Japanese

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Etymology 1

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Kanji in this term
いざ
Grade: S

Grade: 3
irregular on'yomi
Alternative spelling
猶豫う (kyūjitai)

⟨isayo1pu⟩ → */isajʷopu//isajopu//izajofu//izajou/

From Old Japanese 猶予ふ (isayopu).[1][2][3]

Read as いさよふ (isayopu) in the Nara Period. The /p/ lenited to /f/ (more specifically, the bilabial fricative [ɸ]) by the Heian Period, with the /s/ alternating with voiced /z/. The medial /f/ then further lenited and disappeared, with the voiced /z/ pronunciation becoming the dominant form.

Derived originally as a compound of いさ (isa, interjection of hesitation or introduction; compare to English so, which may be used as a hesitation word or to introduce a new topic[1][3]) +‎ よふ (yopu, suffixing element of unclear meaning). Appears in the Kojiki of 712 CE and the Man'yōshū of 759 CE.[1]

The kanji spelling is an example of jukujikun (熟字訓), based on the synonymous Middle Chinese-derived term 猶予 (yūyo).

This word may be falling into disuse, and it is not included in some dictionaries.[4]

Pronunciation

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Verb

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(いざ)() (izayouいざよふ (izayofu)?intransitive godan (stem (いざ)() (izayoi), past (いざ)()った (izayotta))

  1. (archaic) to pause, to hesitate
Conjugation
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Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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Kanji in this term
Grade: S Grade: 3
irregular
Alternative spellings
猶豫う (kyūjitai)
揺蕩う

This kanji spelling is an example of jukujikun (熟字訓), based on the synonymous Middle Chinese-derived term 猶予 (yūyo). This spelling is less common than 揺蕩う.

For pronunciation and definitions of 猶予う – see the following entry.
揺蕩たゆた
[verb] to bob, to move about uncertainly as a floating item moves about on the surface of water or some other liquid
[verb] to be undecided or uncertain
[verb] to pause or hesitate due to indecision, to dally, to dawdle
(This term, 猶予う, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

References

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  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
  2. ^ Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  4. ^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  5. ^ 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), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN