Japanese Language Stack Exchange
Japanese Language Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [archaic-language]

古語. Old words or phrases no longer in general spoken or written use.

69 questions
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なり as an archaic 'to be'?

In the following saying: 時は金なり。 What exactly is なり? My dictionaries seem to give a number of different options that could all explain its use here. Is it 成る? Is it 也, an archaic version of です or ある? If so, does that mean that in the past, Japanese…
Philip Seyfi
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What form is 恐るる?

In Final Fantasy VIII, Bahamut has a little speech: …G.F.とは我らのことか 我らを力として使うとは… 恐るるべきは人間どもよ I'd never seen two るs doubled up like that. Which conjugation is this? It seems to have plenty of Google hits so it's not a typo, as far as I can tell.
sartak
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Rare/Obsolete verb forms

I have noticed that some verbs have this "rare" or old form that is no longer used much (if at all). Here are some examples. おそる：　おそるべき者　→　One who is feared ほむ：　ほむべきお方【かた】　→　Seen often in my Japanese Bible describing God; "The one worthy of…
istrasci
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If I wanted to sound more like a Samurai, what words and phrases should I learn?

Having watched jidai-geki for a long time, I have come across many Samurai-isms, but I can recall only a few. I would like to be able to do this more believably the next time I'm at the Izakaya. What words and phrases are most commonly heard in…
crunchyt
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What is the nuance when は directly follows a verb in plain form?

It seems like this is a remnant of (or reference to) older forms of Japanese. Is that all there is to it, or does it have special meaning? Examples from songs: 歌声　笑い声　満ちる大空　目指すは憧れ (DuDiDuWa*lalala - KOTOKO) 吹きやまぬは残り風 [...] 巡りゆくはこの心 (残り風 -…
Hyperworm
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其之 what's the exact meaning of this?

I'm translating a comic and I found this kanji combination on the headers. It's like a counter for pages. 其之一 其之二 etc. その is the reading. I wanted to get more info about that but I didn't find anything via google. Is that somehow familiar to…
lovelykotori
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understanding hōgejaku -- an archaic imperative?

I would like to understand this Zen calligraphy:                                                     I gather that it says "hōgejaku" and that this means something like "let it go", "throw it away", "throw it down". According to this page, the kanji…
joriki
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When and how to use 来る 【きたる】

Of course 来る is most often read as くる. However, it can also be read as きたる. Is きたる mostly an archaic reading? Does it carry a different, or any additional meanings?? When are "appropriate" (socially, grammatically, etc.) times to use it?
istrasci
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archaic -an conjugation

This is a prayer uttered by someone who I presume is imitating archaic speech: 遍く邪悪より御身を守らん What is the conjugation used in 守らん? It's doesn't seem like a negative which was my first thought.
HAL
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Meaning of "お戯れを"?

Can someone tell me what "お戯れを" means? I came across this in a Japanese drama. I can't quite figure out if this is almost like a formal and polite request to make somebody stop 'kidding around' or if it's something else completely. In what context…
Kei4272
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Kun Yomi of Chinese origin, like 竹 (take)

I have came across an English book on Ancient Japanese languages. (Sorry I forgot the book name) In the book, it says some Kun Yomi of Kanji actually come from early contact of Chinese languages. Take 竹 as example, it's Kun Yomi is take which is…
OmniBus
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What does 花つ月 mean?

緋【あか】色【いろ】の花【はな】つ月【づき】 I'm trying to figure out the meaning for this part of kanji in a title for a series. The red flower month? The red flower moon? The month of blossoming red flowers? I'm totally at a loss as to how to interpret 'はなつづき'.
user7541
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What is the proper term for the use of archaic kanji?

I noticed that in various works of Japanese art, the artists sign their work with a seal whose contents range from fairly regular kanji to very abstract variations of kanji. I have also seen it used in calligraphy, as shown in the example below. I…
user51
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Origin of the word 烏有

I saw the phrase 烏有{うゆう}に帰{き}す, which means to "become nothing" as if turning to ashes. The word "烏有" means nothing, but its parts are 烏 (crow) and 有 (to be). How did 烏有 come to mean nothing? When I consulted a dictionary (kotobank.jp), it said it…
Coupon22
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Grammatical construction「placeはsubplace、story」 as an introduction

In old stories I often find the following structure: general place は specific place 、 story unfolds for example: ① 江戸は芝、増上寺門前町で (例: ◯◯人が歩いた) ② 東海道は宮宿、ただいま名古屋市の熱田神宮辺で (例: ◯◯浪人の二人が出会った) I took it for granted so far, but how exactly does it…
macraf
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