Chinese

Japanese

Etymology 1

/yo2mo2/: [ywomwo] → [yomo]

Older form of 黄泉 /yo2mi2/. Ablaut of cognate 山 ‎(yama, “mountain”). Mountains were often used as a place to bury the dead and were strongly associated with the afterlife.

The kanji 黄 ‎(“yellow”) and 泉 ‎(“spring, water source”) are ateji, related to Chinese myths about the underworld having a yellow spring.

Pronunciation

• (Irregular reading)
• IPA^(key): [jo̞mo̞]

Noun

黄泉 ‎(hiragana よも, romaji yomo)

1. the land of the dead, the afterworld, the underworld

Derived terms

• 黄泉つ軍 ‎(よもついくさ, yomo tsu ikusa): the army of the dead
• 黄泉つ神 ‎(よもつかみ, yomo tsu kami): the god of the dead
• 黄泉つ国 ‎(よもつくに, yomo tsu kuni): the land of the dead
• 黄泉醜女, 黄泉つ醜女 ‎(よもつしこめ, yomo tsu shikome): a demoness inhabitant of the land of the dead
• 黄泉つ平坂 ‎(よもつひらさか, yomo tsu hirasaka): the hills of the dead, lying between this world and the afterlife
• 黄泉竈食, 黄泉つ竈食い ‎(よもつへぐい, yomo tsu hegui): “eating from the kitchen of the dead” → dying, death

Etymology 2

/yo2mi2/: [ywomwi] → [yomi]

Ablaut form of older 黄泉 /yo2mo2/. See yomo above.

Pronunciation

• (Irregular reading)
• (Tokyo) よ​み [yóꜜmì] (Atamadaka - [1])^[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [jo̞mi]

Noun

黄泉 ‎(hiragana よみ, romaji yomi)

1. the land of the dead, the afterworld, the underworld

Derived terms

• 蘇る ‎(よみがえる, yomigaeru): to come back to life, to return from the dead
• 黄泉国, 黄泉の国 ‎(よみのくに, yomi no kuni): the land of the dead
• 黄泉の旅人 ‎(よみのたびびと, yomi no tabibito): “a traveler to the land of the dead” → someone who has died
• 黄泉戸 ‎(よみど, yomido): the entrance to the land of the dead
• 黄泉路, 黄泉 ‎(よみじ, yomiji): the road to the land of the dead
• 黄泉鳥 ‎(よみじどり, yomiji-dori): alternate name of the 虎鶫 ‎(toratsugumi) or White's thrush (Zoothera dauma)

Idioms

• 黄泉路の妨げ ‎(よみじのさまたげ, yomiji no samatage): an obstacle on the way to the afterlife, something preventing spiritual resolution after death
• 黄泉路の障り ‎(よみじのさわり, yomiji no sawari): an obstacle on the way to the afterlife, something preventing spiritual resolution after death
• 黄泉路の絆 ‎(よみじのほだし, yomiji no hodashi): an obstacle on the way to the afterlife, something preventing spiritual resolution after death

See also

• 山 ‎(やま, yama): mountain

Etymology 3

From Sinitic 黃泉. Date of borrowing unknown.

Pronunciation

• On'yomi: Kan'on
• (Tokyo) こうせん [kòóséń] (Heiban - [0])^[1][2]
• IPA^(key): [ko̞ːsẽ̞ɴ]

Noun

黄泉 ‎(hiragana こうせん, romaji kōsen, historical hiragana くわうせん)

1. an underground spring
2. the underworld, the land of the dead

Derived terms

• 黄泉の客 ‎(こうせんのきゃく, kōsen no kyaku): “a visitor to the land of the dead” → someone who has died
• 黄泉の旅人 ‎(こうせんのたびびと, kōsen no tabibito): “a traveler to the land of the dead” → someone who has died

Idioms

• 黄泉の路上老少無し ‎(こうせんのろじょうろうしょうなし, kōsen no rojō rōshō nashi): “on the road to the land of the dead, there is no old or young” → death comes to all, regardless of age

References

1. 1 2 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
2. 1 2 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, ISBN 978-4-14-011112-3