撫子

Japanese

Kanji in this term
撫	子
な(でし) Jinmeiyō	こ Grade: 1
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
瞿麦 (rare, only for the "pink" sense)

Etymology

⟨nade si ko₁⟩ → /nadeɕiko/

From Old Japanese, first attested in the Izumo-no-kuni Fudoki (733 CE).^[1]

Originally derived from 撫で (nade), the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, stem or continuative form) of classical verb 撫づ (nadu), modern 撫でる (naderu, “to brush, stroke, or caress gently”) + し (-shi, continuative suffix) + 子 (-ko, diminutive and feminine suffix).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) なでしこ [nàdéꜜshìkò] (Nakadaka – [2])^[2]
IPA^(key): [na̠de̞ɕiko̞]

Noun

撫(なでし)子(こ) or 撫子(ナデシコ) • (nadeshiko)

[from 733] 瞿麦: pink (any flower of the genus Dianthus); especially, the 河原撫子 (kawara nadeshiko, “fringed pink, large pink”, Dianthus superbus)
Synonyms: 野撫子 (no-nadeshiko), 大和撫子 (Yamato nadeshiko)
- c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 19, poem 4231:
  , text here
  奈泥之故(なでしこ)波(は)秋咲物(あきさくもの)乎(を)君(きみが)宅(いへ)之(の)雪(ゆきの)巌(いはほ)尓(に)左家理家流可母(さけりけるかも) [Man'yōgana]
  なでしこは秋(あき)咲(さ)くものを君(きみ)が家(いへ)の雪(ゆき)の巌(いはほ)に咲(さ)けりけるかも [Modern spelling]
  nadeshiko wa aki-saku mono o kimi ga ie no yuki no iwao ni sakerikeru ka mo
  Pinks are flowers that bloom in fall, but at your house they bloom on a snow mountain.^[3]
[from late 900s] short for 撫子襲 (nadeshiko-gasane): a style of layering garments, with the front layer in the color of 紅梅 (kōbai, “red plum or apricot”), and the back with blue (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?)
[from late 1300s] a style of 家紋 (kamon, “family crest”), another name for 常夏 (tokonatsu)
[from late 900s] a lovable, caressable child

Derived terms

撫(なでし)子(こ)合(あ)わせ (nadeshiko-awase)
撫(なでし)子(こ)色(いろ) (nadeshiko-iro)
撫(ナデシ)子(コ)貝(ガイ) (nadeshikogai)
なでしこジャパン (Nadeshiko Japan): nickname of Japan women’s national football team
撫(なでし)子(こ)の若(わか)葉(ば)の色(いろ) (nadeshiko no wakaba no iro)
撫(なでし)子(こ)銘柄(めいがら) (Nadeshiko-meigara)
アメリカ撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Amerika nadeshiko), 髭(ヒゲ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ), 鬚(ヒゲ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (hige nadeshiko), 美(ビ)女(ジョ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (bijo nadeshiko)
伊勢(イセ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Ise nadeshiko)
唐(カラ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (kara nadeshiko, “China pink”, Dianthus chinensis)
河原(カワラ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (kawara nadeshiko, “large pink”, Dianthus superbus)
小(コ)米(ゴメ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ)) (kogome nadeshiko))
信(シナ)濃(ノ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Shinano nadeshiko), 深(ミ)山(ヤマ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Miyama nadeshiko)
麝(ジャ)香(コウ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (jakō nadeshiko), 和蘭(オランダ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Oranda nadeshiko)
白(しろ)撫(なでし)子(こ) (shiro nadeshiko)
高(タカ)嶺(ネ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (takane nadeshiko)
竜(タツ)田(タ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Tatsuta nadeshiko, Dianthus plumarius)
野(ノ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (no-nadeshiko)
花(はな)撫(なでし)子(こ) (hana nadeshiko)
浜(ハマ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (hama nadeshiko), 薩(サツ)摩(マ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Satsuma nadeshiko), 夏(ナツ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (natsu nadeshiko), 藤(フジ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ), 富(フ)士(ジ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (fuji nadeshiko, Dianthus japonicus)
姫(ヒメ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (hime nadeshiko)
袋(フクロ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (fukuro nadeshiko)
紅(ベニ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (beni nadeshiko)
細(ホソ)葉(バ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (hosoba nadeshiko)
蛍(ホタル)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (hotaru nadeshiko)
松(マツ)葉(バ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (matsuba nadeshiko)
桔(キ)梗(キョウ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (kikyō nadeshiko)
麦(ムギ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (mugi nadeshiko)
虫取(ムシトリ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (mushitori nadeshiko), 蠅取(ハエトリ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (haetori nadeshiko)
大和(やまと)撫(なでし)子(こ) (Yamato nadeshiko)
琉球(リュウキュウ)撫(ナデシ)子(コ) (Ryūkyū nadeshiko)

Proper noun

撫(なでし)子(こ) • (Nadeshiko)

a female given name
a surname

References

^ 1984, 日本大百科全書：ニッポニカ (Nippon Dai Hyakka Zensho: Nipponica, “Encyclopedia Nipponica”) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, relevant text online here.
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ Paula Doe, Yakamochi Ōtomo (1982) A Warbler's Song in the Dusk: The Life and Work of Ōtomo Yakamochi (718-785), illustrated edition, University of California Press, →ISBN, page 131

[Nipponica-1] 1984, 日本大百科全書：ニッポニカ (Nippon Dai Hyakka Zensho: Nipponica, “Encyclopedia Nipponica”) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, relevant text online here.

[DJR-2] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[3] Paula Doe, Yakamochi Ōtomo (1982) A Warbler's Song in the Dusk: The Life and Work of Ōtomo Yakamochi (718-785), illustrated edition, University of California Press, →ISBN, page 131

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