参る

参る

See also: 參る

Japanese

Kanji in this term
参
まい Grade: 4
kun’yomi

Alternative spelling
參る (kyūjitai)

Etymology

⟨mawi iru⟩ → /mawiru/ → /mairu/

From Old Japanese. First attested in the Nihon Shoki of 720.[1]

Originally a compound of 參 (mawi → mai, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of Old Japanese verb 參る (mawiru → mairu), “to go, particularly to the place or person of a social superior”, humble) +‎ 入る (iru, “to enter”).[1][2][3] Old Japanese did not allow vowel clusters, resulting in the shortening of mawi iru to mawiru.

The transitive senses are obsolete in modern Japanese.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ま​いる [máꜜìrù] (Atamadaka – [1])[3][4][5]
• IPA^(key): [ma̠iɾɯ̟ᵝ]

• Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of "参る"

Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
Stem forms
Terminal (終止形) Attributive (連体形)	参る	ま​いる	[máꜜìrù]
Imperative (命令形)	参れ	ま​いれ	[máꜜìrè]
Key constructions
Passive	参られる	まいられ​る	[màíráréꜜrù]
Causative	参らせる	まいらせ​る	[màíráséꜜrù]
Potential	参れる	まいれ​る	[màíréꜜrù]
Volitional	参ろう	まいろ​ー	[màíróꜜò]
Negative	参らない	まいら​ない	[màíráꜜnàì]
Negative perfective	参らなかった	まいら​なかった	[màíráꜜnàkàttà]
Formal	参ります	まいりま​す	[màírímáꜜsù]
Perfective	参った	ま​いった	[máꜜìttà]
Conjunctive	参って	ま​いって	[máꜜìttè]
Hypothetical conditional	参れば	ま​いれば	[máꜜìrèbà]

Verb

参(まい)る • (mairu) ^{←まゐる (mawiru)?} transitive or intransitive godan (stem 参(まい)り (mairi), past 参(まい)った (maitta))

Japanese verb pair
causative	参(まい)らせる
active	参(まい)る
mediopassive	参(まい)る

1. [from 720] (intransitive, humble) to go

   このエレベーターは上(うえ)へ参(まい)ります。

   Kono erebētā wa ue e mairimasu.

   This lift is going up.

   では、参(まい)ります。

   Deha, mairimasu.

   Let us start.

2. [from early 1000s] (intransitive, humble) to come

   電(でん)車(しゃ)がまいります。 ― densha ga mairimasu. ― The train is arriving.

3. [from late 900s] (intransitive) to visit (typically a place of social or spiritual importance, such as a noble's house or a shrine)

   墓(はか)に参(まい)る ― haka ni mairu ― to visit a grave

   神(じん)社(じゃ)に参(まい)る ― jinja ni mairu ― to visit a shrine

4. to be overcome, to cede to a superior person or superior circumstances (by extension from the older "go to a superior" sense)
   1. [from late 1500s] (intransitive) to lose to an opponent

      参(まい)ったな。 ― maitta na. ― You got me.

   2. [from early 1900s] (intransitive) to be bothered, overwhelmed, done in by circumstances

      暑(あつ)さに参(まい)る

      atsusa ni mairu

      to be done in by the heat

   3. [from early 1900s] (intransitive) to die
   4. [from early 1900s] (intransitive) to fall for someone romantically
5. (transitive, humble, archaic) to go to (Can we verify^{(is "to go to" transitive? What is this definition supposed to mean?%7c%E5%8F%82%E3%82%8B%5D%5D +)} this sense?)
6. [late 900s—???] (transitive, humble, archaic) to serve someone in some capacity, to do something for someone
7. [1478—???] (transitive, humble, archaic) a 脇付 (wakizuke, “respectful title written after an addressee's name”) on the side of a formal letter

Conjugation

Conjugation of "参る" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	参ら	まいら	maira
Continuative (連用形)	参り	まいり	mairi
Terminal (終止形)	参る	まいる	mairu
Attributive (連体形)	参る	まいる	mairu
Hypothetical (仮定形)	参れ	まいれ	maire
Imperative (命令形)	参れ	まいれ	maire
Key constructions
Passive	参られる	まいられる	mairareru
Causative	参らせる 参らす	まいらせる まいらす	mairaseru mairasu
Potential	参れる	まいれる	maireru
Volitional	参ろう	まいろう	mairō
Negative	参らない	まいらない	mairanai
Negative continuative	参らず	まいらず	mairazu
Formal	参ります	まいります	mairimasu
Perfective	参った	まいった	maitta
Conjunctive	参って	まいって	maitte
Hypothetical conditional	参れば	まいれば	maireba

Classical conjugation of "参る" (ラ行四段活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	参ら	まゐら	mawira
Continuative (連用形)	参り	まゐり	mawiri
Terminal (終止形)	参る	まゐる	mawiru
Attributive (連体形)	参る	まゐる	mawiru
Realis (已然形)	参れ	まゐれ	mawire
Imperative (命令形)	参れ	まゐれ	mawire
Key constructions
Negative	参らず	まゐらず	mawirazu
Contrasting conjunction	参れど	まゐれど	mawiredo
Causal conjunction	参れば	まゐれば	mawireba
Conditional conjunction	参らば	まゐらば	mawiraba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	参りき	まゐりき	mawiriki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	参りけり	まゐりけり	mawirikeri
Perfect tense (conscious action)	参りつ	まゐりつ	mawiritu
Perfect tense (natural event)	参りぬ	まゐりぬ	mawirinu
Perfect-continuative tense	参れり 参りたり	まゐれり まゐりたり	mawireri mawiritari
Volitional	参らむ	まゐらむ	mawiramu

Derived terms

• 参(まい)らす (mairasu)

See also

• (be bothered by circumstances): やられる (yarareru)

References

1. “参”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎ (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000, →ISBN
2. 1995, 大辞泉 (Daijisen) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
3. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third 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
5. 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN