台詞

台詞

See also: 臺詞 and 台词

Chinese

For pronunciation and definitions of 台詞 – see 臺詞 (“lines”). (This term, 台詞, is a variant form of 臺詞.)

---

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
台	詞
Grade: 2	Grade: 6
Irregular

*/seri ipu/ → */seripu/ → /serifu/

Probably originally a compound of 競り (seri, “hawking, calling out in a loud voice”, the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “the continuative or stem form”) of verb 競る (seru, “to hawk, to call out in a loud voice”)) +‎ 言ふ (ifu , ancient spelling of modern 言う (iu), “to say”).[1]

*/seri apu/ → */seripu/ → /serifu/

Alternatively, the final -fu may have come instead from 合ふ (afu), ancient form of modern 合う (au, “to do something together”).[1]

Pronunciation

• (Irregular reading)
  • (Tokyo) せりふ [sèrífú] (Heiban – [0])[2]
  • IPA^(key): [se̞ɾʲiɸɯ̟ᵝ]

Alternative forms

• 科白, 白 (rare)

Noun

台詞 (hiragana せりふ, katakana セリフ, rōmaji serifu)

1. a performer’s lines
2. one’s words, one’s line

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
台	詞
だい Grade: 2	し Grade: 6
on’yomi

From Middle Chinese 台詞 (MC jɨ|tʰʌi zɨ). Uses the goon reading for the first character and the kan'on reading for the second character, suggesting either a pronunciation shift within Japanese, or influence from a Chinese dialect or later pronunciation.

Pronunciation

• On’yomi
  • (Tokyo) だいし [dàíshí] (Heiban – [0])[2]
  • IPA^(key): [da̠iɕi]

Noun

台詞 (hiragana だいし, rōmaji daishi)

1. a performer’s lines
2. one’s words, one’s line

Usage notes

The serifu reading is more common.[1]

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