不知火

Japanese
Kanji in this term
不 知 火
しらぬ ひ > い
Grade: 1
Grade: 4 Grade: 2
jukujikun kun’yomi

Etymology

/ɕiranu ɸi/ → /ɕiranuwi/ → /ɕiranui/

From 知らぬ (shiranu, “unknown”, archaic negative form of 知る (shiru), “to know”) +‎ 火 (hi, “fire”). Literally “unknown fire”, incorporating the 不知 kanbun or Chinese-derived spelling for the 知らぬ (shiranu, “not know(n), unknown”) portion.[1]

First attested in a text from 1470.[2]

Pronunciation

Noun

不知(しらぬ)火(い) • (shiranui) ←しらぬひ (siranufi)?

  1. [from 1470] a marine will o' the wisp, more specifically one seen off the coasts of Kyushu in the Yatsushiro Sea or Ariake Sea
    Synonyms: 陰火 (inka), 鬼火 (onibi), 狐火 (kitsunebi), 野火 (yaka), 幽霊火 (yūreibi)

Derived terms
  • 不知(しらぬ)火(い)海(かい) (Shiranui Kai): an alternate name for the Yatsushiro Sea

See also

Proper noun

不知(しらぬ)火(い) • (Shiranui) ←しらぬひ (Siranufi)?

  1. a place name
  2. a surname

Derived terms
  • 不知(しらぬ)火(い)型(がた) (Shiranui-gata): one of the kata (routines) performed by a yokozuna (highest sumo rank) when entering the dohyō (sumo ring)

References
  1. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  2. “不知火”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
  3. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  4. 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
  5. 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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