Definify.com
Definition 2024
念珠
念珠
Chinese
to miss; to think of; to read; to study (a subject); to attend (a school); to read aloud; idea; remembrance; twenty
|
bead; pearl | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (念珠/唸珠) | 念/唸 | 珠 | |
| simp. (念珠) | 念 | 珠 | |
Noun
念珠
Derived terms
Japanese
Etymology 1
| Kanji in this term | |
|---|---|
| 念 | 珠 |
|
ねん Grade: 4 |
す > ず Grade: S |
| on'yomi | |
From Middle Chinese compound 念珠 (nemH t͡ɕio, literally “thinking + pearls”), in reference to “beads used for thinking [about the Buddha]”: that is, prayer beads, a rosary. The goon reading, so likely the earliest borrowing. Note that the second character 珠 has a goon reading of su. The su changes to zu as an instance of rendaku (連濁).
Pronunciation
Noun
念珠 (hiragana ねんず, romaji nenzu)
Usage notes
The reading nenzu is a homophone with several terms of related meanings:
- the older reading of the term 念誦 (nenzu), meaning “the act of focusing on the image of the Buddha within one's mind, and reciting or chanting the sutras or the name of Buddha”.
- the classical Japanese verb 念ず (nenzu) (modern 念ずる nenzuru or 念じる nenjiru) meaning “to pray, to pray for safety and protection, to recite silently (a prayer, chant, sutra, or the name of Buddha)”.
- the classical Japanese verb 捻ず or 拈ず (nenzu, obsolete in modern Japanese), meaning “to twist or twirl, to pinch or pick with the fingers”, much as one would twist or pinch the beads of the rosary.
Both the nenzu and nenju readings are still in use. Nenju appears to be more common.
Synonyms
- 数珠 (juzu, zuzu)
Etymology 2
| Kanji in this term | |
|---|---|
| 念 | 珠 |
|
ねん Grade: 4 |
しゅ > じゅ Grade: S |
| on'yomi | |
Alteration of nenzu above, using the kan'on reading of shu for the 珠 character.[2][1]The shu changes to ju as an instance of rendaku (連濁).
Pronunciation
Noun
念珠 (hiragana ねんじゅ, romaji nenju)
Usage notes
The reading nenju is a homophone with the relatively newer reading of the term 念誦 (nenju), meaning “the act of focusing on the image of the Buddha within one's mind, and reciting or chanting the sutras or the name of Buddha”.
Both the nenzu and nenju readings are still in use. Nenju appears to be more common.
- 数珠 (juzu, zuzu)
References
- 1 2 3 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
- ↑ 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
Korean
| Hanja in this term | |
|---|---|
| 念 | 珠 |
Noun
念珠 • (yeomju) (hangeul 염주)
- Hanja form? of 염주, “prayer beads, rosary”.