku))

[from 850] busy
Antonym: 暇 (hima)

彼(かれ)はいつも忙(いそが)しいことを言(い)い訳(わけ)にしている。
Kare wa itsumo isogashii koto o iiwake ni shite iru.
He always uses the excuse that he is too busy.
- c. 1001–1014, Murasaki Shikibu, Genji Monogatari (Otome), text here:
  大(おお)殿(との)も、かやうの御(お)遊(あそ)びに心(こころ)止(と)めたまひて、いそがしき御(ご)政(せい)事(じ)どもをば逃(のが)れたまふなりけり。
  Ōtono mo, kayō no o-asobi ni kokoro tometamaite, isogashiki go-seiji domo o ba nogaretamau narikeri.
  The lord would also kept his attention on this kind of pleasure, and escape from all his busy governmental duties.
[from 1001] restless, fidgety

Inflection edit

Inflection of 忙しい

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	忙しかろ	いそがしかろ	isogashikaro
Continuative (連用形)	忙しく	いそがしく	isogashiku
Terminal (終止形)	忙しい	いそがしい	isogashii
Attributive (連体形)	忙しい	いそがしい	isogashii
Hypothetical (仮定形)	忙しけれ	いそがしけれ	isogashikere
Imperative (命令形)	忙しかれ	いそがしかれ	isogashikare
Key constructions
Informal negative	忙しくない	いそがしくない	isogashiku nai
Informal past	忙しかった	いそがしかった	isogashikatta
Informal negative past	忙しくなかった	いそがしくなかった	isogashiku nakatta
Formal	忙しいです	いそがしいです	isogashii desu
Formal negative	忙しくないです	いそがしくないです	isogashiku nai desu
Formal past	忙しかったです	いそがしかったです	isogashikatta desu
Formal negative past	忙しくなかったです	いそがしくなかったです	isogashiku nakatta desu
Conjunctive	忙しくて	いそがしくて	isogashikute
Conditional	忙しければ	いそがしければ	isogashikereba
Provisional	忙しかったら	いそがしかったら	isogashikattara
Volitional	忙しかろう	いそがしかろう	isogashikarō
Adverbial	忙しく	いそがしく	isogashiku
Degree	忙しさ	いそがしさ	isogashisa

Classical conjugation of "忙し" (シク活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	忙しく^[1] 忙しから^[2]	いそがしくいそがしから	isogasiku isogasikara
Continuative (連用形)	忙しく^[1] 忙しかり^[2]	いそがしくいそがしかり	isogasiku isogasikari
Terminal (終止形)	忙し	いそがし	isogasi
Attributive (連体形)	忙しき忙しかる	いそがしきいそがしかる	isogasiki isogasikaru
Realis (已然形)	忙しけれ	いそがしけれ	isogasikere
Imperative (命令形)	忙しかれ	いそがしかれ	isogasikare
Key constructions
Negative	忙しからず	いそがしからず	isogasikarazu
Contrasting conjunction	忙しけれど	いそがしけれど	isogasikeredo
Causal conjunction	忙しければ	いそがしければ	isogasikereba
Conditional conjunction	忙しくば	いそがしくば	isogasikuba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	忙しかりき	いそがしかりき	isogasikariki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	忙しかりけり	いそがしかりけり	isogasikarikeri
Adverbial	忙しく	いそがしく	isogasiku
^[1]Without auxiliary verb. ^[2]With auxiliary verb.

Etymology 2 edit

Kanji in this term
忙
せわ Grade: S
kun’yomi

*⟨sepasi⟩ → /seɸaɕi/ → /sewaɕiki/ → /sewaɕiː/

Cognate with 狭い (sebai), older form of 狭い (semai, “adjective, lacking in space”),^[1] expanding on the meaning towards “lacking in time”.

First cited to a text from 1020.^[1]

Pronunciation edit

(Tokyo) せわしい [sèwáshíꜜì] (Nakadaka – [3])^[2]
IPA^(key): [se̞ɰᵝa̠ɕiː]

Adjective edit

忙(せわ)しい • (sewashii) ^{←せはしい (sefasii)^?}-i (adverbial 忙(せわ)しく (sewashiku))

busy, hurried
restless, fidgety

Inflection edit

Inflection of 忙しい

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	忙しかろ	せわしかろ	sewashikaro
Continuative (連用形)	忙しく	せわしく	sewashiku
Terminal (終止形)	忙しい	せわしい	sewashii
Attributive (連体形)	忙しい	せわしい	sewashii
Hypothetical (仮定形)	忙しけれ	せわしけれ	sewashikere
Imperative (命令形)	忙しかれ	せわしかれ	sewashikare
Key constructions
Informal negative	忙しくない	せわしくない	sewashiku nai
Informal past	忙しかった	せわしかった	sewashikatta
Informal negative past	忙しくなかった	せわしくなかった	sewashiku nakatta
Formal	忙しいです	せわしいです	sewashii desu
Formal negative	忙しくないです	せわしくないです	sewashiku nai desu
Formal past	忙しかったです	せわしかったです	sewashikatta desu
Formal negative past	忙しくなかったです	せわしくなかったです	sewashiku nakatta desu
Conjunctive	忙しくて	せわしくて	sewashikute
Conditional	忙しければ	せわしければ	sewashikereba
Provisional	忙しかったら	せわしかったら	sewashikattara
Volitional	忙しかろう	せわしかろう	sewashikarō
Adverbial	忙しく	せわしく	sewashiku
Degree	忙しさ	せわしさ	sewashisa

Classical conjugation of "忙し" (シク活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	忙しく^[1] 忙しから^[2]	せはしくせはしから	sefasiku sefasikara
Continuative (連用形)	忙しく^[1] 忙しかり^[2]	せはしくせはしかり	sefasiku sefasikari
Terminal (終止形)	忙し	せはし	sefasi
Attributive (連体形)	忙しき忙しかる	せはしきせはしかる	sefasiki sefasikaru
Realis (已然形)	忙しけれ	せはしけれ	sefasikere
Imperative (命令形)	忙しかれ	せはしかれ	sefasikare
Key constructions
Negative	忙しからず	せはしからず	sefasikarazu
Contrasting conjunction	忙しけれど	せはしけれど	sefasikeredo
Causal conjunction	忙しければ	せはしければ	sefasikereba
Conditional conjunction	忙しくば	せはしくば	sefasikuba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	忙しかりき	せはしかりき	sefasikariki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	忙しかりけり	せはしかりけり	sefasikarikeri
Adverbial	忙しく	せはしく	sefasiku
^[1]Without auxiliary verb. ^[2]With auxiliary verb.

Synonyms edit

忙(せわ)しない (sewashinai)

Derived terms edit

忙(せわ)忙(せわ)しい (sewasewashī)

References edit

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ “忙しい”, in デジタル大辞泉‎^[1] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
^ “忙・急”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎^[2] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ 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.

[KDJ-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJR-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[DDJS-3] “忙しい”, in デジタル大辞泉‎^[1] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months

[KDJ2-4] “忙・急”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎^[2] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000

[SMK5-5] Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-6] 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

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