Chinese

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carry; what; how
carry; what; how; why; which
 
square; quadrilateral; place
square; quadrilateral; place; region; direction; side; method; way; prescription; power; upright; just
 
simp. and trad.
(何方)

Pronunciation

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Noun

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何方

  1. (literary) where

Synonyms

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Japanese

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Etymology 1

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Kanji in this term

Grade: 2
ちら
Grade: 2
irregular

The kanji are jukujikun (熟字訓); borrowed from Chinese + .

This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
Particularly: “From where comes the "chira" suffix in 何方(どちら) (dochira), 此方(こちら) (kochira), and 彼方(あちら) (achira); & the "nata" suffix in 何方(どなた) (donata), 此方(こなた) (konata), and 彼方(かなた) (kanata)?

I (second person) would like to point out that it seems that the 「ど」seems to be a result of a sound shift, and comparison with the other pronouns, like the other interrogatives, and also that the word is a jukujikan, and that 「ちら」is not a suffix: rather, it would seem that the word formed from “izu”(?) (interrogative) + “chi” (directional) + “ra” (about, around), and thereafter the jukujikan was assigned to fit the word, with the meaning of “what direction”, instead of “about which direction?”.”

Pronunciation

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Pronoun

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()(ちら) (dochira

  1. which way?
  2. which one? (of two alternatives)
Usage notes
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The hiragana spelling (どちら) is preferred to the kanji spelling (何方), which is rarely used.

See also
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Etymology 2

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Kanji in this term

Grade: 2
なた
Grade: 2
irregular

Pronoun

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()(なた) (donata

  1. (honorific) who?
    • 2007, 新時代日漢辭典新时代日汉辞典 (Xīn Shídài Rì-hàn Cídiǎn), 1st edition, 大新書局大新书局 (Dàxīn Shūjú), →ISBN:
      あの(かた)()(なた)(さま)ですか
      anokata wa donata-sama desu ka
      Who is that gentleman
Usage notes
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The hiragana spelling (どなた) is preferred to the kanji spelling (何方).

Synonyms
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Etymology 3

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Kanji in this term
Grade: 2 Grade: 2
irregular

/iduti/ → /izuti/. Compound of interrogative pronoun いづ (izu) and directional suffix (chi).

Pronoun

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何方(いずち) (izuchiいづち (iduti)?

  1. indefinite interrogative directional pronoun; which direction, where
    • late 10th century, Taketori Monogatari:
      「「龍の頚の玉取りえずは、歸り來な」とのたまへば、いづちいづちも、足の向きたらん方へいなむ。かゝるすき事をしたまふこと」と、そしりあへり。
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)

See also

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Etymology 4

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Kanji in this term
いず
Grade: 2
かた
Grade: 2
kun'yomi

Pronunciation

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Pronoun

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(いず)(かた) (izukataいづかた (idukata)?

  1. which direction
  2. who

See also

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References

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  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN