師走

• 十二月

/sipasu/ → /ɕifasu/ → /ɕiwasu/

Shift from shihasu, ancient sipasu (see below).

The kanji is an example of phonetic ateji (当て字), literally "priests running"; there were traditionally many services for Buddhist priests to attend at this month.

• (Irregular reading)
  • (Tokyo) しわす [shìwású] (Heiban – [0])[1][2]
  • IPA^(key): [ɕiɰᵝa̠sɨᵝ]

師走 (hiragana しわす, rōmaji shiwasu, historical hiragana しはす)

1. (archaic) the twelfth month of the lunar calendar
   • c. 859-985, Kagura Uta, Kodai Kayōshū, page 337:

     本 乎美名古乃左衣八 末 志毛月志波須乃 加伊古本千[3]

     (please add an English translation of this quote)

   Synonyms: 限りの月 (kagiri no tsuki), 極まり月 (kiwamarizuki), 極月 (gokugetsu), 果ての月 (hate no tsuki), 臘月 (rōgetsu)

2. (poetic) the month of preparation for the new year; December

• 師走 (しわす)油 (あぶら) (shiwasu abura)
• 師走 (しわす)狐 (ぎつね) (shiwasu-gitsune)

• 師走 (しわす)坊 (ぼう)主 (ず) (shiwasu bōzu)
• 師走 (しわす)浪 (ろう)人 (にん) (shiwasu rōnin)

師走 (hiragana しわす, rōmaji Shiwasu, historical hiragana しはす)

1. a female given name

/sipasu/ → /ɕifasu/ → /ɕihasu/

From Old Japanese of unknown derivation.

The final -hasu is thought to be related to the verb 果つ (hatsu, “to come to an end”). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

• (Irregular reading)
  • (Tokyo) しはす [shìhású] (Heiban – [0])[1][2]
  • IPA^(key): [ɕiha̠sɨᵝ]

師走 (hiragana しはす, rōmaji shihasu)

1. Same as しわす (shiwasu) above

• (Japanese calendar months) 睦月 (むつき) (mutsuki), 如月 (きさらぎ) (kisaragi), 弥生 (やよい) (yayoi), 卯 (う)月 (づき) (uzuki), 皐 (さ)月 (つき) (satsuki), 水 (み)無 (な)月 (づき) (minazuki), 文 (ふみ)月 (づき) (fumizuki), 葉 (は)月 (づき) (hazuki), 長 (なが)月 (つき) (nagatsuki), 神 (かん)無 (な)月 (づき) (kannazuki), 霜 (しも)月 (つき) (shimotsuki), 師走 (しわす) (shiwasu) ^{(Category: ja:Japanese months)}

• 十 (じゅう)二 (に)月 (がつ) (jūnigatsu)
• 客臘 (かくろう) (kakurō)