𐽲𐽰𐽾𐽰

Old Uyghur

Alternative forms

• 𐽲𐽾𐽰 (qrʾ /⁠k(a)ra⁠/), 𐽲𐾄𐽰𐽾𐽰 (q̈ʾrʾ /⁠ḳara⁠/), 𐽲𐾄𐽾𐽰 (q̈rʾ /⁠ḳ(a)ra⁠/)

Etymology

Inherited from Proto-Turkic *kara (“black”). Cognate with Chuvash хура (hura), Old Turkic 𐰴𐰺𐰀 (kara), Turkish kara, Yakut хара (qara).

Perhaps related to or the donor language of Khitan 黑 (kara, “west”). Colors indicated directions in Old Turkic. Compare Old Uyghur 𐽷𐽶𐽾𐽶 (kérü, “West, behind”) and its ablauted form 𐽲𐾄𐽳𐽾𐽶 (kurï).

For the second sense, compare Old Turkic 𐰴𐰺𐰀 (kara, “poor, miser”).

Adjective

𐽲𐽰𐽾𐽰 (qʾrʾ /kara/)

1. black, swarthy, dark
2. (sociology) common and vulgar, plebeian
   • (Can we date this quote?), Avadāna of the Demon Āṭavaka, T.I.D-3, TT10.168 - TT10.172:

     𐾀𐽺𐽷𐽾𐽶 𐾀𐽺𐽷𐽾𐽶𐽻𐽶 𐽼𐽳𐽾𐽲𐽰𐽺 𐽺𐽶𐽺𐽷 𐽹𐽰𐽲𐽰𐾀
     𐽰𐽳𐾁𐽳𐽿 𐽲𐾄𐽰 𐽷𐽰𐾁𐽹𐽶𐽿𐽶𐽺 𐽼𐽶𐾁𐽶𐽼 𐽼𐽶𐽹𐽼𐽰𐽴𐽰𐽾𐽶
     𐽰𐽶𐾁𐽶𐽷 𐽼𐽰𐽷 𐽼𐽰𐽻𐽶𐽺 𐽲𐾄𐽰𐽹𐽰𐽲 𐽲𐾄𐽾𐽰 𐽼𐽳𐽸𐽳𐽺
     𐽰𐽳𐾁𐽳𐽲 𐾀𐽳𐽶𐽾𐾁𐽳𐽷 𐽰𐽲𐽶𐽾 𐽰𐽶𐽰𐽲𐽶𐽺 𐾀𐽺𐽷𐽾𐽶
     𐽼𐽳𐽾𐽲𐽰𐽺 𐽲𐾄𐽰 𐽰𐽳𐾀𐽾𐽳 𐽰𐽳𐽶𐽺𐾀𐽶 𐾁𐽰𐽾 𐾇

     / […] teŋri teŋrisi burḫannïŋ, Magat
     Ulušḳa kelmišin bilip Bimbazari
     ilig beg bašïn ḳamaġ ḳra budun
     uluġ türlüg aġïr ayaġïn teŋri
     burḫanḳa utru üntiler. […] /

     Now, when the royal lord Bimbazari had learned of the arrival of the perfectly-wise Buddha, god of gods, in the Kingdom of Magadha, he and all the common people went [to the lord's residence] to meet the divine Buddha with all kinds of great displays of honor.

3. (by extension) simple, basic
4. (in compounds) west

Derived terms

• 𐽲𐽰𐽾𐽰𐽰𐽿 (karabaš, “slave (lit. 'black-headed')”)
• 𐽲𐽰𐽾𐽰𐽷𐽳 (karagu, “blind”)
• 𐽲𐽰𐽾𐽰𐽷𐽳𐽿 (karakuš, “vulture”)
• 𐽲𐽰𐽾𐽰𐽺𐽷𐽷𐽳 (karaŋgu, “darkness, dark (of colors)”)
• 𐽲𐽰𐽾𐽰𐽺𐾁𐽶𐽲 (karanlïg, “darkness”)
• 𐽲𐽰𐽾𐽰𐽽𐽰𐽺𐽷 (Karačaŋ, “Yunnan (province of China), (lit. 'Western-Xiang)”)
• 𐽲𐽰𐽾𐽰𐽽𐽳 (karaču, “people, population”) (via Mongolic)
• 𐽲𐽰𐽾𐽰𐽾𐾀𐽹𐽰𐽷 (karartmak, “to blacken, to dim, to make worthless”)

See also

Colors in Old Uyghur · 𐽼𐽳𐽸𐽳𐽲 (bodug), 𐽰𐽳𐽶𐽺𐽷 (öŋ) (layout · text)

𐽰𐽰𐽲 (ak), 𐽽𐽰𐽲𐽰𐽺 (čagan), 𐽲𐽶𐽿𐽲𐽰 (kïšga), 𐽶𐽳𐽾𐽳𐽺𐽷 (yürüŋ)	𐽼𐽳𐽴 (boz), 𐽷𐽳𐽶𐽷 (kök)	𐽲𐽰𐽾𐽰 (kara)
𐽰𐽰𐾁 (al), 𐽽𐽳𐽴𐽰 (čuza), 𐽲𐽶𐽴𐽲𐽶𐾁 (kïzgïl), 𐽲𐽶𐽴𐽶𐾁 (kïzïl)	𐽰𐽰𐾁 𐽻𐽰𐽾𐽶𐽲 (al sarïg), 𐽰𐽰𐽾 (ar), 𐽼𐽳𐽴𐽶𐽾𐽲𐽳 (bozïrgu), 𐽶𐽰𐽲𐽶𐽴 (yagïz)	𐽻𐽰𐽾𐽶𐽲 (sarïg), 𐽷𐽾𐽰𐽴𐽰𐽷𐽲 (karaža)
	𐽷𐽳𐽶𐽷 (kök), 𐽶𐽰𐽿 (yaš), 𐽶𐽰𐽿𐽶𐾁 (yašïl), 𐽴𐽾𐽲𐽳𐽺𐽽 (zargunč)
𐽽𐽰𐽽 (čač)	𐽽𐽰𐽷𐽶𐽾 (čakïr), 𐽷𐽳𐽶𐽷 (kök)	𐽷𐽳𐽶𐽷𐽳𐽿 (köküš), 𐽾𐽴𐽰𐽱𐽾𐾀 (razavart)
𐽾𐽴𐽰𐽱𐽾𐾀 (razavart), 𐽶𐽶𐽼𐽷𐽶𐽺 (yipgin)	𐽶𐽶𐽼𐽷𐽶𐽺 (yipgin), 𐽶𐽶𐽼𐽳𐽺 (yipün)	𐽽𐽶𐽱𐽻𐽶𐽲 (čivsig), 𐽽𐽳𐽶𐽷𐽻𐽶𐽲 (čögsig), 𐽲𐽶𐽴𐽲𐽰𐽺 (kïzgan), 𐽻𐽰𐽴𐽲𐽰𐽺 (sazgan)

References

• Caferoğlu, Ahmet (1968) “Ḳara”, in Eski Uygur Türkçesi Sözlüğü (Türk Dil Kurumu Yayınları; 260) (in Turkish), Istanbul: Edebiyat Fakültesi Basımevi, page 167
• Wilkens, Jens (2021) “(1) kara ~ k(a)ra”, in Handworterbuch des Altuigurischen, Göttingen: Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, pages 333-334