右腕

Japanese

Etymology 1
Kanji in this term
右 腕
みぎ
Grade: 1		 うで
Grade: S
kun’yomi

Compound of 右 (migi, “right, right side”) +‎ 腕 (ude, “arm”). Also analyzeable as a contraction of older phrase 右の腕 (migi no ude), omitting the genitive particle の (no).[1][2][3][4]

First cited in 1921.[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

右(みぎ)腕(うで) • (migiude) 

  1. [from 1921] right arm
    Coordinate term: 左腕 (hidariude, “left arm”)
  2. [from 1959] one's trusted subordinate (compare English right-hand man)
Usage notes

While monolingual Japanese dictionaries list counterpart 左腕 (sawan, “left arm; left-handedness”), for the on'yomi reading, they do not list counterpart 左腕 (hidariude) for the kun'yomi reading.[1][2][3][4]

Etymology 2
Kanji in this term
右 腕
う
Grade: 1		 わん
Grade: S
goon on’yomi

Appears to be a coinage in Japanese based on Middle Chinese-derived roots, as a compound of 右 (u, “right, right side”) +‎ 腕 (wan, “arm”). Alternatively, may be a shift in reading from the kun'yomi of migiude; however, both readings are first cited to the same year, in 1921.[1]

Pronunciation

Noun

右(う)腕(わん) • (uwan) 

  1. [from 1921] right arm
  2. [from 1920s] right-handedness
    Coordinate term: 左腕 (sawan, “left arm; left-handedness”)

References
  1. “右腕”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000
  2. “右腕”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen]‎ (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
  3. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  4. Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  5. 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), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN
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