そらごと

Japanese

Alternative spellings
空言虚言空事

Etymology

Compound of 空 (sora) +‎ 言, 事 (koto, “word, matter”). 空 (sora) in this word does not mean "sky", but "something nonexistent; empty", hence, literally meaning "a statement (that was said) that does not exist (in reality)". The koto changes to goto as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

First attested in The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.^[1]

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) そらごと [sòrágótó] (Heiban – [0])^[1]
(Tokyo) そらごと [sòráꜜgòtò] (Nakadaka – [2])^[1]
IPA^(key): [so̞ɾa̠ɡo̞to̞]

(Kyoto) そらごと [sòràgòtó] (Teiki – [0])^[1]

Noun

そらごと • (soragoto)

空言, 虚言, 空事: (dated or dialect) lie; falsehood

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 “そら‐ごと【空言・虚言・空事】”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000-2002, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here

[KDJ2O-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 “そら‐ごと【空言・虚言・空事】”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2000-2002, released online 2007, →ISBN, concise edition entry available here

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