津軽

See also: 津輕

Japanese

Kanji in this term
津	軽
つ Grade: S (ateji)	かる > がる Grade: 3 (ateji)
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
津輕 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

From Old Japanese, first attested in the Nihon Shoki (720 CE).

Possibly from Ainu [Term?], the kanji spelling is an example of phonetic ateji (当て字), literally 津 (tsu, “harbor”) +‎ 軽 (karu, stem meaning “light”). The karu changes to garu as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Sometimes misspelled as つがろ (Tsugaro) in older texts. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [t͡sɨɡa̠ɾɯ̟]

Proper noun

津(つ)軽(がる) • (Tsugaru)

a placename, such as that of:
1. a region comprising the western half of Aomori Prefecture
2. つがる: a city within that region
3. (historical) short for 津軽郡 (Tsugaru-gun): a district in Meiji-period Aomori Prefecture
a surname

Derived terms

つがる (Tsugaru, city in Aomori Prefecture)
津軽(つがる)海(かい)峡(きょう) (Tsugaru Kaikyō, “Tsugaru Strait”)
津(つが)軽(る)三味線(じゃみせん) (Tsugaru-jamisen)
津軽(つがる)じょんがら節(ぶし) (Tsugaru jongara-bushi)
津軽(つがる)線(せん) (Tsugaru-sen)
津軽(つがる)選挙(せんきょ) (Tsugaru Senkyo)
津軽(つがる)暖流(だんりゅう) (Tsugaru Danryū)
津軽(つがる)鉄(てつ)道(どう) (Tsugaru Tetsudō)
津軽(つがる)塗(ぬ)り (Tsugaru-nuri)
津軽(つがる)半島(はんとう) (Tsugaru Hantō, “Tsugaru Peninsula”)
津軽(つがる)富士(ふじ) (Tsugaru Fuji, nickname of Mount Iwaki)
津軽(つがる)平(へい)野(や) (Tsugaru Heiya)
津軽(つがる)焼(や)き (Tsugaru-yaki)
津軽(つがる)山(やま)唄(うた) (Tsugaru yamauta)

Proverbs

津軽(つがる)合浦(がっぽう)外(そと)の浜(はま) (Tsugaru gappō soto no hama)

Noun

津(つ)軽(がる) or 津軽(ツガル) • (tsugaru)

(rare) synonym of 芥子 (keshi): the opium poppy, Papaver somniferum