ありがとう
Contents
Japanese[edit]
Etymology[edit]
/arigataku/ → /arigatau/ → /arigatoː/
From ありがたく (arigataku), the adverbial form of Old Japanese and Classical Japanese adjective ありがたし (arigatashi, modern ありがたい, arigatai),[1][2][3] from 有り (ari, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 有る aru, “to exist, to be”) + 難し (katashi, “hard, difficult”, 難い katai in modern Japanese).[1][2][3] The katashi changes to gatashi as an instance of 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]
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: この天気はありがたいね。 ― 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]
- IPA(key): [a̠ɾiɡ̃a̠to̞ː]
- (Tokyo) IPA(key): [a̠˨ɾi˦g̃a̠˨to̞ː˨˨]
- (Nagoya) IPA(key): [a̠˨ɾi˦g̃a̠˦to̞ː˨˨]
- (Osaka) IPA(key): [a̠˨ɾi˨g̃a̠˨to̞ː˦˨]
- (Kagoshima) IPA(key): [a̠˨ɾi˨g̃a̠˨to̞ː˦˦]
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Audio (file)
Alternative forms[edit]
Interjection[edit]
ありがとう (romaji arigatō, historical hiragana ありがたう)
- 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 alternatively 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)
- おおきに (ōkini) (chiefly Kansai)
- 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 “Japanese Adjective Usage ― High Formality”
- ^ 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
