水無月

Japanese
Kanji in this term
水 無 月
み
Grade: 1		 な
Grade: 4		 つき > づき
Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old Japanese, a compound of 水 (mi, “water”) +‎ な (na, alternative form of possessive particle の (no)) +‎ 月 (tsuki, “month”).[1][2] The tsuki changes to zuki as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Originally referred to the month in which water had to be added to the rice paddies.[1][2]

The use of the kanji 無 (“not, none”) for the na portion is an example of phonetic ateji (当て字).[1][2]

Pronunciation

Noun

水無月 (hiragana みなづき, rōmaji minazuki)

  1. (archaic) the sixth month of the lunar calendar
  2. (poetic) the month of water: June

Derived terms
  • 水 (み)無 (な)月 (づき)会 (え) (Minazukie)
  • 水 (み)無 (な)月 (づき)祓 (ばらえ) (minazuki-barae)
  • 青 (あお)水 (み)無 (な)月 (づき) (aominazuki)
  • 水 (み)無 (な)月 (づき)の能 (のう) (Minazuki no Nō)

Coordinate terms

See also

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
  3. 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN

Old Japanese

Alterantive forms

Etymology

Compound of 水 (mi1, “water”) +‎ な (na, apophonic form of possessive particle の (no2)) +‎ 月 (tuki2, “month”).

Noun

水無月 (mi1naduki2) (kana みなづき)

  1. the sixth month of the lunar calendar
    • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 10, poem 1995)
      六月之地副割而照日尓毛吾袖将乾哉於君不相四手
      mi1naduki2 no2 tuti sape2 sake2te terupi1 ni mo waga so1de pi2me2 ya ki1mi1 ni apazusite
      (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Descendants
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