やぎ

Japanese

Pronunciation
  • Pitch accent is unknown for the surnames; for the willow sense, pitch accent depends on the compound word
  • (Tokyo) や​ぎ [yáꜜgì] (Atamadaka – [1])[1] – for the goat sense
  • IPA(key): [ja̠ɡʲi]

Etymology 1

Alternative spelling
柳

From Old Japanese. First attested in the Man'yōshū of 759.[2]

Ultimate derivation unclear. Theories include:

Generally only found in compounds.

Noun

やぎ • (yagi) 

  1. [from 759] willow tree

Further reading

Etymology 2

Alternative spellings
山羊
野羊 (less common)
山羊・野羊 (yagi): a goat.

Ultimate derivation unclear. Theories include:

  • Shift from 野牛 (yagyū, “wild cattle”), from a vague resemblance between the two creatures.
  • From Middle Chinese 羊 (MC jɨɐŋ) + い (i, possible epenthesis; see also development of 銭 (zeni) from older sen), with resultant /jiaŋi/ realizing in Japanese phonology as yagi.

Might only be attested in Japanese since 1523.[3]

The kanji spellings, either 山 (“mountain”) + 羊 (“sheep”) or 野 (“field; wild”) + 羊 (“sheep”), are examples of jukujikun (熟字訓).

Noun

やぎ or ヤギ • (yagi) 

  1. [from 1523?] a goat (animal)
    • 2000 April 20, “深(ふか)き森(もり)の長老(ちょうろう) (fukaki mori no chōrō) [Elder of the Deep Woods]”, in Magic Ruler －魔法の支配者－, Konami:
      昔(むかし)から森(もり)に住(す)んでいる白(しろ)ヤギ。真(しん)の姿(すがた)は森(もり)の長(ちょう)老(ろう)。
      Mukashi kara mori ni sundeiru shiroyagi. Shin no sugata wa Mori no Chōrō.
      A white goat who has dwelt in the woods since ancient times. Its true visage is as an Elder of the Woods.
Usage notes

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as ヤギ.

Further reading

Etymology 3

The reading of various names.

For pronunciation and definitions of やぎ – see the following entries.
【八木】
[proper noun] a surname
【屋宜】
[proper noun] a surname
(This term, やぎ, is an alternative spelling of the above terms.)

(The following entries are uncreated: 矢木, 八記, 八樹, 矢儀, 八代, 野寄, 矢樹, 屋木, 柳吉, 矢城, 八鬼, 谷木, 八城, 矢来, 箭木.)

References
  1. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  2. “柳”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎ (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000, →ISBN
  3. “山羊・野羊”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎ (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000, →ISBN
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.