け

• IPA^(key): [ke̞]

Derived in the Heian period from writing the man'yōgana kanji 計 in the cursive sōsho style. Variants include those derived by similar process from 个, 介, 遣, 希, 稀 and 気.

け (romaji ke)

1. The hiragana syllable け (ke). Its equivalent in katakana is ケ (ke). It is the ninth syllable in the gojūon order; its position is か行え段 (ka-gyō e-dan, “row ka, section e”).

• げ (ge)

• (Hiragana) 平仮名; あぁ, いぃ, うぅゔ, えぇ, おぉ, かゕが, きぎ, くぐ, けゖげ, こご, さざ, しじ, すず, せぜ, そぞ, ただ, ちぢ, つっづ, てで, とど, な, に, ぬ, ね, の, はばぱ, ひびぴ, ふぶぷ, へべぺ, ほぼぽ, ま, み, む, め, も, やゃ, ゆゅ, よょ, ら, り, る, れ, ろ, わゎ, ゐ, ゑ, を, ん, ー, ゝ, ゞ, ゟ

/kai/ → /keː/ → /ke/

From earlier けえ (kē), in turn a sound shift from かい (kai).[1]

• IPA^(key): [ke̞]

け (rōmaji ke)

1. (informal, intimate, sometimes considered dialectal) (question particle)

/koi/ → /keː/ → /ke/

け (rōmaji ke)

1. (Kagoshima, dialectal) come! (imperative form, equivalent to mainland 来 (こ)い (koi))
   • 1984 February 15, Murakami, Motoka, “またいつか、勝しょう負ぶの日ひまでの巻まき [One Day, We’ll Face off Again]”, in 六ム三サ四シの剣けん [Musashi’s Sword], volume 13 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 77:

     よかか…オイのなは日ひ高だか剣けん介すけ…くやしかったら鹿児島カゴッマセェけこい‼いっでんいつでも勝しょう負ぶしてやっで‼

     Yoka ka… Oi no na wa Hidaka Kensuke… Kuyashikattara Kagomma sē ke‼ Idden shōbu shite yadde‼

     Awrite… Mah name’s Hidaka Kensuke… Come to Kagoshima when yer ready‼ Ah’ll be waitin’ to settle witcha again‼