成程

Japanese

Kanji in this term
成	程
な(る) Grade: 4	ほど Grade: 5
kun'yomi

Alternative spellings
成る程なるほど成るほど

Alternative forms

(slang) なるへそ, なるヘソ (naru heso) (literally "becoming a belly button")
(Internet slang, short) なる (naru), なるほ (naruho)

Etymology

From 成(な)る (naru, “become”) + 程(ほど) (hodo, “as much as, degree, extent”). First cited in a text from 1480.^[1]

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) なるほど [nàrúhódó] (Heiban – [0])^[2]
IPA^(key): [na̠ɾɯ̟ho̞do̞]

Interjection

成(なる)程(ほど) • (naru hodo)

I see!; Indeed!; Aha!
- 1906, Natsume Sōseki, Botchan‎^[2]:
  
  なるほど碌(ろく)なものにはならない。
  Naru hodo roku na mono ni wa naranai.
  Exactly; I have never amounted to much.

References

^ “成程”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN