Japanese [ edit ]
Etymology 1 [ edit ]
Likely derived from verb 飽きる・厭きる・倦きる ( akiru ) , older form 飽く ・厭く ・倦く ( aku , “ to be full up; to be fully done; to tire of something, to have too much of something ” ) .[1]
First cited to the 古今和歌集 ( Kokin Wakashū ) of the early 900s,[2] where the term is used as a pun for the verb.[1]
The senses related to flavor and harshness arose from the practice of using lye in food processing to remove unpleasant flavors.[1]
The kanji spelling 灰汁 is an example of jukujikun , using the characters for 灰 ( “ ash ” ) and 汁 ( “ broth ” ) in reference to the practice of leaching wood ash in water to derive lye .
Pronunciation [ edit ]
あく • (aku )
[from early 900s] lye , originally the clear alkaline liquid left after leaching wood ash in water
905 –914 , Kokin Wakashū (book 19, poem 1044)
紅( くれなゐ ) に染( そ ) めし心( こころ ) もたのまれず人( ひと ) をあく にはうつる蝶( てふ ) なりkurenai ni someshi kokoro mo tanomarezu hito o aku ni wa utsuru tefu nari (please add an English translation of this example)
[Note: This aku is also a pun on the verb 飽く ( aku , “ to tire of something ” ) .]
scum , the coagulated proteins and fats that gather on the surface of a pot of boiling food
[from 1700] components contained in vegetables that impart an acrid , astringent , or harsh flavor
灰汁( あく ) が強( つよ ) い、灰汁( あく ) を抜( ぬ ) くaku ga tsuyoi, aku o nukuharshness is strong → strongly unpleasant [flavor], remove the harshness [as from vegetables]
[from 1909] アク : ( by extension from the "flavor" sense ) harshness as a characteristic of one's personality
アク の強( つよ ) い男性( だんせい ) aku no tsuyoi danseia man with a harsh / overly strong / forceful / pushy personality
Derived terms [ edit ]
Etymology 2 [ edit ]
Various kanji readings.
For pronunciation and definitions of あく – see the following entries.
【明く 】
[verb] Alternative form of 開く
[verb] open one's eyes or mouth
[verb] for one's collar etc. to be open
(This term, あく , is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.)For a list of all kanji read as あく , see Category:Japanese kanji read as あく .)
(The following entries are uncreated: 亜久 , 阿久 , 渥 , 安久 , 吾久 , 愛玖 , 愛紅 .)
References [ edit ]
↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "灰汁 " in 語源由来辞典 ( Gogen Yurai Jiten , “ Etymology Derivation Dictionary ” ) (in Japanese)
^ “灰汁 ”, in 日本国語大辞典 ( Nihon Kokugo Daijiten , “ Nihon Kokugo Daijiten ” ) [1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō : Shogakukan , 2000
^ Matsumura, Akira , editor (2006 ), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō : Sanseidō , →ISBN