何

何 (canonical)
nani (romanization)
なん (alternative hiragana)

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *n-anu-.

that thing (used in place of words you can't remember at the moment.)


俺

俺 (canonical)
俺 (canonical)
ore (romanization)

Daijirin
Kamakura period
Kojiki
Muromachi period

From Old Japanese. Originally a second person pronoun, as used in the Kojiki of 712 CE. Thought to have gradually changed into a first person pronoun from roughly the Kamakura and Muromachi periods. Some scholars, however, point out the lack of precedent of a second-person pronoun shifting to a first-person pronoun as an etymological discontinuity; they instead explain the first-person usage as an early corruption of 己 (onore, “I, me”), with the ancient second-person usage perhaps deriving of a different root.

おれら

orera, explicitly plural first- or second-person pronoun

1905, Natsume Sōseki, 吾輩は猫である [I Am a Cat]:

My owner, who had until then been silent, suddenly seemed to take interest in the photo and asked "Hey, let me see it too."

最前から黙っていた主人はこの時急に写真が見たくなったものと見えて「おい俺にもちょっと覧せろ」と云う

saizen kara damatte ita shujin wa kono toki kyū ni shashin ga mitaku natta mono to miete “oi ore ni mo chotto misero” to iu


誰

/tare/ → /dare/
From earlier tare.
The dare form appears from around the Edo period. The voicing of the initial /t-/ to /d-/ is likely by analogy with other interrogative demonstratives 何れ (dore, “which one”), 何処 (doko, “where”). See etymology 2
Now the primary form, replacing earlier tare.

誰が誰を作ったのか

お前は…誰だ？俺は どうしてここに来た？あいつに…あいつに会うために来た。助けるために来た。生きていてほしかった。誰だ？誰？誰に会いに来た？大事な人、忘れたくない人、忘れちゃダメな人！誰だ？誰だ？誰だ…誰だ⁉名前は⁉

2016, Makoto Shinkai, director, 君の名は。 [your name.], spoken by Taki Tachibana (Ryūnosuke Kamiki), Toho:

Who… are you? Why did I come here? To see her… I came to see her. I came to save her. I wanted her to live. Who was it? Who? Who did I come to see? Someone dear to me, someone I don't wanna forget, someone I must not forget! Who was it? Who was it? Who was it… Who⁉ What's your name⁉

O-mae wa… dare da? Ore wa dōshite koko ni kita? Aitsu ni… Aitsu ni au tame ni kita. Tasukeru tame ni kita. Ikite ite hoshikatta. Dare da? Dare da? Dare ni ai ni kita? Daiji na hito, wasuretakunai hito, wasurecha dame na hito! Dare da? Dare da? Dare da… Dare da⁉ Namae wa⁉

誰？誰？あの人は誰？大事な人、忘れちゃダメな人、忘れたくなかった人！誰？誰？君は誰？君の名前は⁉

2016, Makoto Shinkai, director, 君の名は。 [your name.], spoken by Mitsuha Miyamizu (Mone Kamishiraishi), Toho:

Who was it? Who? Who was he? Someone I hold dear, someone I must not forget, someone I did not want to forget! Who was he? Who? Who are you? What is your name⁉

Dare? Dare? Ano hito wa dare? Daiji na hito, wasurecha dame na hito, wasuretakunakatta hito! Dare? Dare? Kimi wa dare? Kimi no namae wa⁉

interrogative personal pronoun: who, whom


誰

From Old Japanese, first attested in the Kojiki (712 CE) alongside its older form ta (see below).
Derived from older 誰 (ta, “who”) + れ (re, “thing”, demonstrative nominalizer ending). Compare the formation of これ (kore, “this”) from 此 (ko, “this”) + れ, 彼 (kare, “that one, that person”) from 彼 (ka, “that”) + れ (re), etc.
Superseded by dare above starting from around the Edo period. The tare form does not appear to be used anymore outside of poetry or intentionally archaic text.

(archaic) interrogative personal pronoun: who, whom


誰

From Old Japanese, first attested in the Kojiki, completed roughly 712 CE.
Appears to be the oldest form.

(obsolete, persists in some fossilized expressions) interrogative personal pronoun: who, whom


の

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

ja-kana-mannyogana-etym

The hiragana syllable の (no). Its equivalent in katakana is ノ (no). It is the twenty-fifth syllable in the gojūon order; its position is な行お段 (na-gyō o-dan, “row na, section o”).


の

⟨no₂⟩ → */nə/ → /no/
From Old Japanese の (no₂), in turn from Proto-Japonic *nə. Appears in common use in the Kojiki (712 CE). Perhaps also cognate with *nə, an element found in some Old Korean place names spelled as 乃 and 仍.
May be an apophonic form of Old Japanese particle な (na). This other form also appears in a similar function. However, its usage was already restricted to certain set expressions by the time of the earliest Japanese texts in the Nara period, with no clear examples of productive use. These appears to be adjacent to the vowels /a/, /o/, or /u/, suggesting na was an assimilated version of no.
In Old Japanese, there are three particles used productively to mark one noun modifying another:
* つ (tsu), as in 沖つ島守 (oki tsu shimamori, “the caretaker or watchman of an island of the offing [offshore]”) or 黄泉つ国 (yomo tsu kuni, “the country of the underworld”).
* が (ga), as in 関ヶ原 (Sekigahara, a placename, parseable as seki “checkpoint, barrier” + ga [possessive] + hara “field, plain”)
* の (no), as in 倭の一本薄 (Yamato no hitomoto susuki, “the sawtooth sedge of Yamato”, a line from one of the songs in the Kojiki)
The apophonic form な (na) persisted only as an element in certain compounds, such as 港 (minato, “harbor”, generally parsed as mi “water” + na [possessive] + to “door, gate” → port, landing, harbor), or 掌 (tanagokoro, “palm of the hand”, parsed as ta “hand” + na [possessive] + kokoro “heart, center”, changing to gokoro due to rendaku).

不可能じゃないの？

聞いてんの？

a sentence ending that indicates emphasis or a question, depending on intonation

私の電話番号は 0 9 0 の 1 2 3 4 の 5 6 7 8 です。

Watashi no denwa bangō wa zero kyū zero no ichi ni san yon no go roku nana hachi desu.

As a separator when reading telephone numbers.


形容詞

From 形容 (keiyō, “description; form”) + 詞 (-shi, “word; part of speech”).
First cited to 1870.

suf

(grammar) an -i adjective: specific to Japanese grammar, an adjective with an attributive form that ends in い (-i)


名詞

一般名詞: common noun

一般名詞 いっぱんめいし


何時

Compound of 何 (nan, “what”) + 時 (toki, “time”). The toki changes to doki as an instance of rendaku (連濁).


動名詞

Blend of 動詞 (dōshi, “verb”) + 名詞 (meishi, “noun”).


いくつ

いくつ欲しいのか。


形容動詞

形容動詞 (canonical)
keiyō dōshi (romanization)

Compound of 形容(けいよう) (keiyō, “description; form”) + 動詞(どうし) (dōshi, “verb”).

ja-com

(grammar) な-adjective: specific to Japanese grammar, an adjective with an attributive form that ends in な (na-)

Kōjien
Nihon Kokugo Daijiten
Shinmura Izuru
ja:形容動詞


何歳

何 (なん, nan, “what”) + 歳 (さい, sai, “age”)

com

何歳ですか？

How old are you? (Literally, "what age are you?")


普通名詞

普通名詞 (canonical)
futsū meishi (romanization)

[ɸɯ̟̊t͡sɨː me̞ːɕi]

普通 (futsū, “common”) + 名詞 (meishi, “noun”)


なに

これを見て、舟より下りて、「山の名を何（なに）とか申」と問ふ。女答へていはく、「これは蓬萊の山なり」と答ふ。

c. late 9th-mid-10th century, Taketori Monogatari:

Seeing this, having gotten off the ship, he asked "What do you call this mountain?" The woman answered, "This is the Hōrai mountain".

なに仰る。いま金すこしにこそあなれ。かならずをくるべき物にこそあなれ。


助動詞

助 (“to help”) + 動詞 (“verb”), literally “helping verb”

af

(non-Japanese and non-Korean grammar) an auxiliary verb


固有名詞

ja-noun

固(こ)有(ゆう)名(めい)詞(し) • (koyū meishi) ^(←こいうめいし (koiumeisi)?)

固有名詞 (canonical)
koyū meishi (romanization)
koiumeisi (romanization)
こいうめいし (hiragana historical)

固有 (koyū, “characteristic”) + 名詞 (meishi, “noun”)


代名詞

代名詞 (canonical)
daimeishi (romanization)

From 代 (dai, “replacement”) + 名詞 (meishi, “noun”), as it stands in for a noun.


自動詞

Compound of 自動 (jidō, “self-moving, self-acting”) + 詞 (shi, “word; part of speech”).

Daijirin
Daijisen
Intransitive verb
Kyōsuke Kindaichi
ja:松村明
ja:自動詞


他動詞

Compound of 他動 (tadō, “other-moving, other-acting”) + 詞 (shi, “word; part of speech”).

Daijirin
Daijisen
Kyōsuke Kindaichi
Transitive verb
ja:他動詞
ja:松村明


何方

何方 (canonical)
izuchi (romanization)
iduti (romanization)
いづち (hiragana historical)

/iduti/ → /izuti/. Compound of interrogative pronoun いづ (izu) and directional suffix ち (chi).

「「龍の頚の玉取りえずは、歸り來な」とのたまへば、いづちもいづちも、足の向きたらん方へいなむ。かゝるすき事をしたまふこと」と、そしりあへり。

(please add an English translation of this quotation)

indefinite interrogative directional pronoun; which direction, where


限定形容詞

ja-noun

限(げん)定(てい)形(けい)容(よう)詞(し) • (genteikeiyōshi)

限定形容詞 (canonical)
genteikeiyōshi (romanization)

attributive adjective
attributive adjective


叙述形容詞

叙(じょ)述(じゅつ)形(けい)容(よう)詞(し) • (jojutsukeiyōshi)

叙述形容詞 (canonical)
jojutsukeiyōshi (romanization)

predicative adjective
predicative adjective


っけ

この単語の意味は何でしたっけ？

What was the meaning of this word, again?

へー、そうだったっけ。

again? particle indicating that the speaker is trying to recall some information


何番目

what number (in an order), whatth, how manyth


何曜日

ja-pos

何(なん)曜(よう)日(び) • (nan'yōbi) ^(←なんえうび (nan'eubi)?)

何曜日 (canonical)
nan'yōbi (romanization)
nan'eubi (romanization)
なんえうび (hiragana historical)

[nã̠ɰ̃jo̞ːbʲi]

Compound of 何 (nan, “which”) + 曜日 (yōbi, “day of the week”)

compound

今日は何曜日ですか？


俺達

俺 (ore, “I; me”) + 達 (-tachi, plural marker)


可算名詞

可算名詞 (canonical)
kasan meishi (romanization)

From 可算(かさん) (kasan, “countable”) + 名詞(めいし) (meishi, “noun”).


不可算名詞

ja-noun

不(ふ)可(か)算(さん)名(めい)詞(し) • (fukasan meishi)

不可算名詞 (canonical)
fukasan meishi (romanization)

From 不可算(ふかさん) (fukasan, “uncountable”) + 名詞(めいし) (meishi, “noun”).


規則動詞

規則動詞 (canonical)
kisoku dōshi (romanization)


不規則動詞

ja-noun

不(ふ)規(き)則(そく)動(どう)詞(し) • (fukisoku dōshi)

不規則動詞 (canonical)
fukisoku dōshi (romanization)

[ɸɯ̟̊kʲi̥so̞kɯ̟ do̞ːɕi]


補助動詞

補助動詞 (canonical)
hojo dōshi (romanization)

Coordinate term: 補助形容詞

a free Japanese verb (自立語 (jiritsugo)) that can be grammaticalized by being attached to an inflectional form of another 用言 (yōgen, “inflected word”)


何月

[nã̠ŋɡa̠t͡sɨ]


何日

[nã̠ɲ̟ːit͡ɕi]


何色

ja-pos

何(なん)色(しょく) • (nanshoku) ^(←なんしよく (nansyoku)?)

何色 (canonical)
nanshoku (romanization)
nansyoku (romanization)
なんしよく (hiragana historical)

[nã̠ɰ̃ɕo̞kɯ̟]


どれだけ

何れ丈: how long?; how much?; to what extent?


何回

何(なん)回(かい) • (nankai) ^(←なんくわい (nankwai)?)

何回 (canonical)
nankai (romanization)
nankwai (romanization)
なんくわい (hiragana historical)

何回試してみても同じだ。

No matter how many times I try, it's the same result.


第一形容詞

ja-noun

第(だい)一(いち)形(けい)容(よう)詞(し) • (daiichi keiyōshi)

第一形容詞 (canonical)
daiichi keiyōshi (romanization)

第一 (“first”) + 形容詞 (“adjective”), literally “first adjective”

af

a Classical Japanese adjective with ク活用 (ku-katsuyō, “ku-inflection”)


第二形容詞

ja-noun

第(だい)二(に)形(けい)容(よう)詞(し) • (daini keiyōshi)

第二形容詞 (canonical)
daini keiyōshi (romanization)

第二 (“second”) + 形容詞 (“adjective”), literally “second adjective”

af

a Classical Japanese adjective with シク活用 (shiku-katsuyō, “shiku-inflection”)


変格活用

ja-noun

変(へん)格(かく)活(かつ)用(よう) • (henkaku katsuyō) ^(←へんかくくゎつよう (fenkaku kwatuyou)?)

変格活用 (canonical)
henkaku katsuyō (romanization)
fenkaku kwatuyou (romanization)
へんかくくゎつよう (hiragana historical)

[hẽ̞ŋka̠kɯ̟̊ ka̠t͡sɨjo̞ː]

a Japanese verbal inflection that is considered irregular


正格活用

正(せい)格(かく)活(かつ)用(よう) • (seikaku katsuyō) ^(←せいかくくゎつよう (seikaku kwatuyou)?)

正格活用 (canonical)
seikaku katsuyō (romanization)
seikaku kwatuyou (romanization)
せいかくくゎつよう (hiragana historical)

a Japanese verbal inflection that is considered regular


補助形容詞

補(ほ)助(じょ)形(けい)容(よう)詞(し) • (hojo keiyōshi)

補助形容詞 (canonical)
hojo keiyōshi (romanization)

Coordinate term: 補助動詞

a free Japanese adjective (自立語 (jiritsugo)) that can be grammaticalized by being attached to an inflectional form of another 用言 (yōgen, “inflected word”)


形式名詞

形式名詞 (canonical)
keishiki meishi (romanization)

形式 (“form; formality; format”) + 名詞 (“noun”), literally “noun in form only”

af

a Japanese noun that can be grammaticalized and nominalize clauses


本動詞

Compound of 本 (hon, “main”) + 動詞 (dōshi, “verb”).
First cited in 1930.


那辺

1895, 泉鏡花, 愛と婚姻, 青空文庫:

妻なく、夫なく、一般の男女は皆たゞ男女なりと仮定せよ。愛に対する道徳の罪人は那辺にか出来らむ

Tsuma naku, otto naku, ippan no danjo wa mina tada danjo nari to katei seyo. Ai ni taisuru dōtoku no zainin wa nahen ni ka idekitaran

Suppose there were no wives, no husbands, and men and women at large were all merely men and women. Whereabouts would the transgressors of the morals of love appear?

1916, 河上肇, 貧乏物語, 青空文庫:

今日の社会が貧乏という大病に冒されつつあることを明らかにするが上編の主眼であったが、中編の目的はこの大病の根本原因の那辺にあるかを明らかにし、やがてこの物語全体の眼目にして下編の主題たるべき貧乏根治策に入るの階段たらしむるにある。

Konnichi no shakai ga binbō to iu taibyō ni okasaretsutsu aru koto o akiraka ni suru ga jōhen no shugan de atta ga, chūhen no mokuteki wa kono taibyō no konpon gen'in no nahen ni aru ka o akiraka ni shi, yagate kono monogatari zentai no ganmoku ni shite gehen no shudai taru beki binbō konjisaku ni hairu no kaidan tarashimuru ni aru.

The main purpose of the first section was to show that today's society is being afflicted by a grave disease called poverty. The purpose of the second section is to clarify where the root cause of this disease lies and to make that a step towards eventually going into the complete cure for poverty, which will be the topic of the third section and the main object of this whole composition.


何曜

ja-pos

何(なん)曜(よう) • (nan'yō) ^(←なんえう (nan'eu)?)

何曜 (canonical)
nan'yō (romanization)
nan'eu (romanization)
なんえう (hiragana historical)

(Can we date this quote?), 宮本百合子, 千世子, 青空文庫:

「それはそうと今日一体何曜？」
「今日？ どうして忘れたの？ 木曜ですよ！」

今日一体 きょういったい

“Sore wa sō to kyō ittai nan'yō?”
“Kyō? Dō shite wasureta no? Mokuyō desu yo!”

“By the way, what the heck day is it today?”
“Today? How did you forget? It’s Thursday!”


何ヶ月

何ヶ月 (canonical)
nankagetsu (romanization)

[nã̠ŋka̠ɡe̞t͡sɨ]

何(なん) (nan, “what”) + ヶ(か) (ka, a simplified form of 箇(か) (ka), the counter for months) + 月(げつ) (getsu, “month”)


何個

何 (nan, “how many”) + 個 (ko, “thing”, general counter used for any object)