師走

師走

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
師	走
し Grade: 5 (ateji)	は(す) > わ(す) Grade: 2 (ateji)
on’yomi	kun’yomi

Alternative spelling
十二月

/sipasu/ → /ɕifasu/ → /ɕiwasu/

Shift from shihasu, ancient sipasu (see below).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) しわす [shìwású] (Heiban – [0])[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [ɕiɰᵝa̠sɨᵝ]

Noun

師(し)走(わす) • (shiwasu) ^{←しはす (sifasu)?}

1. (archaic) the twelfth month of the lunar calendar
   • c. 859-985, Kagura Uta, Kodai Kayōshū, page 337:

     本 乎美名古乃左衣八 末 志毛月志波須乃 加伊古本千[3]

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

   Synonyms: 限りの月 (kagiri no tsuki), 極まり月 (kiwamarizuki), 極月 (gokugetsu), 果ての月 (hate no tsuki), 臘月 (rōgetsu)

2. (poetic) the month of preparation for the new year: December

Derived terms

• 師(し)走(わす)油(あぶら) (shiwasu abura)
• 師(し)走(わす)狐(ぎつね) (shiwasu-gitsune)

Proverbs

• 師(し)走(わす)坊(ぼう)主(ず) (shiwasu bōzu)
• 師(し)走(わす)浪(ろう)人(にん) (shiwasu rōnin)

Proper noun

師(し)走(わす) • (Shiwasu) ^{←しはす (sifasu)?}

1. a female given name

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
師	走
し Grade: 5 (ateji)	は(す) Grade: 2 (ateji)
on’yomi	kun’yomi

/sipasu/ → /ɕifasu/ → /ɕihasu/

From Old Japanese of unknown derivation. First appears in the Nihon Shoki of 720 CE.[4].

Possible etymologies

• From 師(し) (si, “Buddhist monk”) + 馳(は)す (pasu, “to hurry, to make run”, modern 馳せる), as there were traditionally many services for monks to attend during this month. However Old Japanese verbs usually do not form nouns with their terminal form.[note 1][5][6] If this is a folk etymology, the kanji would be ateji, as it is generally regarded.
• はす (hasu) may be derived from 果(は)つ (patu, “to come to an end”, modern 果てる), or a perhaps related root *pas- meaning "edge; division between two things", referring to the end of a year. Compare 橋(はし) (hashi), 端(はし) (hashi), 挟(はさ)む (hasamu).[5][6] However all these sound changes remain unexplained.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) しはす [shìhású] (Heiban – [0])[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [ɕiha̠sɨᵝ]

Noun

師(し)走(はす) • (shihasu) 

1. Synonym of 師走 (shiwasu)

Coordinate terms

• (Japanese calendar months) 睦(む)月(つき) (mutsuki), 如月(きさらぎ) (kisaragi), 弥(や)生(よい) (yayoi), 卯(う)月(づき) (uzuki), 皐(さ)月(つき) (satsuki), 水(み)無(な)月(づき) (minazuki), 文(ふみ)月(づき) (fumizuki), 葉(は)月(づき) (hazuki), 長(なが)月(つき) (nagatsuki), 神(かん)無(な)月(づき) (kannazuki), 霜(しも)月(つき) (shimotsuki), 師(し)走(わす) (shiwasu) ^{(Category: ja:Japanese calendar months)}

See also

• 十(じゅう)二(に)月(がつ) (jūnigatsu)
• 客(かく)臘(ろう) (kakurō)

References

1. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
2. 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
3. Tsuchihashi, Yutaka; Jin'ichi Konishi, Ichinosuke Takagi (1957) Kodai Kayōshū, Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
4. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
5. “師走”, in 日本大百科全書：ニッポニカ (Nippon Dai Hyakka Zensho: Nipponica, “Encyclopedia Nipponica”)‎ (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 1984
6. Entry in Gogen-Allguide (in Japanese)

Footnotes

1. The expected form would be *しはせ (sipase) or *しはし (sipasi), which are not attested. This explanation is already prevalent in the Heian period, appearing in the Iroha Jiruishō of the 1100s.