一言

Chinese

		one; single; a one; single; a; (before verbs) as soon as, once; (before a noun) entire (family, etc.)	to speak; to say; talk to speak; to say; talk; word
simp. and trad. (一言)		一	言

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): yīyán

(Zhuyin): ㄧㄧㄢˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): jat¹ jin⁴
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): yit-ngièn / yit-ngiàn
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): it-giân / it-gân
Wu (Wugniu)
- (Northern): ⁷iq-yi; ⁷iq ⁶yi

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: yīyán [Phonetic: yìyán]
  - Zhuyin: ㄧㄧㄢˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: yiyán
  - Wade–Giles: i¹-yen²
  - Yale: yī-yán
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: iyan
  - Palladius: иянь (ijanʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /i⁵⁵⁻⁵¹ jɛn³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: jat¹ jin⁴
  - Yale: yāt yìhn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: jat⁷ jin⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: yed¹ yin⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɐt̚⁵ jiːn²¹/
Hakka
- (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yit-ngièn
  - Hakka Romanization System: id` ngienˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: yid⁵ ngian²
  - Sinological IPA: /it̚² ŋi̯en¹¹/
- (Southern Sixian, incl. Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yit-ngiàn
  - Hakka Romanization System: (r)id` ngianˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: yid⁵ ngian²
  - Sinological IPA: /(j)it̚² ŋi̯an¹¹/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou, General Taiwanese, Xiamen)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: it-giân
  - Tâi-lô: it-giân
  - Phofsit Daibuun: itgieen
  - IPA (Taipei, Xiamen): /it̚³²⁻⁴ ɡiɛn²⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /it̚³²⁻⁴ ɡiɛn²³/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /it̚⁵⁻²⁴ ɡiɛn²⁴/
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: it-gân
  - Tâi-lô: it-gân
  - Phofsit Daibuun: itgaan
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /it̚³²⁻⁵ ɡan¹³/
Wu
- (Shanghai):
  - Wugniu: ⁷iq-yi; ⁷iq ⁶yi
  - MiniDict: ih^入 yi; ih^入 yi^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ⁴iq-hhi; ⁴iq ³hhi
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /iɪʔ³³ ɦi⁴⁴/, /iɪʔ⁴⁴ ɦi²³/

Noun

一言

(literary) one sentence; something to say; brief remark
(literary) one character

Derived terms

一言一行 (yīyányīxíng)
一言不發／一言不发 (yīyánbùfā)
一言九鼎 (yīyánjiǔdǐng)
一言以蔽之 (yīyán yǐ bì zhī)
一言堂 (yīyántáng)
一言為定／一言为定 (yīyánwéidìng)
一言蔽之 (yīyánbìzhī)
一言難盡／一言难尽 (yīyánnánjìn)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (一言):

→ Korean: 일언(一言) (ireon)
→ Vietnamese: nhất ngôn (一言)

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
一	言
いち Grade: 1	ごん Grade: 2
on’yomi

From Middle Chinese compound 一言 (ʔjit ngjon, literally “one + speech, word”). The goon, so likely the initial borrowing.

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) いちごん [ìchígóń] (Heiban – [0])[1][2]
IPA^(key): [it͡ɕiɡõ̞ɴ]

Noun

一(いち)言(ごん) • (ichigon)

a (single) word, a few words

Idioms

一言以(いちごんも)って之(これ)を蔽(おお)う (ichigon motte kore o ōu): “to cover this with one word/phrase” → to sum up complicated details in a few short words
一言(いちごん)も無(な)い (ichigon mo nai): “not even a word” → to be speechless; to have nothing to say
一言一句(いちごんいっく) (ichigon ikku): “one word on phrase” → word by word, distinctly (as when speaking carefully)
一言半句(いちごんはんく) (ichigon hanku): “one word half a phrase” → word by word, distinctly (as when speaking carefully)
一言既(いちごんすで)に出(い)ずれば駟馬(しば)も追(お)い難(がた)し (ichigon sude ni izureba shiba mo oigatashi): “a word once said is hard to catch even with a four-horse team”

Derived terms

一言居士(いちごんこじ) (ichigon koji): a person who must speak their mind about everything
一言詩(いちごんし) (ichigon shi): a traditional poem wherein a single character is used to fit the meter of a whole line

Verb

一(いち)言(ごん)する • (ichigon suru) suru (stem 一(いち)言(ごん)し (ichigon shi), past 一(いち)言(ごん)した (ichigon shita))

to say a few words

Conjugation

Conjugation of "一言する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	一言し	いちごんし	ichigon shi
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	一言し	いちごんし	ichigon shi
Shūshikei ("terminal")	一言する	いちごんする	ichigon suru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	一言する	いちごんする	ichigon suru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	一言すれ	いちごんすれ	ichigon sure
Meireikei ("imperative")	一言せよ¹ 一言しろ²	いちごんせよ¹ いちごんしろ²	ichigon seyo¹ ichigon shiro²
Key constructions
Passive	一言される	いちごんされる	ichigon sareru
Causative	一言させる一言さす	いちごんさせるいちごんさす	ichigon saseru ichigon sasu
Potential	一言できる	いちごんできる	ichigon dekiru
Volitional	一言しよう	いちごんしよう	ichigon shiyō
Negative	一言しない	いちごんしない	ichigon shinai
Negative continuative	一言せず	いちごんせず	ichigon sezu
Formal	一言します	いちごんします	ichigon shimasu
Perfective	一言した	いちごんした	ichigon shita
Conjunctive	一言して	いちごんして	ichigon shite
Hypothetical conditional	一言すれば	いちごんすれば	ichigon sureba
¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
一	言
いち Grade: 1	げん Grade: 2
on’yomi

Shift in pronunciation from ichigon above, using the kan'on of gen for the 言 character.[3]

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) いちげん [ìchígéń] (Heiban – [0])[2]
IPA^(key): [it͡ɕiɡẽ̞ɴ]

Noun

一(いち)言(げん) • (ichigen)

a (single) word, a few words

Idioms

一言以(いちげんも)って之(これ)を蔽(おお)う (ichigen motte kore o ōu): “to cover this with one word/phrase” → to sum up complicated details in a few short words

Derived terms

一言一行(いちげんいっこう) (ichigen ikkō): one action and one word
一言居士(いちげんこじ) (ichigen koji): a person who must speak their mind about everything

Verb

一(いち)言(げん)する • (ichigen suru) suru (stem 一(いち)言(げん)し (ichigen shi), past 一(いち)言(げん)した (ichigen shita))

to say a few words

Conjugation

Conjugation of "一言する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
Mizenkei ("imperfective")	一言し	いちげんし	ichigen shi
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")	一言し	いちげんし	ichigen shi
Shūshikei ("terminal")	一言する	いちげんする	ichigen suru
Rentaikei ("attributive")	一言する	いちげんする	ichigen suru
Kateikei ("hypothetical")	一言すれ	いちげんすれ	ichigen sure
Meireikei ("imperative")	一言せよ¹ 一言しろ²	いちげんせよ¹ いちげんしろ²	ichigen seyo¹ ichigen shiro²
Key constructions
Passive	一言される	いちげんされる	ichigen sareru
Causative	一言させる一言さす	いちげんさせるいちげんさす	ichigen saseru ichigen sasu
Potential	一言できる	いちげんできる	ichigen dekiru
Volitional	一言しよう	いちげんしよう	ichigen shiyō
Negative	一言しない	いちげんしない	ichigen shinai
Negative continuative	一言せず	いちげんせず	ichigen sezu
Formal	一言します	いちげんします	ichigen shimasu
Perfective	一言した	いちげんした	ichigen shita
Conjunctive	一言して	いちげんして	ichigen shite
Hypothetical conditional	一言すれば	いちげんすれば	ichigen sureba
¹ Written imperative ² Spoken imperative

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
一	言
ひと Grade: 1	こと Grade: 2
kun’yomi

Compound of 一 (hito, “one”) +‎ 言 (koto, “word, speech”).[3][2]

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) ひとこと [hìtóꜜkòtò] (Nakadaka – [2])[1][2]
IPA^(key): [çi̥to̞ko̞to̞]

Noun

一(ひと)言(こと) • (hitokoto)

a (single) word, a few words

Idioms

一言多(ひとことおお)い (hitokoto ōi): “a word [too] many” → to say too much, to say something better left unsaid

References

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
Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

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[NHK-1] 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

[DJR-2] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[KDJ-3] Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN