三味線

三味線

Chinese

		three	taste	thread; string; wire thread; string; wire; line
trad. (三味線/三味綫)		三	味	線/綫
simp. (三味线)		三	味	线

Etymology

Orthographic borrowing from Japanese 三味線 (shamisen).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sānwèixiàn

  (Zhuyin): ㄙㄢ ㄨㄟˋ ㄒㄧㄢˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): saam¹ mei⁶ sin³

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sānwèixiàn
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄢ ㄨㄟˋ ㄒㄧㄢˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sanwèisiàn
    • Wade–Giles: san¹-wei⁴-hsien⁴
    • Yale: sān-wèi-syàn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sanweyshiann
    • Palladius: саньвэйсянь (sanʹvɛjsjanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sän⁵⁵ weɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ ɕjɛn⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: saam¹ mei⁶ sin³
    • Yale: sāam meih sin
    • Cantonese Pinyin: saam¹ mei⁶ sin³
    • Guangdong Romanization: sam¹ méi⁶ xin³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /saːm⁵⁵ mei̯²² siːn³³/

Noun

三味線

1. shamisen (Japanese three-stringed instrument)

See also

• 三弦 (sānxián)

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Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
三	味	線
さ > しゃ Grade: 1 (ateji)	み Grade: 3 (ateji)	せん Grade: 2
irregular	goon	on’yomi

三味線 (shamisen, samisen): a street performer playing a shamisen.

The instrument derives from the Okinawan 三線 (sanshin). Originally called 蛇皮線 (jabisen, literally “snakeskin strings”) in Japanese, so named for the way the Okinawan instrument's soundbox is traditionally covered in snakeskin. The traditional jabisen instrument was imported into the Sakai area of Osaka during the Eiroku era (1558-1570), then later modified by biwa luthiers to have the square-shaped shamisen soundbox of today.[1][2]

The reading jabisen shifted over time to 蛇味線 (jamisen), replacing the 皮 (bi, “skin, leather”) character with 味 (mi) for phonetic reasons, i.e. as ateji (当て字). Then jamisen changed to shamisen, replacing the 蛇 (ja, “snake”) character with 三 (sha , usually read san, “three”) for semantic reasons. The sha reading for the 三 character is irregular.

The shamisen reading is first cited to a text from 1580.[1]

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) しゃみせん [shàmíséń] (Heiban – [0])[2][3][4]
• IPA^(key): [ɕa̠mʲisẽ̞ɴ]

Noun

三(しゃ)味(み)線(せん) • (shamisen) ^{←しやみせん (syamisen)?}

1. [from 1580] a Japanese stringed instrument played by plucking, vaguely similar to a banjo

   Synonyms: 三線 (sansen), 三弦 (sangen), 三味 (shami), ぺんぺん (penpen)

2. [after 1780] short for 三味線草 (shamisen-gusa): the shepherd's purse, Capsella bursa-pastoris

   Synonyms: 薺 (nazuna), ぺんぺん草 (penpen-gusa)

3. [after 1780] from 三味線を弾く (shamisen o hiku, literally “to play the shamisen”): words or actions intended to deceive one's opponent in a game or competition
4. [from 1930] (academia, slang) a grade of 甲 (kō, highest mark, equivalent to an “A” in US schools) (from the vague visual similarity between the character 甲 and the shape of the shamisen)

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 三味線(しゃみせん)糸(いと) (shamisen ito)
• 三味線(しゃみせん)歌(うた) (shamisen uta)
• 三味線(シャミセン)貝(ガイ) (shamisengai)
• 三味線(シャミセン)草(グサ) (shamisengusa)
• 三味線(しゃみせん)組歌(くみうた) (shamisen kumiuta)
• 三味線(しゃみせん)駒(ごま) (shamisen-goma)
• 三味線(シャミセン)蔓(ヅル) (shamisenzuru)
• 三味線(しゃみせん)胴(どう) (shamisendō)
• 三味線(しゃみせん)箱(ばこ) (shamisen-bako)
• 三味線(しゃみせん)弾(ひ)き (shamisenhiki)
• 三味線(しゃみせん)堀(ぼり) (shamisenbori)
• 三味線(しゃみせん)屋(や) (shamisen-ya)
• 相(あい)三味線(じゃみせん) (ai-jamisen)
• 色(いろ)三味線(じゃみせん) (iro-jamisen)
• 唄(うた)三味線(じゃみせん) (uta-jamisen)
• 口(くち)三味線(じゃみせん) (kuchi-jamisen)
• 義太夫(ぎだゆう)三味線(しゃみせん) (gidayū shamisen)
• 立(たて)三味線(じゃみせん) (tate-jamisen)
• 津軽(つがる)三味線(じゃみせん) (Tsugaru-jamisen)
• 継(つ)ぎ三味線(じゃみせん) (tsugijamisen)
• 連(つ)れ三味線(じゃみせん) (tsurejamisen)
• 脇(わき)三味線(じゃみせん) (waki-jamisen)

Idioms

• 三(しゃ)味(み)線(せん)を弾(ひ)く (shamisen o hiku)

Descendants

• → English: shamisen
• → Finnish: shamisen
• → Spanish: shamisen

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
三	味	線
さ Grade: 1 (ateji)	み Grade: 3 (ateji)	せん Grade: 2
nanori	goon	on’yomi

Sound shift from shamisen above, possibly influenced by the standard san reading of the initial 三 character.

This reading appears to be less common than shamisen.[1][2]

First cited to a text from 1632.[1]

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) さみせん [sàmíséń] (Heiban – [0])[2][3]
• IPA^(key): [sa̠mʲisẽ̞ɴ]

Noun

三(さ)味(み)線(せん) • (samisen) 

1. [from 1632] (uncommon) a Japanese stringed instrument played by plucking, vaguely similar to a banjo

   Synonym: 三味 (sami)

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 三味線(さみせん)組歌(くみうた) (samisen kumiuta)
• 三味線(さみせん)箱(ばこ) (samisen-bako)
• 三味線(さみせん)弾(ひ)き (samisenhiki)
• 踊(おど)り三味線(さみせん) (odori samisen)
• 口(くち)三味線(ざみせん) (kuchizamisen)
• 立(たて)三味線(ざみせん) (tatezamisen)

Descendants

• → English: samisen

See also

• 三線(さんしん) (sanshin)

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
3. 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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