言葉

Japanese
Kanji in this term
言 葉
こと
Grade: 2		 は > ば
Grade: 3
kun’yomi

Alternative forms
The alternative forms are used almost exclusively in compounds.

Etymology

Compound of 言 (koto, “word”) +‎ 端 (ha, “edge; beginning, end”).[1] The ha changes to ba as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

The term 言 (koto) was formerly the main term for word in Japanese. This term is also cognate with 事 (koto, “thing, fact, event”). The ha may have been added to differentiate from 事 (koto).

The 葉 spelling is an example of ateji (当て字).

Pronunciation

Noun

言葉 (hiragana ことば, rōmaji kotoba)

  1. a word, a term
    • 1996 February 16, Kanari, Yozaburo; Sato, Fumiya, “ファイル12　蝋ろう人にん形ぎょう城じょう殺さつ人じん事じ件けん⑭ [File 12: The Wax Model Castle Murder Case ⑭]”, in 金きん田だ一いち少しょう年ねんの事じ件けん簿ぼ [Young Kindaichi Case Files], volume 16 (fiction), Tokyo: Kodansha, →ISBN:
      その中 (なか)に「レッドラム」という言 (こと)葉 (ば)が出 (で)てくるんですよ！
      Sono naka ni “reddoramu” to iu kotoba ga dete kurun desu yo!
      It means the word “redrum” appears in there!
    • 2003 October 17, CLAMP, “Chapitreシャピトル.8 神かみの宿やどる国くに [Chapitre.8 Homeland of the Gods]”, in ツバサ ＲＥＳＥＲＶｏｉｒ ＣＨＲｏＮｉＣＬＥ [Tsubasa: RESERVoir CHRoNiCLE], volume 2 (fiction), Tokyo: Kodansha, →ISBN, page 78:
      耳 (みみ)が変 (へん)になったわけじゃない！でも　急 (きゅう)に言 (こと)葉 (ば)が通 (つう)じなくなるなんて⁉
      Mimi ga hen ni natta wake ja nai! Demo kyū ni kotoba ga tsūjinaku naru nan te⁉
      There’s nothing wrong with my ears, is there? How come all of a sudden I can’t understand a word they say⁉
    • 2016 July 22, “歓かん喜きする信しん者じゃ [Exultant Cultist]”, in 異界月 [Eldritch Moon], Wizards of the Coast:
      溺 (でき)墓 (ぼ)の寺 (じ)院 (いん)から流 (なが)れる意 (い)味 (み)不 (ふ)明 (めい)の詠 (えい)唱 (しょう)の中 (なか)から、ジェイスは言 (こと)葉 (ば)を一 (ひと)つだけ聞 (き)き取 (と)った……「エムラクール」。
      Dekibo no jiin kara nagareru imi fumei no eishō no naka kara, Jeisu wa kotoba o hitotsu dake kikitotta…… “Emurakūru”.
      Amid the gibbering chorus that rose from the drownyard temple, Jace recognized a single word…… “Emrakul.”
  2. language, speech

Synonyms

Derived terms
Derived 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
  • 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.
  • 1998, 広辞苑 (Kōjien), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
  • 2002, Yasuo Kitahara, 明鏡国語辞典 (Meikyō Kokugo Jiten), First Edition (in Japanese), Tokyo: Taishūkan Shoten, →ISBN
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