From Old Japanese. First attested in the Nihon Shoki of 720.[1]
Possibly a compound of さ (sa, emphatic or beautification prefix) + 迷う (mayou, “to be lost, to stray; to be uncertain”).[1] Compare さ寝 (sanu), さまねし (samaneshi).
Alternatively, might be a compound of 様・方 (sama, “direction”) + よう (you, of uncertain meaning, possibly “to be unsettled”; seen as the latter element in verbs 漂う (tadayou, “to float about, to drift”) or 猶予う (izayou, “to hesitate”)).[2]
One source suggests cognacy with now-obsolete verb 吟う・呻吟う (samayou, “to wail in sadness”);[3] however, the semantics are difficult to reconcile.
The kanji are jukujikun (熟字訓), from Chinese 彷徨 (pánghuáng).
- Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of "彷徨う"
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
|
Stem forms
|
Terminal (終止形) Attributive (連体形)
|
彷徨う
|
さまよう
|
[sàmáyóꜜù]
|
Imperative (命令形)
|
彷徨え
|
さまよえ
|
[sàmáyóꜜè]
|
Key constructions
|
Passive
|
彷徨われる
|
さまよわれる
|
[sàmáyówáréꜜrù]
|
Causative
|
彷徨わせる
|
さまよわせる
|
[sàmáyówáséꜜrù]
|
Potential
|
彷徨える
|
さまよえる
|
[sàmáyóéꜜrù]
|
Volitional
|
彷徨おう
|
さまよおー
|
[sàmáyóóꜜò]
|
Negative
|
彷徨わない
|
さまよわない
|
[sàmáyówáꜜnàì]
|
Negative perfective
|
彷徨わなかった
|
さまよわなかった
|
[sàmáyówáꜜnàkàttà]
|
Formal
|
彷徨います
|
さまよいます
|
[sàmáyóímáꜜsù]
|
Perfective
|
彷徨った
|
さまよった
|
[sàmáyóꜜttà]
|
Conjunctive
|
彷徨って
|
さまよって
|
[sàmáyóꜜttè]
|
Hypothetical conditional
|
彷徨えば
|
さまよえば
|
[sàmáyóꜜèbà]
|
彷徨う • (samayou) ←さまよふ (samayofu)?intransitive godan (stem 彷徨い (samayoi), past 彷徨った (samayotta))
- [from 720] to wander
2007, 新時代日漢辭典/新时代日汉辞典 (Xīn Shídài Rì-hàn Cídiǎn), 1st edition, 大新書局/大新书局 (Dàxīn Shūjú), →ISBN:
- 町から町へあても無く彷徨い歩く
- machi kara machi e atemonaku samayoi aruku
- to wander aimlessly from town to town
Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
|
Mizenkei ("imperfective")
|
彷徨わ
|
さまよわ
|
samayowa
|
Ren’yōkei ("continuative")
|
彷徨い
|
さまよい
|
samayoi
|
Shūshikei ("terminal")
|
彷徨う
|
さまよう
|
samayou
|
Rentaikei ("attributive")
|
彷徨う
|
さまよう
|
samayou
|
Kateikei ("hypothetical")
|
彷徨え
|
さまよえ
|
samayoe
|
Meireikei ("imperative")
|
彷徨え
|
さまよえ
|
samayoe
|
Key constructions
|
Passive
|
彷徨われる
|
さまよわれる
|
samayowareru
|
Causative
|
彷徨わせる 彷徨わす
|
さまよわせる さまよわす
|
samayowaseru samayowasu
|
Potential
|
彷徨える
|
さまよえる
|
samayoeru
|
Volitional
|
彷徨おう
|
さまよおう
|
samayoō
|
Negative
|
彷徨わない
|
さまよわない
|
samayowanai
|
Negative continuative
|
彷徨わず
|
さまよわず
|
samayowazu
|
Formal
|
彷徨います
|
さまよいます
|
samayoimasu
|
Perfective
|
彷徨った
|
さまよった
|
samayotta
|
Conjunctive
|
彷徨って
|
さまよって
|
samayotte
|
Hypothetical conditional
|
彷徨えば
|
さまよえば
|
samayoeba
|
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 “さ迷・彷徨・徘徊”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten][1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000
- ^ “さ迷う”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen][2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN