彷徨う

Japanese

Kanji in this term
彷	徨
さまよ
Hyōgai	Hyōgai
jukujikun

Alternative spellings
さ迷う徘徊う (rare)

Etymology

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(ぬ) (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).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) さまよう [sàmáyóꜜù] (Nakadaka – [3])^[3]
IPA^(key): [sa̠ma̠jo̞ɯ̟]

Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「彷徨う」

Stem forms
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary
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]`

Verb

彷徨(さまよ)う • (samayou) ^{←さまよふ (samayofu)^?}intransitive godan (stem 彷徨(さまよ)い (samayoi), past 彷徨(さまよ)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(まち)から町(まち)へあても無(な)く彷徨(さまよ)い歩(ある)く
  machi kara machi e atemonaku samayoi aruku
  to wander aimlessly from town to town

Conjugation

Conjugation of "彷徨う" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)

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

References

↑ ^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, 2006
^ “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

[KDJ2-1] 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, 2006

[DDJS-2] “さ迷う”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen]‎^[2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months

[DJR-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[1]

[2]

[3]