にわか

Japanese

Alternative spellings

俄か

Etymology

*/nipaka//niɸaka//niwaka/

From Old Japanese. First attested in the Man'yōshū of 759 CE.[1][2]

Appears to be composed of root niwa of uncertain derivation + adjective-forming suffix (ka). Compare related ancient adverbial form 俄しく (niwashiku), comprising this same niwa element, suffixed instead with the しい (shii) adjective-forming suffix in the adverbial inflection.

Pronunciation

Adjective

にわか • (niwaka) にはか (nifaka)?-na (adnominal にわか (niwaka na na), adverbial にわか (niwaka ni ni))

  1. [from 790s] sudden, abrupt, unexpected, improvised, offhand
    にわかには(しん)がたい
    niwaka ni wa shinjigatai
    difficult to immediately believe
  2. [from 759] suddenly serious (said of an illness; most often in the construction にわかなる (niwaka ni naru))
  3. [from early 1200s] temporary, makeshift, impermanent, ad hoc

Inflection

  • Although this is listed in Japanese dictionaries as a 形容動詞 (keiyō dōshi, -na adjective), use with the expected (na) adnominal particle appears to be uncommon. When used attributively, this is much more commonly found with the genitive and possessive particle (no), treating the term more as a noun.

Derived terms

  • (にわ)しく (niwashiku): suddenly (archaic, possibly obsolete)

Noun

にわか • (niwaka) にはか (nifaka)?

  1. Short for 俄狂言 (niwaka kyōgen, a farce; an impromptu comic interlude during a Noh play).
  2. (by extension) any impromptu joke, witticism, or pun
  3. Short for 俄ファン (niwaka fan, (Internet slang) bandwagon fan).
    • 2019 January 27, ねことうふ, “第24話 まひろと共通の話題”, in お兄ちゃんはおしまい!:
      (かた)れるヤツが()てよかったよー あ シリーズだとどれが()き? やっぱVI(シックス)だよね〰」
      「え…シックス? ごめん やってない…」
      (なに)ぃ?ニワカめ〰〰」
      「だって()まれる(まえ)のやつだしなぁ…」
      “Katareru yatsu ga ite yokatta yō a shirīzu da to dore ga suki? Yappa shikkusu da yo ne~”
      “E…shikkusu? Gomen yattenai…”
      “Nanī? Niwaka-me~~”
      “Datte umareru mae no yatsu da shi nā…”
      "I'm just glad that there's someone I can talk to about it now / Oh, of the series, which one do you like? VI, right? Of course it's VI."
      "Um six? Sorry; I haven't played that one."
      "Whaat? Ya casual~~"
      "Well, it is from before I was born, after all"

See also

References

  1. Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN
  4. Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  • 2002, Ineko Kondō; Fumi Takano; Mary E Althaus; et. al., Shogakukan Progressive Japanese-English Dictionary, Third Edition, Tokyo: Shōgakukan, →ISBN.
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