とわ

Japanese

Alternative spellings
永遠永久常

Etymology

/toba/ → /towa/

From Old Japanese. Appears in the Tales of Ise, likely dating to the early 900s CE. Pronounced as toba until the later Heian period.[1]

Ultimate derivation unknown. May be a contraction of earlier 常 (tokotoba),[1] or may have been an independent term used to form tokotoba as a compound.[2]

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) とわ [tóꜜwà] (Atamadaka – [1])[3][4][2]
IPA^(key): [to̞ɰᵝa̠]

Adjective

とわ • (towa) ^{←とは (tofa)^?} -na (adnominal とわな (towa na), adverbial とわに (towa ni))

constant, permanent, everlasting
Synonym: 常しえ (tokoshie)

Usage notes

Listed in some dictionaries[1][3][5] as a 形容動詞 (keiyō dōshi, “-na adjective”); other sources[2] only list this as a 副詞 (fukushi, “adverb”). Historical usage suggests that this was only used with particle に (ni) as an adverb, and not with particle な (na) or classical なる (naru) as an adjective. When this appears attributively, it is followed by particle の (no),[3][5][2] the usual construction when using a noun to modify another noun.

Inflection

Inflection of とわ

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	とわだろ	towa daro
Continuative (連用形)	とわで	towa de
Terminal (終止形)	とわだ	towa da
Attributive (連体形)	とわな	towa na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	とわなら	towa nara
Imperative (命令形)	とわであれ	towa de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	とわではないとわじゃない	towa de wa nai towa ja nai
Informal past	とわだった	towa datta
Informal negative past	とわではなかったとわじゃなかった	towa de wa nakatta towa ja nakatta
Formal	とわです	towa desu
Formal negative	とわではありませんとわじゃありません	towa de wa arimasen towa ja arimasen
Formal past	とわでした	towa deshita
Formal negative past	とわではありませんでしたとわじゃありませんでした	towa de wa arimasen deshita towa ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	とわで	towa de
Conditional	とわなら（ば）	towa nara (ba)
Provisional	とわだったら	towa dattara
Volitional	とわだろう	towa darō
Adverbial	とわに	towa ni
Degree	とわさ	towasa

Synonyms

永遠(えいえん) (eien)
永久(えいきゅう) (eikyū)

Noun

とわ • (towa) ^{←とは (tofa)^?}

eternity
constancy, permanence, everlastingness
Synonym: 常しえ (tokoshie)

References

1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
1995, 大辞泉 (Daijisen) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[KDJ-1] 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan

[SMK5-2] 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[DJR-3] 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-4] 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN

[DJS-5] 1995, 大辞泉 (Daijisen) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN