Appendix:Old Japanese Swadesh list
This is a Swadesh list of words in Old Japanese, compared with definitions in English.
Presentation edit
- For further information, including the full final version of the list, read the Wikipedia article: Swadesh list.
American linguist Morris Swadesh believed that languages changed at measurable rates and that these could be determined even for languages without written precursors. Using vocabulary lists, he sought to understand not only change over time but also the relationships of extant languages. To be able to compare languages from different cultures, he based his lists on meanings he presumed would be available in as many cultures as possible. He then used the fraction of agreeing cognates between any two related languages to compute their divergence time by some (still debated) algorithms. Starting in 1950 with 165 meanings, his list grew to 215 in 1952, which was so expansive that many languages lacked native vocabulary for some terms. Subsequently, it was reduced to 207, and reduced much further to 100 meanings in 1955. A reformulated list was published posthumously in 1971.
List edit
| No. | English | Old Japanese kanji |
Old Japanese kana |
Transcription |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | I | 我/吾 | あれ/われ | are/ware |
| 2 | you (singular) | 汝 | なれ/いまし | nare/imasi |
| 3 | he | 彼 | かれ | kare |
| 4 | we | 我等 | われら | warera |
| 5 | you (plural) | 汝等 | なれら | narera |
| 6 | they | 彼等 | かれら | karera |
| 7 | this | 此 | こ乙れ | kore |
| 8 | that | 彼 | かれ | kare |
| 9 | here | 此間 | こ乙こ乙 | koko |
| 10 | there | 彼所 | そ乙こ乙 | soko |
| 11 | who | 誰 | たれ | tare |
| 12 | what | 何 | なに | nani |
| 13 | where | 何処 | いづく | iduku |
| 14 | when | 何時 | いつ | itu |
| 15 | how | 如何 | いか | ika |
| 16 | not | 不 | ず | zu |
| 17 | all | 皆 | み乙な | mwina |
| 18 | many | 多 | おほし | oposi |
| 19 | some | 少 | すこし | sukwosi |
| 20 | few | 少 | すくなし | sukunasi |
| 21 | other | 他 | ほか | poka |
| 22 | one | 一 | ひ甲と乙 | pito |
| 23 | two | 二 | ふた | puta |
| 24 | three | 三 | み甲 | mi |
| 25 | four | 四 | よ乙 | yo |
| 26 | five | 五 | いつ | itu |
| 27 | big | 大 | おほし | oposi |
| 28 | long | 長 | ながし | nagasi |
| 29 | wide | 広 | ひ甲ろ乙し | pirosi |
| 30 | thick | 厚 | あつし | atusi |
| 31 | heavy | 重 | おもし | omosi |
| 32 | small | 小 | ちひさし | tipisasi |
| 33 | short | 短 | み甲じかし | mizikasi |
| 34 | narrow | 迫/狭 | せばし/さし | sebasi/sasi |
| 35 | thin | 細 | ほそ乙し | pososi |
| 36 | woman | 女 | をみ甲な | womina |
| 37 | man (male) | 男 | をと乙こ甲 | wotokwo |
| 38 | man (human) | 人 | ひ甲と乙 | pito |
| 39 | child | 子 | こ甲 | kwo |
| 40 | wife | 妻 | め甲 | mye |
| 41 | husband | 夫 | をひ甲と乙 | wopito |
| 42 | mother | 母 | はは | papa |
| 43 | father | 父 | ちち | titi |
| 44 | animal | 獣 | け乙もの乙 | kemono |
| 45 | fish | 魚 | うを | uwo |
| 46 | bird | 鳥 | と乙り | tori |
| 47 | dog | 犬 | いぬ | inu |
| 48 | louse | 虱 | しらみ甲 | sirami |
| 49 | snake | 蛇 | へ乙み甲 | pemi |
| 50 | worm | 虫 | むし | musi |
| 51 | tree | 木 | き乙 | kwi |
| 52 | forest | 森 | もり | mori |
| 53 | stick | 枝 | え | ye |
| 54 | fruit | 実 | み乙 | mwi |
| 55 | seed | 種 | たね | tane |
| 56 | leaf | 葉 | は | pa |
| 57 | root | 根 | ね | ne |
| 58 | bark (of a tree) | [Term?] | ||
| 59 | flower | 花 | はな | pana |
| 60 | grass | 草 | くさ | kusa |
| 61 | rope | 縄 | なは | napa |
| 62 | skin | 皮 | かは | kapa |
| 63 | meat | 肉 | しし | sisi |
| 64 | blood | 血 | ち | ti |
| 65 | bone | 骨 | ほね | pone |
| 66 | fat (noun) | 脂 | あぶら | abura |
| 67 | egg | 卵 | かひ甲ご甲 | kapigwo |
| 68 | horn | 角 | つの甲 | tunwo |
| 69 | tail | 尾 | を | wo |
| 70 | feather | 羽 | はね | pane |
| 71 | hair | 髪 | かみ甲 | kami |
| 72 | head | 頭 | かしら | kasira |
| 73 | ear | 耳 | み甲み甲 | mimi |
| 74 | eye | 目 | め乙 | me |
| 75 | nose | 鼻 | はな | pana |
| 76 | mouth | 口 | くち | kuti |
| 77 | tooth | 歯 | は | pa |
| 78 | tongue | 舌 | した | sita |
| 79 | fingernail | 爪 | つめ乙 | tume |
| 80 | foot | 足 | あし | asi |
| 81 | leg | 脚 | あし | asi |
| 82 | knee | 膝 | ひ甲ざ | piza |
| 83 | hand | 手 | て | te |
| 84 | wing | 翼 | つばさ | tubasa |
| 85 | belly | 腹 | はら | para |
| 86 | guts | 腸 | わた | wata |
| 87 | neck | 頸 | くび甲 | kubi |
| 88 | back | 背 | せ | se |
| 89 | breast | 胸 | むね | mune |
| 90 | heart | 心 | こ乙こ乙ろ乙 | kokoro |
| 91 | liver | 肝 | き甲も甲 | kimwo |
| 92 | to drink | 飲 | の乙む | nomu |
| 93 | to eat | 食 | くふ | kupu |
| 94 | to bite | 嚼 | かむ | kamu |
| 95 | to suck | 吸 | すふ | supu |
| 96 | to spit | 吐 | はく | paku |
| 97 | to vomit | 吐 | はく | paku |
| 98 | to blow | 吹 | ふく | puku |
| 99 | to breathe | 息 | いき甲す | iki su |
| 100 | to laugh | 笑 | わらふ | warapu |
| 101 | to see | 見 | み甲る | miru |
| 102 | to hear | 聞 | き甲く | kiku |
| 103 | to know | 知 | しる | siru |
| 104 | to think | 思 | おも乙ふ | omopu |
| 105 | to smell | 嗅 | かぐ | kagu |
| 106 | to fear | 恐 | おそる | osoru |
| 107 | to sleep | 睡 | ねぶる | neburu |
| 108 | to live | 生 | いく | iku |
| 109 | to die | 死 | しぬ | sinu |
| 110 | to kill | 殺 | こ乙ろ乙す | korosu |
| 111 | to fight | 戦 | たたかふ | tatakapu |
| 112 | to hunt | 猟 | かる | karu |
| 113 | to hit | 打 | うつ | utu |
| 114 | to cut | 断 | き甲る | kiru |
| 115 | to split | 破 | わる | waru |
| 116 | to stab | 刺 | さす | sasu |
| 117 | to scratch | 掻 | かく | kaku |
| 118 | to dig | 掘 | ほる | poru |
| 119 | to swim | [Term?] | ||
| 120 | to fly | 飛 | と乙ぶ | tobu |
| 121 | to walk | 歩 | あゆむ | ayumu |
| 122 | to come | 来 | く | ku |
| 123 | to lie (as in a bed) | 寝 | ぬ | nu |
| 124 | to sit | 居 | ゐる | wiru |
| 125 | to stand | 立 | たつ | tatu |
| 126 | to turn (intransitive) | 廻 | め乙ぐる | meguru |
| 127 | to fall | 落 | おつ | otu |
| 128 | to give | 与 | あたふ | atapu |
| 129 | to hold | 持 | も乙つ | motu |
| 130 | to squeeze | 絞 | しぼる | siboru |
| 131 | to rub | 摩 | する | suru |
| 132 | to wash | 洗 | あらふ | arapu |
| 133 | to wipe | 拭 | の乙ご乙ふ | nogopu |
| 134 | to pull | 引 | ひ甲く | piku |
| 135 | to push | 押 | おす | osu |
| 136 | to throw | 投 | なぐ | nagu |
| 137 | to tie | 結 | ゆふ/むすぶ | yupu/musubu |
| 138 | to sew | 縫 | ぬふ | nupu |
| 139 | to count | 数 | かぞ甲ふ | kazwopu |
| 140 | to say | 言 | いふ | ipu |
| 141 | to sing | 歌 | うたふ | utapu |
| 142 | to play | 遊 | あそ甲ぶ | asobu |
| 143 | to float | 浮 | うく | uku |
| 144 | to flow | 流 | ながる | nagaru |
| 145 | to freeze | 凍 | こ乙ほる | koporu |
| 146 | to swell | 肥 | ふくる | pukuru |
| 147 | sun | 日 | ひ甲 | pi |
| 148 | moon | 月 | つき乙 | tukwi |
| 149 | star | 星 | ほし | posi |
| 150 | water | 水 | み甲づ | midu |
| 151 | rain | 雨 | あめ乙 | ame |
| 152 | river | 川 | かは | kapa |
| 153 | lake | 湖 | み甲づうみ甲 | miduumi |
| 154 | sea | 海 | うみ甲/わた | umi/wata |
| 155 | salt | 塩 | しほ | sipo |
| 156 | stone | 石 | いし | isi |
| 157 | sand | 砂 | いさご甲 | isagwo |
| 158 | dust | 塵 | ちり | tiri |
| 159 | earth | 土 | つち | tuti |
| 160 | cloud | 雲 | くも甲 | kumwo |
| 161 | fog | 霧 | き乙り | kwiri |
| 162 | sky | 空/天 | そ甲ら/あめ乙 | swora/ame |
| 163 | wind | 風 | かぜ | kaze |
| 164 | snow | 雪 | ゆき甲 | yuki |
| 165 | ice | 氷 | こ乙ほり | kopori |
| 166 | smoke | 煙 | けぶり | keburi |
| 167 | fire | 火 | ひ乙 | pwi |
| 168 | ash | 灰 | はひ | papi |
| 169 | to burn | 焼 | も甲ゆ | mwoyu |
| 170 | road | 道 | み甲ち | miti |
| 171 | mountain | 山 | やま | yama |
| 172 | red | 赤 | あか | aka |
| 173 | green | 青/緑 | あを/み甲ど乙り | awo/midori |
| 174 | yellow | 黄 | き | ki |
| 175 | white | 白 | しろ甲 | sirwo |
| 176 | black | 黒 | くろ甲 | kurwo |
| 177 | night | 夜 | よ甲 | ywo |
| 178 | day | 日 | ひ甲 | pi |
| 179 | year | 年 | と乙し | tosi |
| 180 | warm | 暖 | あたたけ乙し | atatakesi |
| 181 | cold | 寒 | さむし | samusi |
| 182 | full | 満 | み甲ちたり | mititari |
| 183 | new | 新 | あらたし | aratasi |
| 184 | old | 古 | ふるし | purusi |
| 185 | good | 吉 | よ乙し | yosi |
| 186 | bad | 悪 | あし | asi |
| 187 | rotten | 臰 | くさりたり | kusaritari |
| 188 | dirty | 汚 | き甲たなし | kitanasi |
| 189 | straight | 直 | なほし | naposi |
| 190 | round | 丸 | まろ乙 | maro |
| 191 | sharp (as a knife) | 利 | と甲し | twosi |
| 192 | dull (as a knife) | [Term?] | ||
| 193 | smooth | [Term?] | ||
| 194 | wet | 沾 | ぬれたり | nuretari |
| 195 | dry | 乾 | かわき甲たり | kawakitari |
| 196 | correct | 正 | ただし | tadasi |
| 197 | near | 近 | ちかし | tikasi |
| 198 | far | 遠 | と乙ほし | toposi |
| 199 | right | 右 | みぎ | migi |
| 200 | left | 左 | ひだり | pidari |
| 201 | at | に | ni | |
| 202 | in | に | ni | |
| 203 | with | と乙 | to | |
| 204 | and | と乙 | to | |
| 205 | if | 若 | もし | mosi |
| 206 | because | 故 | かれ | kare |
| 207 | name | 名 | な | na |