木偶の坊
Japanese edit
Kanji in this term | ||
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木 | 偶 | 坊 |
Grade: 1 | Grade: S | ぼう Grade: S |
irregular | on’yomi |
Alternative spelling |
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でくの坊 |
Etymology edit
Phrase consisting of 木偶 (deku, “wooden puppet”) + の (no, possessive particle) + 坊 (bō, term of endearment). The deku portion is of unknown origin and may have arisen as a standalone term later than as a part of a compound. Theories include:
- Alteration from 出狂坊/出来坊 (dekurubō), used synonymously, in turn from 出狂坊 (dekuruibō), literally "little one who has gone mad".
- From 手 (te, “hand”) + 傀儡 (kugutsu, “puppet”) + の + 坊, through dekurubō.
- From Sino-Japanese 泥偶 (deigū, “clay doll”) + の + 坊.
The third theory is problematic semantically and does not account for the intermediary dekurubō pronunciation.[1]
Pronunciation edit
Noun edit
References edit
- ^ 語源由来辞典 Gogen Yurai Jiten
- ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
- ^ 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), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN