如何
Chinese edit
as (if); such as | what | ||
---|---|---|---|
trad. (如何) | 如 | 何 | |
simp. #(如何) | 如 | 何 | |
anagram | 何如 | ||
Literally: “like what?”. |
Pronunciation edit
Adverb edit
如何 (formal)
- how; what; in what way
- how about; what about
Synonyms edit
- (how):
Derived terms edit
Further reading edit
- “Entry #50014”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (in Chinese and Min Nan), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.
Japanese edit
Etymology 1 edit
Kanji in this term | |
---|---|
如 | 何 |
いか | |
Grade: S | Grade: 2 |
jukujikun |
From Old Japanese, in turn from Proto-Japonic *e-ka. Appears in the Man'yōshū completed in 759 CE.
A surface analysis suggests a compound of い (i, uncertain element, likely the same い (i) prefix found in Old Japanese as an interrogative in いずれ (izure, “which”), いつ (itsu, “when”), etc.) + か (ka, the question marker particle).
The kanji spelling is an example of jukujikun (熟字訓), using the corresponding Chinese term 如何 (rúhé, literally “like what”) for the spelling and the underlying Japanese root word for the reading.
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
如何 • (ika) -na (adnominal 如何な (ika na), adverbial 如何に (ika ni))
Usage notes edit
Some dictionaries[2] class this as a bound morpheme. In practice, it generally conjugates and behaves as a regular -na adjective. In formal writing, this is more commonly encountered using the classical attributive form 如何なる (ika naru).
Inflection edit
Stem forms | |||
---|---|---|---|
Imperfective (未然形) | 如何だろ | いかだろ | ika daro |
Continuative (連用形) | 如何で | いかで | ika de |
Terminal (終止形) | 如何だ | いかだ | ika da |
Attributive (連体形) | 如何な | いかな | ika na |
Hypothetical (仮定形) | 如何なら | いかなら | ika nara |
Imperative (命令形) | 如何であれ | いかであれ | ika de are |
Key constructions | |||
Informal negative | 如何ではない 如何じゃない |
いかではない いかじゃない |
ika de wa nai ika ja nai |
Informal past | 如何だった | いかだった | ika datta |
Informal negative past | 如何ではなかった 如何じゃなかった |
いかではなかった いかじゃなかった |
ika de wa nakatta ika ja nakatta |
Formal | 如何です | いかです | ika desu |
Formal negative | 如何ではありません 如何じゃありません |
いかではありません いかじゃありません |
ika de wa arimasen ika ja arimasen |
Formal past | 如何でした | いかでした | ika deshita |
Formal negative past | 如何ではありませんでした 如何じゃありませんでした |
いかではありませんでした いかじゃありませんでした |
ika de wa arimasen deshita ika ja arimasen deshita |
Conjunctive | 如何で | いかで | ika de |
Conditional | 如何なら(ば) | いかなら(ば) | ika nara (ba) |
Provisional | 如何だったら | いかだったら | ika dattara |
Volitional | 如何だろう | いかだろう | ika darō |
Adverbial | 如何に | いかに | ika ni |
Degree | 如何さ | いかさ | ikasa |
Derived terms edit
Etymology 2 edit
Kanji in this term | |
---|---|
如 | 何 |
いかが | |
Grade: S | Grade: 2 |
jukujikun |
/ika ni ka/ → */ikanka/ → /ikanɡa/ → /ikaɡa/
Originally a phrase consisting of 如何 (ika, “what kind”) + に (ni, adverbial particle) + か (ka, question marker particle).[2][1]
The uncontracted form ika ni ka appears in the Man'yōshū completed in 759 CE. The fully contracted form ikaga is first cited to the Kokin Wakashū of roughly 905 CE, with evidence of a partially contracted form ikanga in The Tale of the Heike of roughly 1330.[2]
Pronunciation edit
Adverb edit
- in what manner, how
- what about... (used to make a suggestion)
Usage notes edit
The term ikaga is generally considered more formal and polite than the synonym どう (dō).
More commonly spelled in hiragana as いかが. The kanji spelling is rare.
Derived terms edit
- 如何わしい (ikagawashii): dubious, doubtful
- 如何しい (ikagashii): (archaic, possibly obsolete) dubious, doubtful
Etymology 3 edit
Kanji in this term | |
---|---|
如 | 何 |
いかん | |
Grade: S | Grade: 2 |
jukujikun |
Alternative spelling |
---|
奈何 |
/ika ni/ → /ikan/
Originally a phrase consisting of 如何 (ika, “what kind”) + に (ni, adverbial particle),[2][1] the normal adverbial form of adjective ika above.
The uncontracted form ika ni appears as an adverb in the Man'yōshū completed in 759 CE. The contracted form ikan is first cited to the early 1100s.[2]
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
- the whatevers, the whys and wherefores; however [it may be]
Adverb edit
Usage notes edit
Generally used at the end of a sentence to express doubt.
Derived terms edit
- 如何が (ikanga): in what manner, how (superseded by modern ikaga; see above)
- 如何せん (ikansen): no matter what (in a negative connotation), unfortunately
- 如何ぞ (ikanzo): howsoever, however [it may be] (more intense than ikan on its own)
- 如何とも (ikantomo): no matter what (in a negative connotation), unfortunately
Etymology 4 edit
Kanji in this term | |
---|---|
如 | 何 |
どう | |
Grade: S | Grade: 2 |
jukujikun |
For pronunciation and definitions of 如何 – see the following entry. | ||
| ||
(This term, 如何, is an alternative spelling (rare) of the above term.) |
See also edit
ko- “this” (close to speaker) |
so- “that” (close to listener) |
a- “that over there” (far from both) |
do- “which” (indeterminate, question) | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Object | これ (kore) | それ (sore) | あれ (are) | どれ (dore) |
これら (korera) | それら (sorera) | あれら (arera) | — | |
Determiner | この (kono) | その (sono) | あの (ano) | どの (dono) |
これらの (korera no) | それらの (sorera no) | あれらの (arera no) | — | |
Kind | こんな (konna) | そんな (sonna) | あんな (anna) | どんな (donna) |
こういう (kō iu) | そういう (sō iu) | ああいう (ā iu) | どういう (dō iu) | |
Place | ここ (koko) | そこ (soko) | あそこ (asoko)* | どこ (doko) |
こっから (kokkara) | そっから (sokkara) | — | どっから (dokkara) | |
Direction / Human | こちら (kochira) | そちら (sochira) | あちら (achira) | どちら (dochira) |
こなた (konata) | そなた (sonata) | あなた (anata) | どなた (donata) | |
Direction | こっち (kotchi) | そっち (sotchi) | あっち (atchi) | どっち (dotchi) |
Human | こいつ (koitsu) | そいつ (soitsu) | あいつ (aitsu) | どいつ (doitsu) |
Manner | こう (kō) | そう (sō) | ああ (ā)** | どう (dō) |
Degree | これくらい (kore kurai) | それくらい (sore kurai) | あれくらい (are kurai) | どれくらい (dore kurai) |
これだけ (kore dake) | それだけ (sore dake) | あれだけ (are dake) | どれだけ (dore dake) | |
これほど (kore hodo) | それほど (sore hodo) | あれほど (are hodo) | どれほど (dore hodo) | |
* irregular ** regular (long vowel) |