小夜

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
小	夜
さ Grade: 1	よ Grade: 2
kun'yomi

From Old Japanese. Compound of さ (sa-, prefix meaning "early" or "small", or meaningless) + 夜(よ) (yo, “night”)^[1]

The use of 小 in the spelling is an example of ateji (当て字). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) さよ [sáꜜyò] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1]
IPA^(key): [sa̠jo̞]

Noun

小(さ)夜(よ) • (sayo)

dark, night, nighttime
- 1205, Shin Kokin Wakashū (book 5 poem 483), text here (also Hyakunin Isshu, poem 94)
  み吉(よし)野(の)の山(やま)の秋風(あきかぜ)さ夜(よ)ふけてふるさと寒(さむ)く衣(ころも)うつなり
  mi-Yoshino no yama no akikaze sayo fukete furusato samuku koromo utsu nari
  At Yoshino the mountain wind deepens into the night, and in the old village a fulling block is struck.^[2]
Synonym: 夜 (yoru)

Derived terms

小夜(さよ)嵐(あらし) (sayo arashi)
小夜(さよ)神楽(かぐら) (sayo kagura)
小夜(さよ)曲(きょく) (sayokyoku, “serenade”)
小夜(さよ)格子(ごうし) (sayo gōshi)
小夜(さよ)衣(ごろも) (sayo-goromo)
小夜(さよ)時雨(しぐれ) (sayo shigure)
小夜(さよ)千(ち)鳥(どり) (sayo chidori)
小夜(さよ)の中山(なかやま) (Sayo-no-Nakayama)
小夜(さよ)の寝覚(ねざ)め (sayo no nezame)

Proper noun

小(さ)夜(よ) • (Sayo)

a female given name
a surname

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
小	夜
こ Grade: 1	よる Grade: 2
kun'yomi

From 小(こ) (ko, “small”) + 夜(よる) (yoru, “night”).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ko̞jo̞ɾɯ̟]

Noun

小(こ)夜(よる) • (koyoru)

small nightwear
Synonym: 小夜着 (koyogi)

Etymology 3

Various nanori readings.

Proper noun

小夜(さや) • (Saya)

a female given name

See also

小夜(さや)の中山(なかやま) (Saya-no-Nakayama)

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ Matsuo Basho, David Landis Barnhill (2005) Basho's Journey: The Literary Prose of Matsuo Basho, illustrated edition, SUNY Press, →ISBN, page 148