Japanese

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Alternative spellings
成る可く
なる可く

Etymology

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From なる (naru, to become) + べく (beku, adverbial form of べし (beshi, possible, able; should)).[1][2]

First cited to the 1890s.[1]

Pronunciation

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Adverb

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なるべく (naru beku

  1. [from 1890s] as... as possible
    なるべく(はや)くおいでください。
    Naru beku hayaku oide kudasai.
    Please come as soon as possible/as soon as you can.
  2. [from 1890s] if possible
    なるべくなら明日(あした)までに()しいのですが。
    Naru beku nara ashita made ni hoshii no desu ga.
    I'd like to have it by tomorrow, if possible.

Synonyms

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References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 成る可く”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. 3.0 3.1 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