近江

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
近	江
Grade: 2	Grade: S
irregular

⟨apa umi₁⟩ → ⟨apumi₁⟩ → /apumi/ → /afumi/ → */awumi/ → /aumi/ → /ɔːmi/ → /oːmi/

From Old Japanese, first attested in the Kojiki (712 CE).

Shift from 淡海 (awaumi, “freshwater lake”).

The kanji spelling is jukujikun (熟字訓), 近 is derived from 近つ淡海 (Chika-tsu-ōmi, literally “near freshwater lake”), and 江 (Kō), both being old names for Lake Biwa.

Noun

近江(おうみ) • (ōmi) ^{←あふみ (afumi)?}

1. a freshwater lake

   Synonym: 淡水湖 (tansuiko)

Proper noun

近江(おうみ) • (Ōmi) ^{←あふみ (afumi)?}

1. short for 近江国 (Ōmi-no-kuni): Ōmi Province

   Synonym: 江州 (Gōshū)

2. another name for 琵琶湖 (Biwako, “Lake Biwa”)
3. a surname

See also

• 滋賀(しが)県(けん) (Shiga-ken)

Etymology 2

Proper noun

近江(ちかつおうみ) • (Chika-tsu-Ōmi) ^{←ちかつあふみ (tikatuafumi)?}

1. Alternative spelling of 近つ淡海 (Chika-tsu-ōmi): an old name for 琵琶湖 (Biwako, “Lake Biwa”)