参る

See also: 參る

Japanese

Kanji in this term
参
まい Grade: 4
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
參る (kyūjitai)

Etymology

⟨mawi iru⟩ → /mawiru/ → /mairu/

From Old Japanese. First attested in the Nihon Shoki of 720.^[1]

Originally a compound of 參(まい) (mawi → mai, the 連(れん)用(よう)形(けい) (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of Old Japanese verb 參る (mawiru → mairu, “to go, particularly to the place or person of a social superior”, humble)) + 入(い)る (iru, “to enter”).^[1]^[2]^[3] Old Japanese did not allow vowel clusters, resulting in the shortening of mawi iru to mawiru. See the Old Japanese entry for the etymology of the original mawiru, not to be confused with the mawiru contracted from mawi iru.

The transitive senses are obsolete in modern Japanese.

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) まいる [máꜜìrù] (Atamadaka – [1])^[3]^[4]^[5]
IPA^(key): [ma̠iɾɯ̟]

Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 参る

Plain	参る	まいる	`[máꜜìrù]`
Conjunctive	参って	まいって	`[máꜜìttè]`
Perfective	参った	まいった	`[máꜜìttà]`
Negative	参らない	まいらない	`[màíráꜜnàì]`
Negative perfective	参らなかった	まいらなかった	`[màíráꜜnàkàttà]`
Hypothetical conditional	参れば	まいれば	`[máꜜìrèbà]`
Past conditional	参ったら	まいったら	`[máꜜìttàrà]`
Imperative	参れ	まいれ	`[máꜜìrè]`
Volitional	参ろう	まいろー	`[màíróꜜò]`
Desiderative	参りたい	まいりたい	`[màírítáꜜì]`
Formal	参ります	まいります	`[màírímáꜜsù]`
Formal negative	参りません	まいりません	`[màírímáséꜜǹ]`
Formal volitional	参りましょう	まいりましょー	`[màírímáshóꜜò]`
Formal perfective	参りました	まいりました	`[màírímáꜜshìtà]`
Continuative	参り参りに	まいりまいりに	`[máꜜìrì]` `[máꜜìrì nì]`
Negative continuative	参らず参らずに	まいらずまいらずに	`[màíráꜜzù]` `[màíráꜜzù nì]`
Passive	参られる	まいられる	`[màíráréꜜrù]`
Causative	参らせる参らす	まいらせるまいらす	`[màíráséꜜrù]` `[màíráꜜsù]`
Potential	参れる	まいれる	`[màíréꜜrù]`

Verb

参(まい)る • (mairu) ^{←まゐる (mawiru)^?}transitive or intransitive godan (stem 参(まい)り (mairi), past 参(まい)った (maitta))

Japanese verb pair
causative	参(まい)らせる
active	参(まい)る
mediopassive	参(まい)る

[from 720] (intransitive, humble) to go
このエレベーターは上(うえ)へ参(まい)ります。
Kono erebētā wa ue e mairimasu.
This lift is going up.

では、参(まい)ります。
De wa, mairimasu.
Let us start.
[from early 1000s] (intransitive, humble) to come
電(でん)車(しゃ)がまいります。 ― densha ga mairimasu. ― The train is arriving.
[from late 900s] (intransitive) to visit (typically a place of social or spiritual importance, such as a noble's house or a shrine)
墓(はか)に参(まい)る ― haka ni mairu ― to visit a grave

神(じん)社(じゃ)に参(まい)る ― jinja ni mairu ― to visit a shrine
to be overcome, to cede to a superior person or superior circumstances (by extension from the older "go to a superior" sense)
1. [from late 1500s] (intransitive) to lose to an opponent
  参(まい)ったな。 ― maitta na. ― You got me.
2. [from early 1900s] (intransitive) to be bothered, overwhelmed, done in by circumstances
  暑(あつ)さに参(まい)る
  atsusa ni mairu
  to be done in by the heat
3. [from early 1900s] (intransitive) to die
4. [from early 1900s] (intransitive) to fall for someone romantically
(transitive, humble, archaic) to go to (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)
[late 900s–???] (transitive, humble, archaic) to serve someone in some capacity, to do something for someone
[1478–???] (transitive, humble, archaic) a 脇付 (wakizuke, “respectful title written after an addressee's name”) on the side of a formal letter

Conjugation

Conjugation of "参る" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs)
Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	参ら	まいら	maira
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	参り	まいり	mairi
Shūshikei ("terminal")	参る	まいる	mairu
Rentaikei ("attributive")	参る	まいる	mairu
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	参れ	まいれ	maire
Meireikei ("imperative")	参れ	まいれ	maire
Key constructions
Passive	参られる	まいられる	mairareru
Causative	参らせる参らす	まいらせるまいらす	mairaseru mairasu
Potential	参れる	まいれる	maireru
Volitional	参ろう	まいろう	mairō
Negative	参らない	まいらない	mairanai
Negative continuative	参らず	まいらず	mairazu
Formal	参ります	まいります	mairimasu
Perfective	参った	まいった	maitta
Conjunctive	参って	まいって	maitte
Hypothetical conditional	参れば	まいれば	maireba

Classical conjugation of "参る" (ラ行四段活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	参ら	まゐら	mawira
Continuative (連用形)	参り	まゐり	mawiri
Terminal (終止形)	参る	まゐる	mawiru
Attributive (連体形)	参る	まゐる	mawiru
Realis (已然形)	参れ	まゐれ	mawire
Imperative (命令形)	参れ	まゐれ	mawire
Key constructions
Negative	参らず	まゐらず	mawirazu
Contrasting conjunction	参れど	まゐれど	mawiredo
Causal conjunction	参れば	まゐれば	mawireba
Conditional conjunction	参らば	まゐらば	mawiraba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	参りき	まゐりき	mawiriki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	参りけり	まゐりけり	mawirikeri
Perfect tense (conscious action)	参りつ	まゐりつ	mawiritu
Perfect tense (natural event)	参りぬ	まゐりぬ	mawirinu
Perfect-continuative tense	参れり参りたり	まゐれりまゐりたり	mawireri mawiritari
Volitional	参らむ	まゐらむ	mawiramu

Derived terms

参(まい)らす (mairasu)

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 “参”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

“参る”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[2] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026

[KDJ2-1] 1.0 ^1.1 “参”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006

[DJS-2] Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[DJR-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-4] NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

[SMK5-5] Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

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