でんぐり返る

でんぐり返る

Japanese

Kanji in this term
返
かえ > がえ Grade: 3

Etymology

Compound of でんぐり (denguri) +‎ 返る (kaeru, “to turn over”).[1][2] The kaeru changes to gaeru as an instance of rendaku (連濁). Sometimes also pronounced without rendaku and with a hard k sound instead, as dengurikaeru.[1][2]

The denguri part is of unclear origin. It only appears in this compound and derived forms.

• The den portion is most likely the same den found in terms such as でんでん (denden, “one after the next, rolling, continuous”, adverb), itself also found in the compound でんでん太鼓 (denden-daiko, “denden (rolling? continuous?) drum”, a small taiko drum with a handle extending from the bottom and two small balls attached by short strings to each side as strikers, played by holding in one hand and rapidly twisting the handle back and forth).
• The guri portion is almost certainly 繰り (kuri, “winding, reeling, spinning”), the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 繰る (kuru, “to wind, to spin, to reel”).

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) でんぐりが​える [dèńgúrígáꜜèrù] (Nakadaka – [5])[2]
  • IPA^(key): [dẽ̞ŋɡɯ̟ᵝɾʲiɡa̠e̞ɾɯ̟ᵝ]

Verb

でんぐり返る (intransitive, hiragana でんぐりがえる, rōmaji dengurigaeru)

1. to turn over, to turn upside-down
2. to do a somersault (either forwards or backwards)
3. to be head over heels, to be in disarray, to be very confused

Conjugation

Conjugation of "でんぐり返る" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	でんぐり返ら	でんぐりがえら	dengurigaera
Continuative (連用形)	でんぐり返り	でんぐりがえり	dengurigaeri
Terminal (終止形)	でんぐり返る	でんぐりがえる	dengurigaeru
Attributive (連体形)	でんぐり返る	でんぐりがえる	dengurigaeru
Hypothetical (仮定形)	でんぐり返れ	でんぐりがえれ	dengurigaere
Imperative (命令形)	でんぐり返れ	でんぐりがえれ	dengurigaere
Key constructions
Passive	でんぐり返られる	でんぐりがえられる	dengurigaerareru
Causative	でんぐり返らせる でんぐり返らす	でんぐりがえらせる でんぐりがえらす	dengurigaeraseru dengurigaerasu
Potential	でんぐり返れる	でんぐりがえれる	dengurigaereru
Volitional	でんぐり返ろう	でんぐりがえろう	dengurigaerō
Negative	でんぐり返らない	でんぐりがえらない	dengurigaeranai
Negative continuative	でんぐり返らず	でんぐりがえらず	dengurigaerazu
Formal	でんぐり返ります	でんぐりがえります	dengurigaerimasu
Perfective	でんぐり返った	でんぐりがえった	dengurigaetta
Conjunctive	でんぐり返って	でんぐりがえって	dengurigaette
Hypothetical conditional	でんぐり返れば	でんぐりがえれば	dengurigaereba

Derived terms

Derived terms

• でんぐり返 (がえ)り (dengurigaeri): a somersault

Related terms

→

• でんぐり返 (がえ)す (dengurigaesu): to turn something over, to make someone or something somersault (transitive)
• でんぐり返 (がえ)し (dengurigaeshi): a somersault

Synonyms

• (turn over): ひっくり返 (かえ)る (hikkurikaeru)
• (somersault): でんぐり返 (がえ)しをする (dengurigaeshi o suru)
• (somersault): 蜻蛉返 (とんぼがえ)りをする (tonbogaeri o suru)

References

1. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN