少納言

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
少	納	言
しょう Grade: 2	な Grade: 6	ごん Grade: 2
on'yomi	kan'yōon	goon

From 少 (shō, “junior, lower”) +‎ 納言 (nagon, “councilor”, on-reading of monomōsu-tsukasa).

Noun

少(しょう)納(な)言(ごん) • (shōnagon) ^{←せうなごん (seunagon)?}

1. (historical, politics) a lesser councilor in the 太政官 (Daijō-kan, “Great Council of State”, the highest government office under the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system)
2. (colloquial, from Sei Shōnagon being a female writer) a literature girl

   Synonym: 文学少女 (bungaku shōjo)

Derived terms

• 少納言(しょうなごん)局(きょく) (Shōnagon-kyoku, “Office of Lesser Councilors”)
• 権少納言(ごんしょうなごん) (gon-shōnagon), 権(ごん)の少納言(しょうなごん) (gon no shōnagon, “acting lesser councilor”)
• 清(せい)少納言(しょうなごん) (Sei Shōnagon, “popular name of Kiyohara no Nagiko, Heian-period author and court lady”)

Coordinate terms

• 大(だい)納言(なごん) (dainagon, “chief councilor”)
• 中納言(ちゅうなごん) (chūnagon, “middle councilor”)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
少	納	言
すくな(い) > すな(い) Grade: 2	Grade: 6	Grade: 2
kun'yomi	jukujikun

From 少 (sunai-, “junior, lower”) +‎ 納言 (monomōsu-tsukasa‎, “councilor”).

Noun

少納言(すないものもうすつかさ) • (sunai monomōsu-tsukasa) ^{←すないものまうすつかさ (sunaimonomausutukasa)?}

1. (historical, politics, archaic) a lesser councilor in the 太政官 (Ōimatsurigoto no Tsukasa, “Great Council of State”, the highest government office under the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system)

Coordinate terms

• 大(おおい)納言(ものもうすつかさ) (ōi monomōsu-tsukasa, “chief councilor”)
• 中(なかの)納言(ものもうすつかさ) (naka no monomōsu-tsukasa, “middle councilor”)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
少	納	言
すくな(い) > すな(い) Grade: 2	Grade: 6	Grade: 2
kun'yomi	irregular

First attested in the Wamyō Ruijushō (938 CE).

From 少 (sunai-, “junior, lower”) +‎ 物申し (monomōshi, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of verb 物申す (monomōsu), “to object, speak”).

Noun

少納言(すないものもうし) • (sunai monomōshi) ^{←すないものまうし (sunaimonomausi)?}

1. (historical, politics, archaic) a lesser councilor in the 太政官 (Ōimatsurigoto no Tsukasa, “Great Council of State”, the highest government office under the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system)

See also

• 給事中(きゅうじちゅう) (kyūjichū)