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あなた
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1 Japanese
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Community portal 1.1 Etymology
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Recent changes 1.3.1 Usage notes
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1.3.3 Descendants
Glossary
1.3.4 See also
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Contact us 1.4 References

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What links here Japanese ​[ edit ]

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Etymology ​[ edit ] Alternative spellings
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Compound of あ ‎(a, distal pronoun marker, indicating something far away from both speaker and listener; also found in あれ ‎(are, “that”, far away‎), あそこ ‎(asoko, “there”, far away‎), etc.‎) +‎な ‎(na, possessive, ancient compounding alternative for particle の ‎(no‎)‎) +‎た ‎(ta, “direction, side, place”, only
貴方
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found in ancient terms‎).[1] 彼方
Page information
Cite this page Originally meant that direction, that side, that place (far away), in contrast to そなた ‎(sonata, “that direction, that side, that place (closer to the listener)”‎), こなた ‎(konata, “this direction, this side, this place (close to both listener and speaker)”‎), and どなた ‎(donata, “which or what direction, side, or
貴女
Get shortened URL place”‎). Appears with this sense at least as early as the Kokin Wakashū of the late 900s,[1] and the Kagerō Nikki of 974 CE.[2] 貴男
Print/export The indirect and polite sense of that person is also evident in texts from the late 900s, including the Ochikubo Monogatari.[1]
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The sense of you as a polite and indirect form of reference appears in texts from around the 1750s.[1]
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Pronunciation ​[ edit ]

Visibility (Tokyo) あ な​た [ànáꜜtà] (Nakadaka – [2])[3][4]

Show see also (Tokyo) あ​なた [áꜜnàtà] (Atamadaka – [1])[3][4]
Show quotations
IPA(key): [a̠na̠ta̠]
In other languages The you and that person senses only ever have pitch accent [2] (nakadaka). The that direction or side sense may have either pitch accent, with pitch accent [1] (atamadaka) more common.
বাংলা
Español Pronoun ​[ edit ]
Français
한국어
あなた • (anata)
Italiano 1. 貴方, 貴女, 貴男: you (second-person pronoun) [quotations ▼]
日本語
1. 貴女: (to a female) you
Português
Tiếng Việt
2. 貴男: (to a male) you
中文 2. 貴方: (women's speech) dear, darling, sweetheart (term used by a wife to address her husband)
3. 貴方, 彼方: (uncommon) that person (far from both speaker and listener)
14 more
4. 彼方: (uncommon) that direction, that side, that place (far from both speaker and listener) [quotations ▼]
やま あ なた
If you have time, leave us a
note.
山の彼 方
yama no anata
that side of the mountain, the far side of the mountain

Usage notes ​[ edit ]

The you sense is spelled most often in hiragana in modern usage. The 貴方 spelling is gender-neutral. Alternative spellings include 貴女 when referring to females and 貴男 when referring to males.

あなた ‎(anata‎) is the most neutral second-person singular pronoun. If names or titles are known, these are used more commonly when addressing people.

Derived terms ​[ edit ]

あんた ‎(anta, term of endearment‎)
あ なたたち
貴 方 達 ‎(anatatachi, plural‎)
あ なたが​た
貴 方 方 ‎(anataga​ta, plural, honorific‎)
Descendants ​[ edit ]
→⇒ Aleut: anatax̂ ‎(“Japanese person”‎)
→ Min Nan: 阿娜達／阿娜达 ‎(a-na-ta, “dear”‎)

See also ​[ edit ]

まえ
お前 ‎(omae, “you”, singular, very informal‎)
まえ
お前ら ‎(omaera, “you”, plural, very informal‎)
き さま
貴 様 ‎(kisama, “you”, singular, derogatory‎)
き さま
貴 様ら ‎(kisamara, “you”, plural, derogatory‎)
 Classical Japanese pronouns and demonstratives [show ▼]

References ​[ edit ]

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. ^ 974, Kagerō Nikki (“The Mayfly Diary”), by Michitsuna's mother (in Japanese), text available online here
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN

Categories: Japanese compound terms Japanese terms with IPA pronunciation Japanese lemmas Japanese pronouns Japanese hiragana Japanese terms with usage examples Japanese women's speech terms Japanese terms with uncommon senses

This page was last edited on 12 October 2023, at 07:37.

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