かな
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: がな
Etymology 1
Combination of か (ka, interrogative particle) + な (na, mild exclamatory particle).[1]
First attested in the late-Edo period as an apparent shift in sense from the Old Japanese and classical usage, wherein the な (na) came to express more a sense of mild doubt rather than admiration[1] (see that section for more).
Particle
- [from early 1800s] expresses a question with a feeling of worry
- 彼は怪しい人かな。 ― Kare wa ayashii hito ka na. ― I wonder if he's a suspicious person.
- まあ、そうかな。 ― Mā, sō ka na. ― Well, maybe so.
- expresses skepticism: really?, is it?
- (in the form ～ないかな (...nai ka na)) expresses affirmation: I hope, I wish
- expresses confusion
Etymology 2
| Alternative spelling |
|---|
| 哉 |
From Old Japanese. First attested in the early 700s.[1]
From か (ka, particle indicating doubt or uncertainty) + な (na, mild exclamatory particle).
Displaced particle かも (ka mo) around the early-Middle Japanese stage.[1][2]
Particle
- [from early 700s] (Classical Japanese or literary) expresses wonder or postulation on the part of the speaker
- 善き哉！
- Yoki ka na!
- Wonderful!
- 善き哉！
Usage notes
Still used in contexts that deliberately evoke a classical or literary sense, such as poetry.[2]
Derived terms
Derived terms
- 哉留まり (kanadomari)
- 宜なるかな (ubenaru kana)
- 売らんかな (uran kana)
- 惜しいかな (oshii kana)
- 現在の哉 (genzai no kana)
- 幸いなるかな (saiwai naru kana)
- 果たせるかな (hataseru kana)
- 宜なるかな (mubenaru kana)
- 已んぬるかな (yannuru kana)
- 善いかな (yoi kana)
Etymology 3
| For pronunciation and definitions of かな – see the following entries. | ||
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| (This term, かな (kana), is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.) For a list of all kanji read as かな, see Category:Japanese kanji read as かな.) |
Etymology 4
| For pronunciation and definitions of かな – see the following entries. | ||
| ||
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| (This term, かな (kana), is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.) For a list of all kanji read as かな, see Category:Japanese kanji read as かな.) |
References
- “かな”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
- “哉”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
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