別腹

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
別	腹
べつ Grade: 4	はら > ばら Grade: 6
jūbakoyomi

Compound of 別(べつ) (betsu, “separate”) + 腹(はら) (hara, “stomach, belly”). The hara changes to bara as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) べつばら [bètsúbárá] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [be̞t͡sɨba̠ɾa̠]

Noun

別(べつ)腹(ばら) • (betsubara) 

1. “separate stomach”: appetite or ability to continue eating after a meal: a hollow leg

   甘(あま)い物(もの)は別腹(べつばら)だ。

   Amai mono wa betsubara da.

   I've got a separate stomach (hollow leg) for sweets.

2. “separate belly”: in reference to siblings who share the same father but have different mothers

Usage notes

• (hollow leg): This sense often extends to the appetite for or capacity to eat a particular type of food, such as sweets.

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
別	腹
べつ > べっ Grade: 4	ふく > ぷく Grade: 6
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese compound 別腹 (bhyɛt biuk, literally “separate, other + belly, abdomen”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [be̞p̚pɯ̟kɯ̟]

Noun

別(べっ)腹(ぷく) • (beppuku) 

1. “separate belly”: in reference to siblings who share the same father but have different mothers

References

• Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN