み


み U+307F, み
HIRAGANA LETTER MI
← ま
[U+307E] 		Hiragana む →
[U+3080]

Japanese
Stroke order

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): [mʲi]

Etymology 1

Derived in the Heian period from writing the man'yōgana kanji 美 in the cursive sōsho style.

Syllable

み (romaji mi)

  1. The hiragana syllable み (mi). Its equivalent in katakana is ミ (mi). It is the thirty-second syllable in the gojūon order; its position is ま行い段 (ma-gyō i-dan, “row ma, section i”).
See also

Etymology 2
For pronunciation and definitions of み – see the following entries.
【未】4
[prefix]un-; in- (not yet)
[proper noun]the Sheep, the eighth of the twelve Earthly Branches
【味】3
[noun]a flavour (UK)/flavor (US), taste
[suffix]counter for kinds of food, drink, medicine, etc.
[suffix](after an i-adjective stem) Alternative spelling of み (mi): -ness
[affix]flavor, taste
[affix]tasting, savoring
[affix]taste, savor
[affix]Alternative spelling of 身 (mi): body part
【弥】S
[affix]Used in transliterations.
【魅】S
[affix]charm; fascination
【眉】S
[affix]eyebrow
【美】3
[affix]beauty; beautiful
[suffix]suffix used by female given names, such as 奈美(なみ, Nami), 恵美(えみ, Emi; めぐみ, Megumi), 宏美(ひろみ, Hiromi)
[suffix](rare) suffix used by male given names
【微】S
[affix]tiny; small; minute
(This term, み, is the hiragana spelling of several Sino-Japanese terms.)
For a list of all kanji with on'yomi み, not just those used in Sino-Japanese terms, see Category:Japanese kanji with on reading み.

Etymology 3

Noun

み (rōmaji mi)

  1. 身: body
  2. 実: fruit; nut; content

Etymology 4

Numeral

み (rōmaji mi)

  1. 三: three

Etymology 5

Prefix

み (rōmaji mi-)

  1. 御, 美, 深: honorific prefix

Noun

み (rōmaji mi)

  1. 霊, 神: spirit; god

Etymology 6

Noun

み (rōmaji mi)

  1. 見: seeing; look; view

Etymology 7

Noun

み (rōmaji mi)

  1. 箕:

Etymology 8

Noun

み (rōmaji mi)

  1. 巳: the Snake, the sixth of the twelve Earthly Branches

Etymology 9

From Old Japanese. ⟨mi1⟩ → /mi/

Suffix

み (rōmaji -mi)

  1. 味: (after an i-adjective stem) -ness; any degree of being
    暖 (あたた)かみ、厚 (あつ)み、面白 (おもしろ)み
    atatakami, atsumi, omoshiromi
    warmth, thickness, interest
  2. (after an i-adjective stem) place
    高 (たか)み、明 (あか)るみ、深 (ふか)み
    takami, akarumi, fukami
    high place, bright place, deep place
Usage notes

Sense 1 is sometimes confused or conflated with Sino-Japanese 味 (mi, “taste, flavor”), hence the ateji spelling.

See also

Etymology 10

From Old Japanese. ⟨mi1⟩ → /mi/

Considered to be from the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of 見る (miru, “to try, to attempt”).[1]

Suffix

み (rōmaji -mi)

  1. (after verbs with opposite meanings in the ren'yōkei continuative or -zu negative continuative) indicates alternation of action or state, equivalent to the modern expression …たり…たり (…tari …tari)
    降 (ふ)りみ降 (ふ)らずみ
    furimi furazumi
    sometimes raining and sometimes not raining → raining on and off
    照 (て)りみ曇 (くも)りみ
    terimi kumorimi
    sometimes shiny and sometimes cloudy

Etymology 11

Old Japanese. ⟨mi1⟩ → /mi/. Only used in waka since Early Middle Japanese.[2]

Suffix

み (rōmaji -mi)

  1. (obsolete, after an i-adjective stem) as; because
    山 (やま)を高 (たか)み
    yama o takami
    as/because the mountain is high
  2. (obsolete, after an i-adjective stem) Forms an adverbial clause: being
    山 (やま)を高 (たか)み
    yama o takami
    the mountain being high
  3. (obsolete, after an i-adjective stem) Expresses thinking or feeling, followed by verbs like 思ふ and す.

References
  1. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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