ク活用

ク活用

Japanese

Kanji in this term
活	用
かつ Grade: 2	よう Grade: 2
kan’on

Etymology

From く (-ku, the 未然形 (mizenkei, “incomplete form”) and 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “stem form”) of adjectival suffix し (-shi)) +‎ 活用 (katsuyō, “declension, inflection”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) くか​つよー [kù káꜜtsùyòò] (Nakadaka – [2])[1]
• IPA^(key): [kɯ̟ᵝ ka̠t͡sɨᵝjo̞ː]

Noun

ク活用(かつよう) • (ku katsuyō) ^{←くくわつよう (kukwatuyou)?}

1. (Classical Japanese grammar) an adjective inflection class for some classical adjectives ending in -shi:

Archaic	未然形 Irrealis	連用形 Adverbial	終止形 Conclusive	連体形 Attributive	已然形 Realis	命令形 Imperative
清し (kiyoshi, “clear”)	清く (kiyoku) 清から (kiyokara)	清く (kiyoku) 清かり (kiyokari)	清し (kiyoshi)	清き (ki1yo1ki1 → kiyoki) 清かる (kiyokaru)	清けれ (ki1yo1ke1re → kiyokere)	清かれ (kiyokare)
高し (takashi, “high, tall”)	高く (takaku) 高から (takakara)	高く (takaku) 高かり (takakari)	高し (takashi)	高き (takaki1 → takaki) 高かる (takakaru)	高けれ (takake1re → takakere)	高かれ (takakare)
良し (yoshi, “good”)	良く (yoku) 良から (yokara)	良く (yoku) 良かり (yokari)	良し (yoshi)	良き (yo2ki1 → yoki) 良かる (yokaru)	良けれ (yo2ke1re → yokere)	良かれ (yokare)

The subscripts in the table above indicate differences in vowel class that were already being lost in Old Japanese. It remains unclear what those different vowel classes may have meant. See the Syllables section in the Wikipedia article on Old Japanese for more details.

Usage notes

• Adjectives in this class are often related to objective properties or status, as opposed to adjectives of the シク活用 (shiku katsuyō) class.
• Adjectives in this class are superseded by the い (-i) inflection in modern Japanese:

  清(きよ)し (kiyoshi) → 清(きよ)き (kiyoki) → 清(きよ)い (kiyoi)

  高(たか)し (takashi) → 高(たか)き (takaki)→ 高(たか)い (takai)

  良(よ)し (yoshi) → 良(よ)き (yoki) → 良(よ)い (yoi)

See also

• シク活用(かつよう) (shiku katsuyō)
• タリ活(かつ)用(よう) (tari katsuyō)
• ナリ活(かつ)用(よう) (nari katsuyō)

References

1. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN