Japanese edit

Etymology edit

Kanji in this term
こば
Grade: S
kun’yomi

From Old Japanese. First attested in the Nihon Shoki of 720 CE.[1]

According to Samuel Martin, appears to be a fusion of kopa-, the stem of adjective 強し (kopasi, stiff, hard) + 阻む (habamu, to obstruct, prevent, thwart).[2] However, the term habamu is not attested until 830,[3] while related intransitive term 憚る (habakaru, to be put off, to be deterred, to hesitate) is attested since 720.[4]

Pronunciation edit

Verb edit

(こば) (kobamugodan (stem (こば) (kobami), past (こば)んだ (kobanda))

  1. [from 720] to refuse (to do) something, to reject something
    Synonyms: 断る (kotowaru), 否む (inamu)
    Antonyms: 受け取る (uketoru), 受け入れる (ukeireru), 認める (mitomeru)
  2. [from 885] to block or obstruct
    Synonyms: 妨げる (samatageru), 防ぐ (fusegu), 阻む (habamu)

Conjugation edit

References edit

  1. ^ ”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, Nihon Kokugo Daijiten)[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
  2. ^ Martin, Samuel E. (1987) The Japanese Language Through Time, New Haven, London: Yale University Press, →ISBN, page 710
  3. ^ 阻・沮”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, Nihon Kokugo Daijiten)[2] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
  4. ^ ”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, Nihon Kokugo Daijiten)[3] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
  5. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN