観音

See also: 觀音 and 观音

Japanese

Kanji in this term
観	音
かん Grade: 4	おん > のん Grade: 1
goon

Alternative spelling
觀音 (kyūjitai)

Etymology

/kwan.omʉ/ → /kwan.on/ → /kwanːon/ → /kanːoɴ/

From Middle Chinese 觀音 (kwan ʔim). The on reading for 音 changes to non as an instance of renjō (連声). ^[1]^[2]

Origianlly a shortening of 観世音 (Kanzeon, literally “perceiver of the world's sounds”),^[3] itself a calque of Sanskrit अवलोकितेश्वर (Avalokiteśvara).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) かんのん [kàńnóń] (Heiban – [0])^[4]
IPA^(key): [kã̠nːõ̞ɴ]

Proper noun

観(かん)音(のん) • (Kannon) ^{←くわんおん (Kwan'on)^?}

(Buddhism) short for 観世音菩薩 (Kanzeon Bosatsu): Avalokiteshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion; also known in some cultures as Guanyin, the goddess of mercy
Synonym: 観音菩薩 (Kannon Bosatsu)

Derived terms

観(かん)音(のん)の本(ほん)誓(ぜい) (Kannon no honzei)
観(かん)音(のん)菩(ぼ)薩(さつ) (Kannon Bosatsu)
浅(あさ)草(くさ)観(かん)音(のん) (Asakusa Kannon)
七(しち)観(かん)音(のん) (Shichi Kannon)
妻(つま)観(かん)音(のん) (Tsumakannon)
六(ろく)観(かん)音(のん) (Roku Kannon), 六(ろっ)観(かん)音(のん) (Rokkannon)

Idioms

後(あと)暗(くら)い観(かん)音(のん) (atokurai Kannon)
尻(しり)暗(くら)い観(かん)音(のん) (shirikurai Kannon)

Descendants

English: Kannon, Kwannon

References

^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

[1] Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[2] Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN

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

[NHK-4] NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

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