み


み U+307F, み
HIRAGANA LETTER MI
← ま
[U+307E] 		Hiragana む →
[U+3080]

Japanese
Stroke order
2 strokes

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): [mʲi]

Etymology 1

Derived in the Heian period from writing the man'yōgana kanji 美 in the cursive sōsho style.

Syllable

み • (mi) 

  1. The hiragana syllable み (mi). Its equivalent in katakana is ミ (mi). It is the thirty-second syllable in the gojūon order; its position is ま行い段 (ma-gyō i-dan, “row ma, section i”).
See also

Etymology 2
For pronunciation and definitions of み – see the following entries.
【未】4
[prefix] un-; in- (not yet)
[proper noun] the Sheep, the eighth of the twelve Earthly Branches
【味】3
[affix] flavor, taste
[affix] tasting, savoring
[affix] taste, savor
[affix] Alternative spelling of 身 (mi): body part
[noun] a flavour (UK)/flavor (US), taste
[counter] counter for kinds of food, drink, medicine, etc.
【弥】S
[affix] Used in transliterations.
【魅】S
[affix] charm; fascination
【眉】S
[affix] eyebrow
【美】3
[affix] beauty; beautiful
[suffix] suffix used by female given names, such as 奈美 (なみ, Nami), 恵美 (えみ, Emi; めぐみ, Megumi), 宏美 (ひろみ, Hiromi)
[suffix] (rare) suffix used by male given names
【微】S
[affix] tiny; small; minute
(This term, み, is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.)
For a list of all kanji read as み, see Category:Japanese kanji read as み.)

Etymology 3
For pronunciation and definitions of み – see the following entries.
【身】3
[noun] a body; (by extension):
[noun] the main part of something
[noun] the blade of a sword (as opposed to the handle)
[noun] meat, flesh (as opposed to skin and bone)
[noun] wood (as opposed to the bark)
[noun] oneself
[noun] one's position, one's social standing, one's circumstances
【実】3
[noun] fruit (a product of fertilization in a plant)
[noun] seed
[noun] ingredients of soup (meat or vegetables)
[noun] (figurative) contents; substance; essence
[noun] (figurative) good result
Alternative spelling
子
【三】1
[numeral] three
【御】S
[prefix] (honorific, archaic) added to gods and other spiritually important things
[prefix] (honorific, archaic) added to nouns to indicate godlike respect
[prefix] (honorific, archaic) added to placenames to emphasize beauty
【神】3
[noun] (rare) a god or spirit
Alternative spelling
霊
【見】1
[noun] seeing, looking
[noun] the look or appearance of something
[noun] a view, as of a landscape
【箕】J
[noun] a winnow; a winnowing basket
【巳】J
[proper noun] the Snake, the sixth of the twelve Earthly Branches (by extension):
[proper noun] a year corresponding to the year of the Snake
[proper noun] south-southeast: a direction pointed thirty degrees from south to east
[proper noun] 10 am
[proper noun] April
(This term, み, is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.)
For a list of all kanji read as み, see Category:Japanese kanji read as み.)

(The following entries are uncreated: 深, 霊.)

Etymology 4

From Old Japanese. ⟨mi1⟩ → /mi/.

Further derivation unclear. Theories include:[1]

  • Might be a suffix all on its own.
  • Might be a particle.
  • Might be the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of an auxiliary.

If derived from an auxiliary, this may be the suppositional / presumptive auxiliary む (mu). Possibly related to 目 (me, “eye”), 見る (miru, “to see”); compare English look like as used to describe the quality of something.

Suffix

み • (-mi) 

  1. 味: (after an i-adjective stem) -ness; used for subjective "quality" of being, as opposed to suffix さ (sa), also translated as -ness, used for objective "degree" of being
    暖(あたた)かみ、厚(あつ)み、面(おも)白(しろ)み
    atatakami, atsumi, omoshiromi
    warmth, thickness, interest
  2. (Internet slang) (after other types of words as well) -ness[2][3]
    外国(がいこく)みがある
    gaikoku-mi ga aru
    has a foreign country-ish vibe
  3. (after an i-adjective stem) place
    高(たか)み、明(あか)るみ、深(ふか)み
    takami, akarumi, fukami
    high place, bright place, deep place
Usage notes

Sense 1 is sometimes confused or conflated with Sino-Japanese 味 (mi, “taste, flavor”), hence the ateji spelling.

See also

Etymology 5

From Old Japanese. ⟨mi1⟩ → /mi/.

Considered to be from the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of 見る (miru, “to try, to attempt”).[4]

Suffix

み • (-mi) 

  1. (after verbs with opposite meanings in the ren'yōkei continuative or -zu negative continuative) indicates alternation of action or state, equivalent to the modern expression …たり…たり (…tari …tari)
    降(ふ)りみ降(ふ)らずみ
    furimi furazumi
    sometimes raining and sometimes not raining → raining on and off
    照(て)りみ曇(くも)りみ
    terimi kumorimi
    sometimes shiny and sometimes cloudy

Etymology 6

Old Japanese. ⟨mi1⟩ → /mi/. Only used in waka since Early Middle Japanese.[5]

Suffix

み • (-mi) 

  1. (obsolete, after an i-adjective stem) as, because; forming an adverbial clause: being
    山(やま)を高(たか)み
    yama o takami
    as/because the mountain is high; the mountain being high
  2. (obsolete, after an i-adjective stem) Expresses thinking or feeling, followed by verbs like 思ふ and す.

Etymology 7

From みろ.

Verb

み • (mi) 

  1. (colloquial) imperative of みる (“try”)

References
  1. “み”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
  2. 依田 綾乃 (2016) “ツイッターに用いられる「-み」の用法”, in 信大国語教育‎
  3. 宇野 和 (2018) “Twitterで見られる名詞に後接する接尾辞ミ : 「ぽさ」「らしさ」と比較して [A Study of the Suffix “mi” Connected with Nouns Often Used on Twitter : Comparing “posa” and “rashisa”]”, in 人間文化創成科学論叢‎
  4. Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  5. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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