一昨日

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
一	昨	日
いつ > いっ Grade: 1	さく Grade: 4	じつ Grade: 1
kan'on

Compound of 一昨 (issaku-, “the previous... before...”) +‎ 日 (jitsu, “day”).^[1]

First cited to a text from 1275.^[2]

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) いっさくじつ [ìssákúꜜjìtsù] (Nakadaka – [4])^[1][3]
• IPA^(key): [isːa̠kɯ̟ʑit͡sɨ]

Noun

一(いっ)昨(さく)日(じつ) • (issakujitsu) 

1. [from 1275] (formal) the day before yesterday, two days ago

See also

• 一昨昨(いっさくさく)日(じつ) (issakusakujitsu, “three days ago”)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
一	昨	日
おとと		ひ > い Grade: 1
Grade: 1	Grade: 4
jukujikun		kun'yomi

/wotot͡sufi/ → /wototofi/ → /wototowi/ → /ototoi/

First cited to a text from roughly 953.^[2]

Shift from Old Japanese ototsui (see Etymology 3 below).^[1][4][2]

The kanji spelling is from issakujitsu (see Etymology 1 above).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) おととい [òtótóꜜì] (Nakadaka – [3])^[1][3]
• IPA^(key): [o̞to̞to̞i]

Noun

一昨(おとと)日(い) • (ototoi) ^{←をととひ (wototofi)?}

1. [from c. 953] the day before yesterday, two days ago
   • c. 951–953, Gosen Wakashū (book 14, introduction to poem 872)

     かくてつかはしたりければ、千(ち)里(さと)見(み)侍(はべ)りて、まことにをととひなんかへりまうてこしかど、心地(ここち)のなやましくてなむありつる、とはかりいひをくりてはべりければ、かさねてつかはしける

     Kakute tsukawashi-tarikereba, Chisato mihaberite, makoto ni ototoi nan kaeri mōte koshikado, kokochi no nayamashikutenan aritsuru, towakari ii okurite haberikereba, kasanete tsukawashikeru.

     (please add an English translation of this example)

Usage notes

Usually spelled in kana alone, rarely written with this kanji spelling.

Derived terms

• 一昨日(おととい)御(お)出(い)で (ototoi oide, “go away and don't ever come back”, literally “come here the day before yesterday”)
• 一昨日(おととい)来(こ)い (ototoi koi, “go away and don't ever come back”)
• 一昨昨日(さきおととい) (saki-ototoi, “three days ago”)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
一	昨	日
おとつ		ひ > い Grade: 1
Grade: 1	Grade: 4
jukujikun		kun'yomi

⟨woto₂ tu pi₁⟩ → */wotətupʲi/ → /wotot͡sufi/ → /otot͡suwi/ → /otot͡sui/

First attested in the Man'yōshū (c. 759 CE).

Originally a compound of 遠 (oto, “distant, distant past”) +‎ つ (tsu, Old Japanese case-marker particle) +‎ 日 (hi, “day”).^[1][4][2]

The kanji spelling is from issakujitsu (see Etymology 1 above).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) おとつい [òtótsúꜜì] (Nakadaka – [3])^[1][3]
• IPA^(key): [o̞to̞t͡sɨi]

Noun

一昨(おとつ)日(い) • (ototsui) ^{←をとつひ (wototufi)?}

1. [from circa 759] the day before yesterday, two days ago

Usage notes

Usually spelled in kana alone, rarely written with this kanji spelling.

Derived terms

• 一昨昨日(さきおとつい) (saki-ototsui, “three days ago”)

Coordinate terms

時 (“Time”)
	~	−3	−2	−1	0	+1	+2	Continual
Day	日	一昨昨日	一昨日	昨日	今日	明日	明後日	毎日
Morning	朝	—	一昨朝	昨朝	今朝	明朝	—	毎朝
Night	晩	—	一昨晩	昨晩	今晩	明晩	—	毎晩
Week	週	—	先々週	先週	今週	来週	再来週	毎週
Month	月	—	先々月	先月	今月	来月	再来月	毎月
Year	年	一昨昨年	一昨年	去年	今年	来年	再来年	毎年

See also

Related terms

• おどでな (ododena, Tsugaru dialect)
• 一(いっ)昨(さく)夕(せき) (issakuseki), 一(いっ)昨(さく)夕(ゆう) (issakuyū)
• 一(いっ)昨(さく)晩(ばん) (issakuban)
• 一(いっ)昨(さく)夜(や) (issakuya)
• 去(きょ)去(きょ)日(じつ) (kyokyojitsu)

References

1. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
2. Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
3. NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
4. Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN

Old Japanese

Etymology

Compound of 遠 (woto₂, “distant past”) +‎ つ (tu, case-marker particle) +‎ 日 (pi₁, “day”).

Noun

一昨日 (woto₂tupi₁) (kana をとつひ)

1. the day before yesterday, two days ago
   • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 17, poem 3924:

     山乃可比曾許登母見延受乎登都日毛昨日毛今日毛由吉能布禮禮婆

     yama no₂ kapi₁ so₂ko₂ to₂ mo mi₁yezu woto₂tupi₁ mo ki₁no₂pu mo ke₁pu mo yuki₁ no₂ purereba

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

Descendants

• Japanese: 一昨日 (ototsui, ototoi)