ちゅう

Japanese

Etymology 1

Ideophonic.

Noun

ちゅう • (chū) 

1. a kiss

   Synonyms: キス (kisu), 口付け (kuchizuke), 接吻 (seppun)

Verb

ちゅうする • (chū suru) suru (stem ちゅうし (chūsuru shi), past ちゅうした (chūsuru shita))

1. to kiss, smooch

Conjugation

Conjugation of "ちゅうする" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	ちゅうし	chū shi
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	ちゅうし	chū shi
Shūshikei ("terminal")	ちゅうする	chū suru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	ちゅうする	chū suru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	ちゅうすれ	chū sure
Meireikei ("imperative")	ちゅうせよ¹ ちゅうしろ²	chū seyo¹ chū shiro²
Key constructions
Passive	ちゅうされる	chū sareru
Causative	ちゅうさせる ちゅうさす	chū saseru chū sasu
Potential	ちゅうできる	chū dekiru
Volitional	ちゅうしよう	chū shiyō
Negative	ちゅうしない	chū shinai
Negative continuative	ちゅうせず	chū sezu
Formal	ちゅうします	chū shimasu
Perfective	ちゅうした	chū shita
Conjunctive	ちゅうして	chū shite
Hypothetical conditional	ちゅうすれば	chū sureba
¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative

Etymology 2

Onomatopoeia.

Noun

ちゅう • (chū) 

1. a squeak (sound made by mice)
2. a chirp (sound made by small birds)
3. sound made by sucking liquid

Derived terms

• チューチュー (chūchū)
• ピカチュウ (Pikachu)

Adverb

ちゅう • (chū) 

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Etymology 3

⟨to₂ ipu⟩ → */tipu/ → /t͡sifu/ → /t͡ɕɨu/ → /t͡ɕuː/

Shift from Old Japanese と言ふ (to ipu → to iu). Compare てふ (tepu) → ちょう (chō).

Phrase

ちゅう • (chū) ^{←ちふ (tifu)?}

1. (archaic) Short for と言う (to iu): This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
   • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 7, poem 1170:
     , text here

     佐左(ささ)浪(なみ)乃(の)連庫山(なみくらやま)尓(に)雲(くも)居者(ゐれば)雨(あめ)會(ぞ)零(ふる)智否(ちふ)反(かへり)来(こ)吾(わが)背(せ) [Man'yōgana]

     楽浪(ささなみ)の連庫山(なみくらやま)に雲(くも)居(ゐ)れば雨(あめ)ぞ降(ふ)るちふ帰(かへ)り来(こ)我(わ)が背(せ) [Modern spelling]

     Sasanami no Namikura-yama ni kumo ireba ame zo furu chū kaeri ko waga se

     (please add an English translation of this example)

Etymology 4

Readings of various kanji.

Noun

ちゅう • (chū) 

1. 宙: midair
2. 注, 註: annotation
3. 酎: shōchū (abbreviation)
4. 儔, 俦, 疇, 畴: companion, mate, colleague

Suffix

ちゅう • (-chū) 

1. 中: medium; during, in the middle of