ながら

Japanese

Alternative spelling
乍ら

Etymology

From Old Japanese, cited in the Man'yōshū poetry anthology of 759.^[1] In turn, analyzable as a compound of な (na, ancient genitive / possessive particle, apophonic form of particle の (no)) +‎ 柄 (kara, “character, quality”).^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [na̠ɡa̠ɾa̠]

In Tokyo speech, the verb construction can be either always accented, or non-accented if the suffixed verb is non-accented. The accent falls on the な (na) mora.^[6]

Particle

ながら • (-nagara)

while, during, while doing (verb)
お茶(ちゃ)を飲(の)みながら話(はな)しましょう。
Ocha o nominagara hanashimashō.
Let's talk over tea.

歩(ある)きながら話(はな)しましょうか。
Arukinagara hanashimashō ka.
Shall we talk and walk?
though, notwithstanding
both (doing verb)

Usage notes

This term is appended to the 連用形(れんようけい) (ren'yōkei, “conjunctive form”) of a verb.
This term is often spelled in hiragana.

Derived terms

我(われ)ながら (ware nagara)

References

^ “乍がら”, in 日本国語大辞典‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
^ Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ Kitahara, Yasuo, editor (2002), 明鏡国語辞典 (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Taishūkan Shoten, →ISBN
^ Online Japanese Accent Dictionary

[KDJ2-1] “乍がら”, in 日本国語大辞典‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006

[KDJ-2] Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[K-3] Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN

[DJR-4] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[M-5] Kitahara, Yasuo, editor (2002), 明鏡国語辞典 (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Taishūkan Shoten, →ISBN

[6] Online Japanese Accent Dictionary

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]