天邪鬼

天邪鬼

1. amanojaku

Compound of 天 (ama, “heaven”) +‎ の (no, possessive particle) +‎ 邪鬼 (jaki, “vengeful spirit, cursing kami”).

The jaku reading for the 邪鬼 term is unusual, and the reason for this deviation from the expected jaki reading is unclear. One theory holds that the reading is a shift from 天探女 (ama no sagume), the name of a yōkai that appears in ancient Japanese tales and that seems to have been conflated with the Buddhist jaki, a malevolent demon that leads people astray from the path to enlightenment:[1][2]

• /ama no saɡume/ → /amanozaku/ → /amanod͡ʑaku/

There is a cluster of phonologically similar forms listed in some sources,[1][2] referring either to the Buddhist entity or the yōkai, consistent with the conflation theory:

• /amanod͡ʑaku/, /amanod͡ʑako/, /amanozaku/, /amanozako/, /amanɕaɡume/

The amanojaku reading appears to be the most common reading for the 天邪鬼 spelling.

• (Irregular reading)
  • (Tokyo) あまの​じゃく [àmánóꜜjàkù] (Nakadaka – [3])[3][4][5]
  • IPA^(key): [a̠ma̠no̞ʑa̠kɯ̟ᵝ]

• 天の邪鬼

天邪鬼 (hiragana あまのじゃく, rōmaji amanojaku)

1. a kind of oni that appears in various folktales as the bad guy, who deliberately goes against what people say
2. someone with a personality or behavior reminiscent of the folktale character: a crank, a perverse person

   Synonyms: 捻くれ者 (hinekure-mono), 旋毛曲り (tsumuji-magari)

3. (Buddhism) in Buddhist statuary, the small devil or demon being trampled under the feet of a 仁王 (Niō, “Deva king”) or one of the 四天王 (Shitennō, “four Deva warriors”)
4. (Buddhism) in Buddhist statuary, the devil or demon face on the breastplate of 毘沙門天 (Bishamonten, “Vaiśravaṇa”)
5. a grub (insect larva)

   Synonym: 地虫 (jimushi)

Sound shift from amanojaku above, contracting the の (no) to just ん (n).

• (Irregular reading)
  • (Tokyo) あま​んじゃく [àmáꜜǹjàkù] (Nakadaka – [2])[3]
  • IPA^(key): [a̠mã̠ɲ̟d͡ʑa̠kɯ̟ᵝ]

• 天ん邪鬼

天邪鬼 (hiragana あまんじゃく, rōmaji amanjaku)

1. see amanojaku above

Appears to be a sound shift from amanojaku above.

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

• 天の邪鬼

天邪鬼 (hiragana あまのじゃこ, rōmaji amanojako)

1. see amanojaku above

Sound shift from amanojako above, contracting the の (no) to just ん (n).

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

• 天ん邪鬼

天邪鬼 (hiragana あまんじゃこ, rōmaji amanjako)

1. see amanojaku above

Appears to be a sound shift from amanojako above. Alternatively, may be a separate shift from amanosagume:

• /ama no saɡume/ → /amanozaku/ → /amanozako/

Listed with this reading as Amanozaco in the 1603 edition of the Nippo Jisho.[6]

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

• 天邪古

天邪鬼 (hiragana あまのざこ, rōmaji amanozako)

1. see amanojaku above