旦那
Japanese
| Kanji in this term | |
|---|---|
| 旦 | 那 |
| だん Grade: S |
な Grade: S |
| goon | |
| Alternative spelling |
|---|
| 檀那 |
Etymology
From Middle Chinese 旦那 (MC tanH na), 檀那 (MC dan na), both used as transliterations of Sanskrit दान (dā́na, “generosity, giving, donating”).[1][2][3] Ultimately cognate with English donate and donor, from Proto-Indo-European *déh₃nom.
Attested in Japanese sinophone sources since at least the 1000s and in vernacular Japanese sources since at least 1287.[1]
Pronunciation
Noun
旦那 • (danna)
- (Buddhism) generosity as one of the Buddhist perfections (पारमिता (pāramitā))
- (Buddhism) a donation of money, goods, or service to monks or a temple
- (Buddhism) a person who makes such a donation: a patron
- (archaic) in the Japanese medieval period, overnight visitors to a shrine or temple
- (archaic) by extension, a gentleman
- broadly, a patron, a husband, a master:
- (honorific) a master of servants, a boss of employees, the master of the house
- (honorific) by extension, an honorific for one's own or someone else's husband
- Carolin Eckhardt, “7 Julia 日本のどこがお好きっ？ [7: Julia, What Place in Japan Do You Like?]”, in 奥さま Guten Tag! [Housewife Good Day!][3] (fiction), Tokyo: Shueisha:
- 旦那の隆之はまだお仕事頑張っているところですが、私は先にコーヒー屋さんのアルバイトから帰宅したところです
- Danna no Takayuki wa mada o-shigotoganbatte iru tokoro desu ga, watashi wa saki ni kōhī-ya-san no arubaito kara kitaku shita tokoro desu
- My husband Takayuki is still at work, I’ve just finished my part-time shift at a coffee shop
- 旦那の隆之はまだお仕事頑張っているところですが、私は先にコーヒー屋さんのアルバイトから帰宅したところです
- (honorific) also by extension, used by shopkeepers to address a male customer or by an artisan to refer to one's own school or lineage
- (honorific) a term used by a concubine, mistress, or geisha to refer to one's own patron: a sugar daddy
- (honorific) a term used by female servants to refer to the mistress of the house
Usage notes
The husband, master, and patron senses may be the most commonly used meanings in modern Japanese.
When referring to another person's husband, this term is often suffixed with 様 (sama) as 旦那様 (danna-sama).
The patron sense in Buddhist contexts is often spelled 檀那.
Synonyms
- (donation of money, goods, or service): 布施 (fuse)
- (artisanal lineage): 檀那流 (danna ryū)
- (husband, boss, master of the house): 主人 (shujin)
- (a woman's patron, a sugar daddy): パトロン (patoron)
Derived terms
- 旦那ぶる (dannaburu): to act or behave masterfully
- 旦那芸 (dannagei): an art or cultural pursuit studied by someone who is well-to-do as a means of passing the time
- 旦那寺 (danna-dera): a Buddhist temple supported by a household that has converted to Buddhism
- 旦那持ち (danna mochi): having patronage; someone that has patronage (generally female, such as a geisha)
- 旦那取り (danna-dori): taking a master, as a servant; becoming a mistress or concubine
- 旦那場 (dannaba): a good customer
Idioms
- 旦那を取る (danna o toru): "to take a master", to find a patron → generally refers to a geisha or other female finding a male to look after their needs
- 旦那の一気働きは鬼も叶わぬ (danna no ikkibataraki wa oni mo kanawanu): "not even the devil can match the master for getting down to hard work" → someone who rarely has to get involved in actual work will work very hard when they have to roll up their sleeves and do it themselves
- 旦那の喧嘩は槍持ちから (danna no kenka wa yarimochi kara): "fights between masters start from the guardsmen" → disputes between the powerful often arise from minor disputes among their employees or followers: petty foibles can lead to big battles
- 旦那の好きな赤烏帽子 (danna no suki na aka-eboshi): "the master's beloved red eboshi hat" → 烏帽子 (eboshi) are traditionally black, so a red eboshi indicates someone willing to go against tradition: no matter how strange, one must follow one's master
- 旦那の前より釜の前 (danna no mae yori kama no mae): "(better) in front of a pot than in front of a master" → it is better to be one's own master, even if it means being poor
- 旦那三百我五百 (danna sanbyaku ware gohyaku): "three hundred for the master, five hundred for me" → people generally think of their own benefit more than the benefit of their masters or bosses
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 “檀那”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten][1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
- ^ “檀那”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen][2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN