Japanese words of Portuguese origin

Many Japanese words of Portuguese origin entered the Japanese language when Portuguese Jesuit priests introduced Christian ideas, Western science and technology, among other things to the Japanese during the Muromachi period (15-16th century).

List of loanwords

Many of the first words which were introduced and entered the Japanese language from Portuguese and Dutch are written in "kanji" or "hiragana," rather than "katakana", which is the more common way to write loanwords in Japanese in modern times. "Kanji" versions of the words are "ateji", characters that are "fitted" or "applied" to the words by the Japanese, based on either the pronunciation or the meaning of the word.

The sign † shows that the word is a historical, extinct one.

Arigatō

It is often suggested that the Japanese word "arigatō" derives from the Portuguese "obrigado", both of which mean "Thank you," but this is demonstrably false. The Japanese phrase "arigatō" is a shortened form of "arigatō gozaimasu", meaning "Thank you". This is a form of an adjective, "arigatai", for which written records exist dating back to the Man'yōshū, well before Japanese contact with Portugal. [ [http://linguistlist.org/issues/12/12-1871.html LINGUIST List 12.1871, Sun Jul 22 2001 Sum: Origins of Arigato] ]

The full derivation is "arigatō" < "arigatau" < "arigataku" < "arigatashi" < "ari" + "katashi". The medial "-k-" drops out from "-aku-" resulting in /au/. This then becomes /oː/ via regular phonological rules. "Ari" is a verb meaning "to be" and "katashi" is an adjective meaning "difficult". The original meaning of "arigatashi" was "difficult to be", ie "rare" and thus "special". This derivation tries to stem the word to its structural meanings and does not consider the current word's sentimental development and appreciated meaning.

Superficial appearances notwithstanding, there is absolutely no linguistic relationship to the Portuguese word obrigado of the same meaning.

References

Notes

Other references

*sljfaq|portuguese|Japanese words of Portuguese origin

ee also

*Gairaigo
**List of gairaigo and wasei-eigo terms
*Japanese words of Dutch origin
*Nippo Jisho, the first Japanese dictionary in a Western language
*False cognate about Arigatō