ありがとう
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Japanese [edit]
Etymology [edit]
From ありがたく (arigataku), the adverbial form of Old Japanese adjective ありがたし (arigatashi, modern ありがたい, arigatai)[1][2][3]. The adjective itself is a compound of 有り (ari, “stem form of verb 有る (aru), "to exist, to be"”) + 難し (katashi, “hard, difficult”, katai in modern Japanese)[1][2][3]. The katashi changes to gatashi due to rendaku (連濁).
Modern Japanese -i adjectives formerly ended in -ki for the attributive form. This medial /k/ dropped out during the Muromachi period, both for the attributive form (-ki becoming -i) and for the adverbial form (-ku becoming -u). However, the adverbial form reverted back to -ku thereafter for most words, with the -u ending persisting in certain everyday set expressions, such as arigatō, ohayō, or omedetō, and in hyper-formal speech.[4]
/arigataku/ > /arigatau/ > /arigatoː/
Arigatashi is first attested in the oldest literature of the 8th century[5]. Originally meant "difficult to exist, hard to be"[1][2][3], shifting to "rare, special", and then to "welcome, thankful, nice to have" by some time in the 15th century[3]. This sense is still in use: "Kono tenki wa arigatai ne." → "This weather sure is welcome."
Any resemblance to Portuguese obrigado (“thank you”) is purely coincidental. The Portuguese arrived in Japan in 1543, well more than a century after citations expressing gratitude are found.
Pronunciation [edit]
Alternative forms [edit]
Interjection [edit]
ありがとう (romaji arigatō)
- an expression of thankfulness: thank you
Usage notes [edit]
Most often written in hiragana. May occasionally be seen spelled in kanji as 有り難う or 有難う, generally for more formal writing.
As a fossilized adverb, this is generally followed by the verb ございます (gozaimasu, “to be; it is”, humble). May also or alternately be preceded by intensifier どうも (dōmo, “very”). Expressions of thanks are given below in rough order of casual to polite.
Coordinate terms [edit]
- どうも (dōmo)
- ありがとう (arigatō)
- どうもありがとう (dōmo arigatō)
- ありがとうございます (arigatō gozaimasu)
- どうもありがとうございます (dōmo arigatō gozaimasu)
References [edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 1995, 大辞泉 (Daijisen) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, ISBN 4-09-501211-0
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
- ^ http://kwhazit.ucoz.net/ranma/g_adj.html#hiformal
- ^ c. 759: Man'yōshū (book 17, poem #4011); online text at the University of Virginia
External links [edit]
Japanese_language#Late_Middle_Japanese on Wikipedia.Wikipedia:Japanese_language#Late_Middle_Japanese- Late_Middle_Japanese#Adjectives on Wikipedia.Wikipedia:Late_Middle_Japanese#Adjectives
- ウ音便 ("u" sound shift) on the Japanese Wikipedia.ja.Wikipedia:音便#.E3.82.A6.E9.9F.B3.E4.BE.BF
