なり

Reading of various words.

なり (rōmaji nari)

1. 形, 態: clothing; appearance; shape; form
2. 業: occupation
3. 生り: bearing (of fruits)
4. 成り, 為り: (shogi) promotion
5. 鳴り: ringing

/ni ari/ → /nari/

Contraction of older に (ni, case particle) +‎ あり (ari, “to be, to exist”).[1]

• IPA^(key): [na̠ɾʲi]

なり (rōmaji nari)

1. (Classical Japanese, now archaic) The classical copula “to be”, equivalent to modern Japanese である (de aru) or だ (da).
   • c. late 9th – mid-10th century, Taketori Monogatari

     おのが身はこの国の人にもあらず、月の都の人なり。

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

   • 1900, “鉄道唱歌第1集東海道編”:

     大阪 (おおさか)出 (い)でて右左 (みぎひだり)　菜種 (なたね)ならざる畑 (はた)もなし

     Ōsaka idete migihidari natane narazaru hata mo nashi

     (please add an English translation of this example)

In Japanese school grammar, に (ni) is regarded as an alternative 連用形 (ren'yōkei).

• Attaches to a nominal or the 連体形 (rentaikei, “attributive form”) of declinables.
• The 終止形 (shūshikei, “terminal form”) of the copula can be spelled in kanji as 也 or 𬼂.
  • 恋は渾沌の隷也 (Koi wa Kaosu no Shimobe nari, “Love is a Servant of Chaos”)

• 小 (しょう)なり (shōnari)
• 大 (だい)なり (dainari)

From the 終止形 (shūshikei, “terminal form”) of the classical auxiliary verb なり.

なり (rōmaji nari)

1. Used when giving an example, without the implication that it might be the best or the only option

   労 (ろう)働 (どう)局 (きょく)になり相 (そう)談 (だん)したらどうですか？

   Rōdōkyoku ni nari sōdan shitara dō desu ka?

   What about consulting, for example, the Labor Bureau?

2. ... or ...

   楽 (らく)天 (てん)なりどこなりで買 (か)い物 (もの)をする

   Rakuten nari doko nari de kaimono o suru

   to shop at Rakuten or somewhere

• 大 (だい)なり小 (しょう)なり (dai nari shō nari, “more or less, to some extent”)

From なり (形, 態, nari).

なり (rōmaji nari)

1. (after a verb in the dictionary form) ... as soon as ...

   幼 (よう)稚 (ち)園 (えん)から帰 (かえ)るなり、母 (はは)に抱 (だ)きついてきました。

   Yōchien kara kaeru nari, haha ni dakitsuite kimashita.

   As soon as she returned from kindergarten; she clung to her mom.

2. (after a verb in the past tense ～た) ... while ...

   着 (き)たなり脱 (ぬ)ごうとしません

   kita nari nugō to shimasen

   [it's so comfortable that] She doesn't want to take it off while wearing it

• (as soon as): や否 (いな)や (ya ina ya)
• (while still): 儘 (まま) (mama)

• 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN