黄葉

⟨mo₍₁₎mi₁ti⟩ → */mʷomʲiti/ → */mʷomʲidi/ → /momid͡ʑi/ → /momiʑi/

Shift from Old Japanese 黄葉 (momiti → momichi).

The 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of classical verb 黄葉づ (momidu), modern 黄葉ず (momizu, “to yellow in autumn, said of leaves”).

Probably cognate with classical verb 燃ゆ (/mo₁yu/ → moyu), modern 燃える (moeru, “to burn”), from the coloring of autumn leaves appearing like a fire burning.

• (autumn leaves, mostly reddened): 紅葉

• (Irregular reading)
  • (Tokyo) も​みじ [móꜜmìjì] (Atamadaka – [1])[1]
  • IPA^(key): [mo̞mʲiʑi]

黄葉 (shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai kanji 黃葉, hiragana もみじ, katakana モミジ, rōmaji momiji, historical hiragana もみぢ, historical katakana モミヂ)

1. the yellowing of leaves in autumn
2. the yellowed autumn leaves themselves
3. Alternative spelling of 紅葉 (momiji): the Japanese maple (Acer palmatum); a kind of kamon with a Japanese maple leaf design

• 銀 (い)杏 (ちょう)黄葉 (もみじ) (ichō momiji, “yellowed gingko leaves”)

黄葉する (shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai kanji 黃葉する, hiragana もみじする, rōmaji momiji suru, historical hiragana もみぢする)

1. (of leaves) to yellow in autumn

黄葉 (hiragana もみじ, rōmaji Momiji)

1. a female given name

Shift from Old Japanese 黄葉 (momichi-ba).

Can also be parsed as a compound of 黄葉 (もみじ) (momiji, “yellowing of leaves in autumn”) + 葉 (は) (ha, “leaf, leaves”). The ha changes to ba as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

• (Irregular reading)
  • (Tokyo) もみじ​ば [mòmíjíꜜbà] (Nakadaka – [3])[1]
  • IPA^(key): [mo̞mʲiʑiba̠]

黄葉 (shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai kanji 黃葉, hiragana もみじば, rōmaji momiji-ba, historical hiragana もみぢば)

1. yellowed autumn leaves
2. Alternative spelling of 紅葉 (momiji-ba): the leaves of the Japanese maple (Acer palmatum)

For emphasis, the initial momiji is almost always written in kana alone, as もみじ葉 (​momiji-ba).

• 黄 (もみじ)葉 (ば)の (momiji-ba no, pillow word)

/kwau jepu/ → /kwɔːjefu/ → /kwɔːjeu/ → /koːjoː/

From Middle Chinese compound 黃葉 (MC ɦwɑŋ jiᴇp̚).

• On’yomi: Kan’on
  • (Tokyo) こーよー [kòóyóó] (Heiban – [0])[1]
  • IPA^(key): [ko̞ːjo̞ː]

黄葉 (shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai kanji 黃葉, hiragana こうよう, rōmaji kōyō, historical hiragana くわうえふ)

1. the yellowing of leaves in autumn
2. the yellowed autumn leaves themselves

• 黄 (こう)葉 (よう)和 (わ)歌 (か)集 (しゅう) (Kōyō Wakashū)

黄葉する (shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai kanji 黃葉する, hiragana こうようする, rōmaji kōyō suru, historical hiragana くわうえふする)

1. (of leaves) to yellow in autumn

• 紅 (こう)葉 (よう) (kōyō, “reddened autumn leaves”)

Compound of 黄 (ki, “yellow”) + 葉 (ha, “leaf”). The ha changes to ba as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

黄葉 (shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai kanji 黃葉, hiragana きば, rōmaji Kiba)

1. a surname

Compound of 黄 (ō, “yellow”, the goon reading) + 葉 (ha, “leaf”, the kun-yomi or native Japanese reading).

The ha changes to ba as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

黄葉 (shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai kanji 黃葉, hiragana おうば, rōmaji Ōba, historical hiragana わうば)

1. a surname

Compound of 黄 (kō, “yellow”, the kan'on reading) + 葉 (ha, “leaf”, the kun-yomi or native Japanese reading).

黄葉 (shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai kanji 黃葉, hiragana こうは, rōmaji Kōha, historical hiragana くわうは)

1. a female given name