何処

/idu/ → /izu/

From Old Japanese.

何処 (hiragana いず, rōmaji izu, historical hiragana いづ)

1. Alternative spelling of 何 (“where”)

/iduku/ → /izuku/

From Old Japanese. Compound of 何 (idu-, interrogative prefix) + 処 (-ku, suffix indicating a place).

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) いずく [ìzúkú] (Heiban – [0])[1]
  • (Tokyo) い​ずく [íꜜzùkù] (Atamadaka – [1])[1]
  • IPA^(key): [izɨᵝkɯ̟ᵝ]

何処 (hiragana いずく, rōmaji izuku, historical hiragana いづく)

1. (archaic) interrogative demonstrative; where
   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 5, poem 802), text here

     宇 (う)利 (り)波 (は)米 (め)婆 (ば)胡 (こ)藤 (ど)母 (も)意 (お)母 (も)保 (ほ)由 (ゆ)久 (く)利 (り)波 (は)米 (め)婆 (ば)麻 (ま)斯 (し)提 (て)斯 (し)農 (ぬ)波 (は)由 (ゆ)伊 (い)豆 (づ)久 (く)欲 (よ)利 (り)枳 (き)多 (た)利 (り)斯 (し)物 (も)能 (の)曽 (ぞ)麻 (ま)奈 (な)迦 (か)比 (ひ)尓 (に)母 (も)等 (と)奈 (な)可 (か)可 (か)利 (り)提 (て)夜 (や)周 (す)伊 (い)斯 (し)奈 (な)佐 (さ)農 (ぬ) [Man'yōgana]

     瓜 (うり)食 (は)めば子 (こ)ども思 (おも)ほゆ栗 (くり)食 (は)めばまして偲 (しぬ)ばゆいづくより来 (きた)りしものぞまなかひにもとなかかりて安 (やす)寐 (い)し寝 (な)さぬ [Modern spelling]

     uri hameba kodomo omōyu kuri hameba mashite shinubayu izuku yori kitarishimo zo manakai ni motonaka karite yasui shinasanu

     When I eat melon, I remember my children; when I eat chestnuts, even more I recall them. Whence did they come to me? Before my eyes they will linger, and I cannot sleep in peace.[2]

/iduku/ → /iduko/ → /izuko/

From izuku above, historical iduku. Via analogy with the proximal and non-proximal pronouns ここ (koko) and そこ (soko), respectively, both of which end in -o, the final -u became -o.

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) い​ずこ [íꜜzùkò] (Atamadaka – [1])[1]
  • (Tokyo) いずこ [ìzúkó] (Heiban – [0])[1]
  • IPA^(key): [izɨᵝko̞]

何処 (hiragana いずこ, rōmaji izuko, historical hiragana いづこ)

1. (archaic) interrogative demonstrative; where
   • c. 935, Tosa Nikki (page 22)[3]

     かく言 (い)ひつゝ、漕 (こ)ぎゆく。おもしろき所 (ところ)に船 (ふね)を寄 (よ)せて、「こゝやいづこ」と問 (と)ひければ、「土 (と)佐 (さ)の泊 (とまり)」と言 (い)ひけり。

     kaku iitsutsu, kogiyuku, omoshiroki tokoro ni fune o yosete, "kokoya izuko" to toikereba, "Tosa-no-tomari" to ii keri.

     While we thus beguiled the time by composing stanzas and the like, the vessel gradually pursued her way and we arrived at a place most charming on account of its scenery. When I asked its name, I was told it was a harbor named Tosa.[4]

   • 905, Kokin Wakashū (book 3 poem 166; also Hyakunin Isshu, poem 36)

     夏 (なつ)の夜 (よ)はまだ宵 (よひ)ながら明 (あ)けぬるを雲 (くも)のいづこに月 (つき)やどるらむ

     natsu no yo wa mada yoi nagara akenuru o kumo no izuko ni tsuki yadoruran

     the summer night wanes while the hours of the evening have hardly passed―whereabouts in the clouds has the moon taken her lodgings?[5]

   1086, Goshūi Wakashū (book 4, poem 333; also Hyakunin Isshu, poem 70)

   寂 (さび)しさに宿 (やど)をたち出 (い)でて眺 (なが)むればいづこもおなじ秋 (あき)の夕暮 (ゆふぐれ)

   sabishisa ni yado o tachi-idete nagamureba izuko mo onaji aki no yūgure

   When, in loneliness, I step outside my hut and gaze around, it's the same everywhere... autumn dusk.[6]

/iduko/ → /idoko/

From izuko above, historical iduko. Continuing the analogy with the proximal and non-proximal pronouns ここ (koko) and そこ (soko), respectively, both of which end in -oko, the medial -u- changes to -o- resulting in idoko.

• 何所

• (Irregular reading)
  • IPA^(key): [ido̞ko̞]

何処 (hiragana いどこ, rōmaji idoko)

1. (archaic) interrogative demonstrative; where

/idoko/ → /doko/

From idoko above. The interrogative association of /idu-/ → /ido-/ has now been lost. Continuing the analogy with the proximal and non-proximal pronouns ここ (koko) and そこ (soko), respectively, both of which are two mora in length, the initial i- drops off resulting in the two mora doko. Now the modern spelling for where.

• 何所

• (Irregular reading)
  • (Tokyo) ど​こ [dóꜜkò] (Atamadaka – [1])[1]
  • IPA^(key): [do̞ko̞]

何処 (hiragana どこ, rōmaji doko)

1. interrogative demonstrative; where

   新宿駅 (しんじゅくえき)はどこですか。

   Shinjuku eki wa doko desu ka.

   Where is Shinjuku station?

• The hiragana spelling (どこ) is preferred to the kanji spelling (何処), which is rarely used.