念珠

See also: 唸珠

Contents

Chinese

		to miss; to think of; to read to miss; to think of; to read; to study (a subject); to attend (a school); to read aloud; idea; remembrance; twenty	pearl; bead
trad. (念珠/唸珠)		念/唸	珠
simp. (念珠)		念	珠

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): niànzhū

  (Zhuyin): ㄋㄧㄢˋ ㄓㄨ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): nim⁶ zyu¹
• Min Nan (POJ): liām-chu

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Pinyin: niànzhū
    • Zhuyin: ㄋㄧㄢˋ ㄓㄨ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: niannju
    • IPA ^(key): /ni̯ɛn⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, erhua-ed)⁺
    • Pinyin: niànzhūr
    • Zhuyin: ㄋㄧㄢˋ ㄓㄨㄦ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: niannjul
    • IPA ^(key): /ni̯ɛn⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂuɻ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: nim⁶ zyu¹
    • Yale: nihm jyū
    • Cantonese Pinyin: nim⁶ dzy¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: nim⁶ ju¹
    • IPA ^(key): /niːm²² t͡ʃyː⁵⁵/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: liām-chu
    • Tâi-lô: liām-tsu
    • Phofsit Daibuun: liaxmzw
    • IPA (Xiamen): /liam²²⁻²¹ t͡su⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /liam⁴¹⁻²² t͡su³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /liam²²⁻²¹ t͡su⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /liam³³⁻¹¹ t͡su⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /liam³³⁻²¹ t͡su⁴⁴/

Noun

念珠

1. prayer beads; rosary
2. bead

Synonyms

• (prayer bead): 數珠／数珠 (shùzhū); (Min Nan) 捾珠

Derived terms

• 念珠菌 (niànzhūjūn)

• 念珠菌症 (niànzhūjūnzhèng)

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Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
念	珠
ねん Grade: 4	す > ず Grade: S
on’yomi

From Middle Chinese compound 念珠 (nem^H t͡ɕio, literally “thinking + pearls”), in reference to “beads used for thinking [about the Buddha]”: that is, prayer beads, a rosary. The goon reading, so likely the earliest borrowing. Note that the second character 珠 has a goon reading of su. The su changes to zu as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

• On’yomi: Goon
  • (Tokyo) ね​んず [néꜜǹzù] (Atamadaka – [1])
  • IPA^(key): [nẽ̞nd͡zɨᵝ]

Noun

念珠 (hiragana ねんず, rōmaji nenzu)

1. prayer beads, rosary

Usage notes

The reading nenzu is a homophone with several terms of related meanings:

• the older reading of the term 念誦 (nenzu), meaning “the act of focusing on the image of the Buddha within one's mind, and reciting or chanting the sutras or the name of Buddha”.
• the classical Japanese verb 念ず (nenzu) (modern 念ずる nenzuru or 念じる nenjiru) meaning “to pray, to pray for safety and protection, to recite silently (a prayer, chant, sutra, or the name of Buddha)”.
• the classical Japanese verb 捻ず or 拈ず (nenzu, obsolete in modern Japanese), meaning “to twist or twirl, to pinch or pick with the fingers”, much as one would twist or pinch the beads of the rosary.

Both the nenzu and nenju readings are still in use. Nenju appears to be more common.

Synonyms

• 数珠 (juzu, zuzu)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
念	珠
ねん Grade: 4	しゅ > じゅ Grade: S
on’yomi

Alteration of nenzu above, using the kan'on reading of shu for the 珠 character. The shu changes to ju as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

• On’yomi
  • (Tokyo) ね​んじゅ [néꜜǹjù] (Atamadaka – [1])
  • IPA^(key): [nẽ̞ɲ̟d͡ʑɨᵝ]

Noun

念珠 (hiragana ねんじゅ, rōmaji nenju)

1. prayer beads, rosary

Usage notes

The reading nenju is a homophone with the relatively newer reading of the term 念誦 (nenju), meaning “the act of focusing on the image of the Buddha within one's mind, and reciting or chanting the sutras or the name of Buddha”.

Both the nenzu and nenju readings are still in use. Nenju appears to be more common.

Synonyms

• 数珠 (juzu, zuzu)

References

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Korean

Hanja in this term
念	珠

Noun

念珠 • (yeomju) (hangeul 염주)

1. Hanja form^? of 염주 (“prayer beads, rosary”).