Japanese

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) かげろう [kàgéróó] (Heiban - [0])
• IPA^(key): [ka̠ɡ̃e̞ɺ̠o̞ː]

Verb

かげろう ‎(intransitive, yodan conjugation, romaji kagerou)

1. (archaic) to shimmer, to flicker
2. (archaic) to become shadowed, to fall into shadow

Usage notes

Only listed with 四段活用 ‎(yodan katsuyō, “quadrigrade conjugation”),^[1][2] one of the conjugation patterns for Classical Japanese, indicating that this fell out of common use before the modern period. Note that the Volitional form in the table below should therefore be かげろわう kagerowau instead.

Conjugation

Etymology 2

Reading of various kanji compounds.

Noun

かげろう ‎(romaji kagerō)

1. 陰郎: during the Edo period, a boy kabuki actor who has not yet appeared on stage; a boy prostitute at banquets
2. 陽炎: heat shimmer, heat haze
3. 蜉蝣, 蜻蛉: a mayfly or dayfly; ephemera, something ephemeral or fleeting

References

1. 1 2 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. ↑ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9