Japanese

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Kanji in this term
こと
Grade: 2
は > ば
Grade: 3
(ateji)
kun'yomi
Alternative spellings

Etymology

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From Old Japanese 言葉 (ko2to2ba), attestable since at least the Man'yōshū of 759 CE.[1] In turn, reconstructed as deriving from Proto-Japonic *kətənpa.

Compound of (koto, word) +‎ (ha, edge; beginning, end).[1][2] The ha changes to ba as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

The term (koto) was formerly the main term for word in Japanese. This term is also cognate with (koto, thing, fact, event). The ha may have been added to differentiate from (koto).

The spelling is an example of ateji (当て字).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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(こと)() (kotoba

  1. [from 759] a word, a term
  2. [from 934] language, speech

Usage notes

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  • The alternative forms are used almost exclusively in compounds.

Synonyms

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Derived terms

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See also

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References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 言葉・詞・辞”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
  2. 2.0 2.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  4. ^ 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

Okinawan

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Etymology

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Kanji in this term
くとぅ
Grade: 2
は > ば
Grade: 3
Alternative spellings


From Proto-Ryukyuan *kotoba, from Proto-Japonic *kətənpa. Cognate with Japanese 言葉 (kotoba).

Pronunciation

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Noun

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(くとぅ)() (kutuba

  1. language; speech; lingo; dialect; way of speaking
  2. word; words; idiom; expression

References

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