にわか

Japanese

Alternative spellings
俄
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 か (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 にわかな (niwaka na na), adverbial にわかに (niwaka ni ni))

  1. [from 790s] sudden, abrupt, unexpected, improvised, offhand
    にわかには信(しん)じがたい
    niwaka ni wa shinjigatai
    difficult to immediately believe
  2. [from 759] suddenly serious (said of an illness; most often in the construction にわかになる (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 な (na) adnominal particle appears to be uncommon. When used attributively, this is much more commonly found with the genitive and possessive particle の (no), treating the term more as a noun.

Derived terms

  • 俄(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!‎:
      「語(かた)れるヤツが居(い)てよかったよー あ シリーズだとどれが好(す)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…」
      「何(なに)ぃ?ニワカめ〰〰」
      「だって生(う)まれる前(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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