なり

Japanese

Etymology 1

Reading of various words.

Noun

なり • (nari) 

1. 形, 態: clothing; appearance; shape; form
2. 業: occupation
3. 生り: bearing (of fruits)
4. 成り, 為り: (shogi) promotion
5. 鳴り: ringing

Etymology 2

/ni ari/ → /nari/

Contraction of older に (ni, case particle) +‎ あり (ari, “to be, to exist”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [na̠ɾʲi]

Verb

なり • (nari) 

1. (Classical Japanese, now archaic) The classical copula “to be”, equivalent to modern Japanese である (de aru) or だ (da).
   • c. late 9th–mid-10th century, Taketori Monogatari

     おのが身はこの国の人にもあらず、月の都の人なり。

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

   • 1900, “(deprecated template usage) 鉄道唱歌第1集東海道編”:

     大阪(おおさか)出(い)でて右左(みぎひだり)　菜種(なたね)ならざる畑(はた)もなし

     Ōsaka idete migihidari natane narazaru hata mo nashi

     (please add an English translation of this example)

Conjugation

Classical conjugation of "なり" (ナリ活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	なら		nara
Continuative (連用形)	に[1] なり[2]		ni nari
Terminal (終止形)	なり		nari
Attributive (連体形)	なる		naru
Realis (已然形)	なれ		nare
Imperative (命令形)	なれ		nare
Key constructions
Negative	ならず		narazu
Contrasting conjunction	なれど		naredo
Causal conjunction	なれば		nareba
Conditional conjunction	ならば		naraba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	なりき		nariki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	なりけり		narikeri
Adverbial	に		ni
[1]Without auxiliary verb. [2]With auxiliary verb.

Usage notes

• Attaches to a nominal or the 連体形 (rentaikei, “attributive form”) of declinables.
• The 終止形 (shūshikei, “terminal form”) of the copula can be spelled in kanji as 也 or 𬼂.
  • 恋は渾沌の隷也 (Koi wa Kaosu no Shimobe nari, “Love is a Servant of Chaos”)

Derived terms

• な (na, na-adjective ending)
• なら (nara)
• 如何(いか)なる (ikanaru)
• 大(おお)いなる (ōinaru)
• 異(こと)なる (kotonaru)
• 更(さら)なる (saranaru)
• 単(たん)なる (tannaru)

Etymology 3

From the 終止形 (shūshikei, “terminal form”) of the classical auxiliary verb なり.

Particle

なり • (nari) 

1. Used when giving an example, without the implication that it might be the best or the only option

   労(ろう)働(どう)局(きょく)になり相(そう)談(だん)したらどうですか？

   Rōdōkyoku ni nari sōdan shitara dō desu ka?

   What about consulting, for example, the Labor Bureau?

2. ... or ...

   楽(らく)天(てん)なりどこなりで買(か)い物(もの)をする[1]

   Rakuten nari doko nari de kaimono o suru

   to shop at Rakuten or somewhere

Derived terms

• 大(だい)なり小(しょう)なり (dai nari shō nari, “more or less, to some extent”)

Etymology 4

From なり (形, 態, nari).

Particle

なり • (nari) 

1. (after a verb in the dictionary form) ... as soon as ...

   幼(よう)稚(ち)園(えん)から帰(かえ)るなり、母(はは)に抱(だ)きついてきました。

   Yōchien kara kaeru nari, haha ni dakitsuite kimashita.

   As soon as she returned from kindergarten; she clung to her mom.

2. (after a verb in the past tense 〜た) ... while ...

   着(き)たなり脱(ぬ)ごうとしません[2]

   kita nari nugō to shimasen

   [it's so comfortable that] She doesn't want to take it off while wearing it

Synonyms

• (as soon as): や否(いな)や (ya ina ya)
• (while still): 儘(まま) (mama)

References

• Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN