酸い
Japanese
| Kanji in this term |
|---|
| 酸 |
| す Grade: 5 |
| kun’yomi |
Etymology
From the Middle Chinese noun for vinegar, probably 醋 (tsʰuo, “vinegar”), plus the native Old Japanese adjective suffix し (shi, modern い i).[1] Appears as early as the late Heian period, in the 今昔物語集 (Konjaku Monogatari Shū, “Anthology of Tales from Today and Yesterday”).
The adjective's older terminal form of sushi remains as the derivation of the modern noun 寿司 (sushi).
The spelling with the kanji 酸 is based on synonyms in Chinese: 酢, 醋, and 酸 all have senses related to sour, and all three can be used in Japanese to spell su (“vinegar”).
Adjective
酸い (-i inflection, hiragana すい, rōmaji sui)
- vinegary, sour
- c. 1120–1140, Konjaku Monogatarishū
- 酒少し濁りてすき様なれど
- sake sukoshi nigorite suki yau naredo
- Although the sake seems a bit cloudy and sour...
- 酒少し濁りてすき様なれど
- c. 1120–1140, Konjaku Monogatarishū
Inflection
Inflection of 酸い
| Stem forms | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Imperfective (未然形) | 酸かろ | すかろ | sukaro |
| Continuative (連用形) | 酸く | すく | suku |
| Terminal (終止形) | 酸い | すい | sui |
| Attributive (連体形) | 酸い | すい | sui |
| Hypothetical (仮定形) | 酸けれ | すけれ | sukere |
| Imperative (命令形) | 酸かれ | すかれ | sukare |
| Key constructions | |||
| Informal negative | 酸くない | すくない | suku nai |
| Informal past | 酸かった | すかった | sukatta |
| Informal negative past | 酸くなかった | すくなかった | suku nakatta |
| Formal | 酸いです | すいです | sui desu |
| Formal negative | 酸くないです | すくないです | suku nai desu |
| Formal past | 酸かったです | すかったです | sukatta desu |
| Formal negative past | 酸くなかったです | すくなかったです | suku nakatta desu |
| Conjunctive | 酸くて | すくて | sukute |
| Conditional | 酸ければ | すければ | sukereba |
| Provisional | 酸かったら | すかったら | sukattara |
| Volitional | 酸かろう | すかろう | sukarō |
| Adverbial | 酸く | すく | suku |
| Degree | 酸さ | すさ | susa |
Related terms
- 酸っぱい (suppai): sour (more common than sui)
References
- 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
- 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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