道中

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
どう
Grade: 2
ちゅう
Grade: 1
goon

Likely a Japanese coinage based on Middle Chinese-derived roots, as a compound of (, road, street; way) +‎ (chū, middle; in; partway along). Appears in texts from at least the Muromachi period (1500s) in the jargon of 浄瑠璃 (jōruri, a style of storytelling with musical accompaniment).[1]

Pronunciation

  • (Tokyo) ーちゅう [dóꜜòchùù] (Atamadaka – [1])[2]
  • IPA(key): [do̞ːt͡ɕɨː]

Noun

(どう)(ちゅう) • (dōchūだうちゆう (dautyuu)?

  1. traveling, journeying
  2. the middle of a trip, partway through a journey
  3. short for 花魁道中 (oiran dōchū, a procession of courtesans)
  4. a style of wearing a 手拭い (tenugui, handkerchief, bandanna) on one's head

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
みち
Grade: 2
なか
Grade: 1
kun'yomi

From Old Japanese. Compound of (michi, road, street) +‎ (naka, middle; in; partway along).[1][2][3] Appears in the Kojiki of 712 CE.[1]

Pronunciation

  • (Tokyo) ちなか [mìchínáká] (Heiban – [0])[2]
  • IPA(key): [mʲit͡ɕina̠ka̠]

Noun

(みち)(なか) • (michinaka

  1. the middle of the road or street
  2. on a road or street
  3. partway along or down a road or street on the way to a destination

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (1995), 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN