紅葉づ

紅葉づ

Japanese

Kanji in this term
紅	葉
もみ
Grade: 6	Grade: 3
jukujikun

Alternative forms

• 黄葉ず (usually for yellowing)

Etymology

⟨mo₍₁₎mi₁tu⟩ → */mʷomʲitu/ → */mʷomʲidu/ → /momid͡ʑu/ → /momizu/

Shift from Old Japanese 四段活用 (yodan katsuyō, “quadrigrade conjugation”) verb 紅葉つ (momitu → momitsu). Realized as the 上二段活用 (kami nidan katsuyō, “upper bigrade conjugation”) in Middle Japanese.[1][2]

The kanji spelling is from 紅葉 (“red, crimson + leaf”).

Verb

紅葉づ(もみず) • (momizu) ^{←もみづ (momidu)?} intransitive ^†nidan

1. (of leaves, archaic) to turn (change colors) in autumn
   • 905–914, Kokin Wakashū (book 15, poem 820)

     時雨(しぐれ)つつもみづるよりも言(こと)の葉(は)の心(こころ)の秋(あき)にあふぞわびしき

     shiguretsutsu momizuru yori mo koto no ha no kokoro no aki ni au zo wabishiki

     Still more saddening than the leaves of trees changing in year-end drizzles―the encounter of old vows with the autumn of your love.[3]

   Synonym: 紅葉する (kōyō suru, momiji suru)

Conjugation

Classical conjugation of "紅葉づ" (ダ行上二段活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	紅葉ぢ	もみぢ	momidi
Continuative (連用形)	紅葉ぢ	もみぢ	momidi
Terminal (終止形)	紅葉づ	もみづ	momidu
Attributive (連体形)	紅葉づる	もみづる	momiduru
Realis (已然形)	紅葉づれ	もみづれ	momidure
Imperative (命令形)	紅葉ぢよ	もみぢよ	momidiyo
Key constructions
Negative	紅葉ぢず	もみぢず	momidizu
Contrasting conjunction	紅葉づれど	もみづれど	momiduredo
Causal conjunction	紅葉づれば	もみづれば	momidureba
Conditional conjunction	紅葉ぢば	もみぢば	momidiba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	紅葉ぢき	もみぢき	momidiki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	紅葉ぢけり	もみぢけり	momidikeri
Perfect tense (conscious action)	紅葉ぢつ	もみぢつ	momiditu
Perfect tense (natural event)	紅葉ぢぬ	もみぢぬ	momidinu
Perfect-continuative tense	紅葉ぢたり	もみぢたり	momiditari
Volitional	紅葉ぢむ	もみぢむ	momidimu

Derived terms

• 紅葉(もみじ) (momiji, “(turned) autumn leaves”)
• 紅葉(もみじば) (momijiba)

References

1. 1995, 大辞泉 (Daijisen) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
2. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
3. Helen Craig McCullough (1985) Kokin Wakashū: The First Imperial Anthology of Japanese Poetry, with Tosa Nikki and Shinsen Waka, illustrated, reprint edition, Stanford University Press, →ISBN, page 178