砂利

Japanese

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砂利

Listed in one source as possibly a shift from the sazare portion of 細石 (sazareishi, “gravel, pebble”, literally “small + stone”).^[1]

However, the first attestation of the zari form is not until 1677, while the jari form is first cited to 1619.^[2]

The child sense originates as a jargon term at places such as a theatre, initially in reference to child visitors.^[3]^[4]^[5]^[2]

砂(じゃ)利(り) • (jari)

[from 1619] gravel
[from 1804] a magistrate's office for adjudicating issues from commoners (from the rock gardens that were common at these during the Edo period)
Synonym: 白洲 (shirasu)
[from 1844] child

Appears to be a shift from the jari reading.

砂(ざ)利(り) • (zari)

[from 1677] gravel
[uncertain, possibly from early 1800s] a magistrate's office for adjudicating issues from commoners (from the rock gardens that were common at these during the Edo period)
Synonym: 白洲 (shirasu)
[from 1932] rice (either cooked or as raw grains)

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 “砂利”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 [Kōjien] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
^ “砂利”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen]‎^[2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
^ 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

“〈砂利〉”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[3] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2025