See also:

U+3059, す
HIRAGANA LETTER SU

[U+3058]
Hiragana
[U+305A]

JapaneseEdit

Stroke order
 

Etymology 1Edit

Derived in the Heian period from writing the man'yōgana kanji in the cursive sōsho style.

PronunciationEdit

SyllableEdit

(romaji su)

  1. The hiragana syllable (su). Its equivalent in katakana is (su). It is the thirteenth syllable in the gojūon order; its position is (sa-gyō u-dan, row sa, section u).
Derived termsEdit
See alsoEdit

Etymology 2Edit

Alternative spellings


From Old Japanese. Found in the Kojiki of 712,[1] and included in the Man'yōshū with the phonetic man'yōgana spelling (su).[2]

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

(su (su)?

  1. nest, hive, den
    クモ()
    kumo no su
    spider's web

Etymology 3Edit

Alternative spellings


Unknown.

  • Perhaps a native Japanese term, with the su reading somehow related to the way that very sour things cause one to pucker.
  • Alternatively, from Middle Chinese (MC t͡sʰuoH). Borrowed earlier (vinegar was historically introduced to Japan in the 300-400s from China) than the systematic introduction of kanji, thus later mistaken as a native Japanese term. Compare modern Mandarin () or Cantonese (cou3).

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

(su (su)?

  1. vinegar (condiment)
    バルサミコ()
    barusamiko-su
    balsamic vinegar
Derived termsEdit
IdiomsEdit
SynonymsEdit

Etymology 4Edit

Alternative spellings

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

PronunciationEdit

NounEdit

(su (su)?

  1. sandbank, sandbar

Etymology 5Edit

Alternative spelling

From Old Japanese.

VerbEdit

(su

  1. (archaic) to do
  2. (archaic) to cause, become
ConjugationEdit
Derived termsEdit

Etymology 6Edit

The original form of the causative ending. Ultimately cognate with (su), the ancient form of modern する (suru, to do).

In a modern synchronic analysis, sometimes analyzed as a contraction of せる (seru).

SuffixEdit

(-sugodan (stem (-shi), past した (-shita))

  1. (chiefly dialectal and colloquial) Alternative form of せる (seru, causative suffix)
ConjugationEdit

ReferencesEdit

  1. ^ 巣・栖・窼”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, Nihon Kokugo Daijiten)[1] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000, →ISBN
  2. ^ c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 5, poem 892), text available online here
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN

Old JapaneseEdit

Etymology 1Edit

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

VerbEdit

(su)

  1. to do
  2. to happen, occur
    • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 15, poem 3624)
      和礼乃未夜欲布祢波許具登於毛敞礼婆於伎敞能可多爾可治能於等奈里
      ware no2mi2 ya yo1pune pa ko2gu to2 omope1reba oki1pe1 no2 kata ni kadi no2 oto2 su nari
      (please add an English translation of this usage example)
  3. to be in a state of something
  4. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
    • 711712, Kojiki (20)
      佐韋賀波用久毛多知和多理宇泥備夜麻許能波佐夜芸奴加是布加牟登
      Sawi-gapa yo1 kumo1 tatiwatari Unebi2-yama ko2no2pa sayagi1nu kaze pukamu to2 su
      (please add an English translation of this usage example)
ConjugationEdit
DescendantsEdit
  • Japanese: (su)する (suru)
    • Kagoshima dialect: すっ (su')

Etymology 2Edit

Attaches to 未然形 (mizenkei, irrealis or incomplete form) of 四段活用 (yodan katsuyō, quadrigrade conjugation) and サ行変格活用 (sa-gyō henkaku katsuyō, s-irregular conjugation) verbs.

VerbEdit

(-su)

  1. indicates light respect and slight affection
    • 711712, Kojiki (poem 2)
      ...佐加志賣遠阿理登岐加弖久波志賣遠阿理登伎許志弖佐用婆比爾阿理多多用婆比阿理加用婆...
      ...sakasi me1 wo ari to2 ki1kasite kupasi me1 wo ari to2 ki1ko2site sa-yo1bapi1 ni ari tatasi yo1bapi1 ni ari kayo1pase
      (please add an English translation of this usage example)
    • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 1, poem 1)
      ...此岳尓菜採兒家吉閑名告根...
      ...ko2no2 woka ni na tumasu ko1 ipe1 ki1kana no2rasane...
      (please add an English translation of this usage example)
ConjugationEdit

Etymology 3Edit

Possibly cognate with modern Korean (sae, bird).

SuffixEdit

(-su)

  1. representing birds
Derived termsEdit