Japanese Conversation · Level 98
60 words
Japanese word
語源
Pronunciation
Romajigogen
Meaning
- nounetymology
Example
この言葉の語源を調べました。ko no koto ba no go gen o shira be ma shi ta
I looked up the etymology of this word.
More examples
この表現の語源は古い方言にあります。ko no hyō gen no go gen wa furu i hō gen ni a ri ma su
This expression's etymology can be traced to an old dialect.
Core concept
Traces a word back to the earlier form or source from which its meaning and shape developed.
Common phrases
語源を調べるgo gen o shira be ru
look up the etymology
語源をたどるgo gen o ta do ru
trace the etymology
語源が同じgo gen ga ona ji
have the same etymology
Similar words
由来yurai: The origin and background that explain how something came to exist.
Definition in Japanese
言葉がどのように成り立ち、現在の形や意味になったかという由来。koto ba ga do no yō ni na ri ta chi gen zai no katachi ya i mi ni na tta ka to i u yu rai
Word origin
The Sino-Japanese compound 語 (go, "word") + 源 (gen, "source") literally means the source of a word.
Usage tips
- In Japanese, 語源 (gogen) applies to native words as well as borrowed words, so it does not by itself imply an origin outside Japan.
Related words
- 語源的gogentekietymologicalna-adjective