Reconstruction:Proto-Japonic/kuru

This Proto-Japonic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Japonic

Etymology 1

Verb

*kuru

1. to give

Descendants

• Old Japanese: 呉 (kuru)
  • Japanese: 呉れる, くれる (kureru)
• Proto-Ryukyuan: *kure
  • Northern Ryukyuan:
    • Kikai: 呉りゆい (kuriyui)
    • Kunigami: 呉ーるん (kīrun)
    • Northern Amami-Oshima: 呉りぃるり (kurïruri)
    • Okinawan: 呉ゆん (kwiyun)
    • Oki-No-Erabu: 呉りゆん (kuriyun)
    • Southern Amami-Oshima: 呉りぃゆむっ (kurïyum)
    • Toku-No-Shima: 呉ーりぃ (kwïïrï)
    • Yoron: 呉りゅん (kuryun)
  • Southern Ryukyuan:
    • Miyako: 呉ーㇲ゙ (fīz)
    • Yaeyama: 呉ーるん (hīrun)
    • Yonaguni: 呉ゆん (hiyun)

Etymology 2

The core underlying meaning seems to be spin; turn around and around, as in Japanese adverb くるるに (kururu ni) and related vowel-shifted root *koro and derivations such as Japanese 転ぶ (korobu, “to tumble, to fall over”) and 転がる (korogaru, “to roll, to roll around”).

The derived sense of go mad (verb) and painful (adjective) arose from the way that someone suffering from convulsions would often turn around and around.

Root

*kuru

1. to spin; to turn around and around

Derived terms

• *kuruma (“wheel; car”)

Descendants

• Old Japanese: くるるに (kururu ni, “spinningly, turningly”), 狂ふ (kurupu, “go mad”), 苦し (kurusi, “painful, stressful, excruciating”)
  • Japanese: 狂う (kuruu), 苦しい (kurushii)
• Japanese: くるくる (kurukuru, “spinningly”)
• Old Japanese: 繰 (kuru, “to spin a thread”)
  • Japanese: 繰る (kuru)
• Proto-Ryukyuan: *kuri (“to spin a thread”)
  • Northern Ryukyuan:
    • Kunigami: 繰ん (kun)
    • Northern Amami-Oshima: 繰るり (kururi)
    • Okinawan: 繰ゆん (kuyun)
    • Yoron: 繰ゆん (kuyun)
  • Southern Ryukyuan:
    • ⇒ Miyako: 手繰ぃ (tavï) (< *taguri)
    • Yaeyama: 繰るん (kurun)
• Proto-Ryukyuan: *kuru (“painful”)
  • Northern Ryukyuan:
    • Kikai: 苦さい (-gurusai) (only used as a suffix)
    • Kunigami: 苦ーせん (-gurūsen, -gurīsen) (only used as a suffix)
    • Northern Amami-Oshima: 苦しゃり (xurushari)
    • Okinawan: 苦さん (kurisan)
    • Oki-No-Erabu: 苦しゃん (gurushan)
    • Southern Amami-Oshima: 苦しさむっ (gurushisam) (possibly a Japanese loanword)
    • Toku-No-Shima: 苦しゃい (xurushai), 苦い (goroi)
    • Yoron: 苦しゃん (gusshan, gurushan)
  • Southern Ryukyuan:
    • Miyako: 苦 (guri)
    • Yaeyama: 苦しゃーん (kurishān)
    • ⇒ Yonaguni: 息苦さん (itigurisan) (< *eki-guri-sa)