Chinese edit

phonetic
trad. (魔羅)
simp. (魔罗)
alternative forms 摩羅摩罗
 
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Etymology edit

From Sanskrit मार (māra, killing; death; destroyer; demon).

Pronunciation edit



Rime
Character
Reading # 1/1 1/1
Initial () (4) (37)
Final () (95) (94)
Tone (調) Level (Ø) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Closed Open
Division () I I
Fanqie
Baxter ma la
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang
/muɑ/ /lɑ/
Pan
Wuyun
/muɑ/ /lɑ/
Shao
Rongfen
/muɑ/ /lɑ/
Edwin
Pulleyblank
/mwa/ /la/
Li
Rong
/muɑ/ /lɑ/
Wang
Li
/muɑ/ /lɑ/
Bernard
Karlgren
/muɑ/ /lɑ/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex
luó
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex
mo4 lo4

Noun edit

魔羅

  1. (Buddhism) mara (demon)

Derived terms edit

Descendants edit

Sino-Xenic (魔羅):
  • Japanese: 魔羅(まら) (mara)

Japanese edit

Kanji in this term

Grade: S

Grade: S
on’yomi
Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology edit

Transcription of Sanskrit मार (Māra, the Destroyer, the Evil One).[1][2][3][4][5] The kanji are ateji (当て字).

The shift from "Buddhist evil demon" to "penis" was originally slang use among monks,[1][2][3][4] in reference to sexual desires distracting one from the path to enlightenment.

Some sources link this term to 放る (maru, to excrete).[1][2] However, the verb maru refers to "excreting" bodily wastes in general, not just urination but also defecation, and some sources also list flatulation as an included sense.[4] In addition, other nouns attested from Old Japanese that derive from verbs and end in -a appear to be the result of the action of the verb, which does not fit this case. Ultimately, the proposed connection between Sanskrit-derived mara ("penis") and Japonic-derived maru ("to excrete") appears to be a folk etymology, likely arising from the superficial similarity in forms.

First attested in the Nihon Ryōiki, in a section dated to the early 800s.[1]

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

()() (mara

  1. [from early 800s] (Buddhism) Mara: a Buddhist demon that personifies the "death" of spiritual life
  2. [from early 800s] (anatomy) penis
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:陰茎
    • 938, Minamoto no Shitagō, Wamyō Ruijushō, volume 2, page 45:
      玉茎 房内經云 玉茎 男陰名也 [...] 一云 麻良 [...]
      玉茎 房内經云 玉茎 男陰名也 [...] 一云 麻良 [...]
      Penis: The Classic of the Bedchamber calls it 'jade stalk', it is a name for the male sex organ [...] One name [is] mara
    • 1603–1604, Nippo Jisho, page 386:
      Mara. l, nancon. マラ. または, ナンコン (𨳯. または, 男根) 陰茎. 卑語.
      Mara. l, nancon. マラ. または, ナンコン (𨳯. または, 男根) 陰茎. 卑語.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

References edit

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 魔羅・摩羅”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, Nihon Kokugo Daijiten)[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 魔羅”, in デジタル大辞泉[2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  6. ^ マラ [マラ]”, in 日本の危機言語[3] (in Japanese), National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics, 2022

Kikai edit

Kanji in this term

Grade: S

Grade: S
on’yomi
Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology edit

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

()() (mara

  1. (anatomy) penis

References edit

  • 岩倉市郎 (1941) 喜界島方言集 [Kikai-jima Dialect Collection]‎[4] (in Japanese), 中央公論社, page 279

Kunigami edit

Kanji in this term

Grade: S
らー
Grade: S
on’yomi
Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology edit

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

()(らー) (marā

  1. (anatomy) penis

Miyako edit

Kanji in this term

Grade: S

Grade: S
on’yomi
Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology edit

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

()() (mara

  1. (anatomy) penis

Northern Amami-Oshima edit

Kanji in this term

Grade: S

Grade: S
on’yomi
Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology edit

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

()() (mara

  1. (anatomy) penis

Okinawan edit

Kanji in this term

Grade: S

Grade: S
on’yomi
Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology edit

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

()() (mara

  1. (anatomy) penis

Yaeyama edit

Kanji in this term

Grade: S

Grade: S
on’yomi
Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology edit

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

()() (mara

  1. (anatomy) penis

Yonaguni edit

Kanji in this term

Grade: S

Grade: S
on’yomi
Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology edit

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

()() (mara

  1. (anatomy) penis

Yoron edit

Kanji in this term

Grade: S

Grade: S
on’yomi
Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology edit

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

()() (mara

  1. (anatomy) penis