い

See also: Appendix:Variations of "i"

い U+3044, い HIRAGANA LETTER I ← ぃ [U+3043] Hiragana ぅ → [U+3045]

Japanese

Stroke order

Etymology 1

Derived in the Heian period from writing the man'yōgana kanji 以 in the cursive sōsho style.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [i]

Syllable

い • (i) 

1. The hiragana syllable い (i). Its equivalent in katakana is イ (i). It is the second syllable in the gojūon order; its position is あ行い段 (a-gyō i-dan, “row a, section i”).

See also

• (Hiragana) 平仮名; あぁ, いぃ, うぅゔ, えぇ, おぉ, かゕが, きぎ, くぐ, けゖげ, こ𛄲 (𛄲)ご, さざ, しじ, すず, せぜ, そぞ, ただ, ちぢ, つっづ, てで, とど, な, に, ぬ, ね, の, はばぱ, ひびぴ, ふぶぷ, へべぺ, ほぼぽ, ま, み, む, め, も, やゃ, 𛀆, ゆゅ, 𛀁, よょ, らら゚, りり゚, るる゚, れれ゚, ろろ゚, わゎわ゙, ゐ𛅐 (𛅐)ゐ゙, 𛄟 (𛄟), ゑ𛅑 (𛅑)ゑ゙, を𛅒 (𛅒)を゙, ん, ー, ゝ, ゞ, ゟ

Etymology 2

Alternative spelling
え (dated)

Corruption of emphatic particle よ (yo) or exclamatory particle や (ya).

Particle

い • (i) 

1. Used in compounds with certain sentence-ending particles to create a familiar effect.

   だ (da) → だい (dai)

   か (ka) → かい (kai)

2. Used in compounds with certain sentence-ending particles to create an exclamatory effect.

   わ (wa) → わい (wai)

   ぞ (zo) → ぞい (zoi)

   や (ya) → やい (yai)

3. Used after verbs to create an exclamatory effect.

   勝(かっ)手(て)にしろい！

   Katte ni shiroi!

   Have it your way!

Etymology 3

From Old Japanese. Possibly cognate with Korean nominal particle 이 (i).

Used in Old Japanese, still found in use in Chinese works annotated for Japanese readers of Early Middle Japanese in the early Heian period, then becoming more limited and appearing only in specialized Buddhist texts. Fallen into disuse by the late Heian period from the time of so-called “cloistered rule”.

Obsolete. Not used in modern Japanese.

Particle

い • (i) 

1. (obsolete) emphatic subject marker, added to nouns and verb stems
   • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 4, poem 545:

     吾背子之 跡履求 追去者 木乃関守伊 将留鴨

     Waga seko ga ato fumimotome ohiyukaba Ki no sekimori i todometemukamo

     If I go seeking after you, Following your footmarks, Will the guard of the pass In Ki bid me halt?

   • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 12, poem 3161:

     在千方 在名草目而 行目友 家有妹伊 将鬱悒

     Arichigata arinagusamete yukamedomo ihe n aru imo i ifukashimi semu

     This beautiful Arichigata. I wish to stop this way And continue to comfort my heart for a short while, but At home, my wife is waiting for me without being carefree. I must hurry on my way.

   • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 13, poem 3287:

     乾坤乃 神乎禱而 吾恋 公以必 不相在目八方

     Ame tsuchi no kami o inorite aga kofuru kimi i kanarazu ahazuara-me ya mo

     If you pray to the deities of heaven and earth, You, who are in love with me, would never possibly meet me without fail.

   • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 14, poem 3393:

     筑波祢乃 乎弖毛許能母尓 毛利敝須恵 波播已毛礼杼母 多麻曾阿比尓家留

     Tsukubane no otemokonomo ni moribe sue haha i moredomo tama zo ainikeru

     As if with wardens posted On this and that side of the Tsukuba Mountain, My mother watches me; But our spirits have met.

   • 797: Shoku Nihongi (edict 6)

     京職大夫從三位藤原朝臣麻呂等伊負圖龜一頭獻止

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • 797: Shoku Nihongi (edict 12)

     聞看食國中能東方陸奥國守從五位上百濟王敬福伊部内少田郡仁黄金出在奏弖獻

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   • 797: Shoku Nihongi (edict 34)

     然後仁逆心乎以天朝庭乎動傾止之天兵乎備流時仁和氣伊申天在

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

2. (obsolete) emphatic phrase-final particle, emphasizing preceding phrase
   • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 3, poem 481:

     白細之 袖指可倍弖 靡寢 吾黒髪乃 真白髪尓 成極新世尓 共将有跡 玉緒乃 不絶射妹跡 結而石 事者不果 [...]

     Shirotae no sode sashikaete nabikineshi waga kurokami no mashiraga ni naran kiwami aratayo ni tomoni aranto tamanoo no taejii imo to musubiteshi koto wa hatarazu […]

     Till my black hair be white, We shall be together, I and my darling, Sleeping, our sleeves overlapped, She nestling by my side, Bound in never-ending love, Through this new age of our Sovereign; So I vowed, but my word proved false, My hopes were vain. […]

   • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 7, poem 1359:

     向岳之 若楓木 下杖取 花待伊間尓 嘆鶴鴨

     Makatsuwo no wakakatsuranoki shitsuetori hanamatsuimani nagekitsurukamo

     Lower branches of a young katsura standing on the opposite peak. It is that I remove them and wait for the flowers to bloom, but throughout this time I feel frustrated and let out a sigh.

   • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 10, poem 1851:

     青柳之 糸乃細紗 春風尓 不乱伊間尓 令視子裳欲得

     Awoyagi no itonokuhashisa harukazeni midarenuimani misemukomogamo

     The beautiful sight of fine willow branches hanging verdantly. I wish I had a girlfriend to show it to together with me at that time when it is never disturbed by the spring breeze.

Derived terms

• あるいは (arui wa)
• いは (iwa)
• いし (ishi)
• いも (imo)

Etymology 3

An extension of use of the -i ending on adjectives.

Suffix

い • (-i) -i (adverbial く (-ku))

1. (informal) suffix forming adjectives: -ic; -al

   チャラチャラ (charachara, “onomatopoeia for jingling”) → チャラい (charai, “flashy”)

Inflection

Inflection of いい

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	かろ	karo
Continuative (連用形)	く	ku
Terminal (終止形)	い	i
Attributive (連体形)	い	i
Hypothetical (仮定形)	けれ	kere
Imperative (命令形)	かれ	kare
Key constructions
Informal negative	くない	ku nai
Informal past	かった	katta
Informal negative past	くなかった	ku nakatta
Formal	いです	i desu
Formal negative	くないです	ku nai desu
Formal past	かったです	katta desu
Formal negative past	くなかったです	ku nakatta desu
Conjunctive	くて	kute
Conditional	ければ	kereba
Provisional	かったら	kattara
Volitional	かろう	karō
Adverbial	く	ku
Degree	さ	sa

Etymology 4

For pronunciation and definitions of い – see the following entries.

【以】4 [prefix] from (this reference point) and (more) [prefix] by, with, by means of

【伊】J [proper noun] Short for イタリア (Italia, “Italy”). [affix] Short for 伊太利 (Italia, “Italy”). [affix] Short for 伊賀 (Iga, “Iga”).

【位】4 [affix] rank, place [counter] rank, place [counter] decimal place [counter] ghosts

【依】S [affix] rely on; depend on [affix] according to [affix] as before

【偉】S [noun] (literary) greatness [adjective] (literary) great [affix] great, excellent, magnificent, extraordinary

【匜】H [noun] (historical) yi (a kind of bronze gourd-shaped vessel for holding water)

【医】3 [noun] doctor; physician; medicine [affix] doctor [affix] medicine, the healing arts

【唯】S [interjection] polite particle used to respond to elders: yes [affix] polite particle used to respond to elders: yes

【囲】5 [counter] counter for the amount that can be encircled in one's arms, used as a rough measurement of circumference (roughly 1.5 meters) [affix] surround; encircle; enclosure [affix] circumference

【夷】J [noun] those people with differing languages and/or cultures [noun] a barbarian, savage; uncivilized people (living to the east of ancient Imperial China; included Japan) [noun] a neutral (position)

【委】3 [affix] entrust; leave to [affix] cast aside; abandon [affix] detailed [affix] Short for 委員会 (iinkai, “committee”).

【姨】H [noun] a wife's sister; more specifically, a wife's younger sister [noun] a mother's sister, a maternal aunt [noun] a mistress (extramarital female lover); more specifically, a father's mistress

【威】S [noun] power; might; strength; authority [affix] power; might; strength; authority; dignity; majesty

【尉】S [affix] a watchman or military officer in the ancient Chinese military [affix] A military rank.

【已】J [affix] already [affix] Alternative form of 以 (i)

【帷】H [noun] a curtain or hanging that covers all sides [affix] hanging; curtain

【彙】S [affix] to sort and collect; collection, compilation, group

【彝】H [noun] in ancient China, a tripod kettle or other vessel used to make offerings to one's ancestors [noun] (by extension) cardinal principle [proper noun] Yi (ethnic group)

【怡】H [affix] rejoice; enjoy

【意】3 [noun] thoughts; feelings [noun] intent; meaning; goodwill [affix] mind; idea; thought; feeling; intention [affix] meaning

【慰】S [affix] comfort; console

【扆】H [noun] in ancient China, a special windscreen placed behind the throne, made of red cloth embroidered with a pattern of axes and used during imperial audiences [noun] (by extension) the throne itself

【易】5 [noun] something easy to do; easiness [affix] easy; simple

【椅】S [affix] Only used in 椅子 (isu, ishi, “chair”)

【為】S [noun] the twelfth string on a 箏 (koto, “Japanese zither”) [noun] a fingering method for playing the 尺八 (shakuhachi, “Japanese endblown flute”) [affix] do, perform, carry out

【畏】S [affix] fear [affix] respect

【異】6 [noun] (literary) difference [noun] (Buddhism) change or disease, one of the four states or avasthā [adjective] (literary) strange; unusual [affix] different [affix] strange; unusual; extraordinary; excellent [affix] aberrant [affix] other; another

【移】5 [noun] (historical) under the Ritsuryō system of ancient Japan, an official document exchanged between officials with no direct authority over each other [affix] shift; move; change

【維】S [affix] hold together; keep; maintain [affix] what holds together; net, supportive

【緯】S [noun] weft, woof [noun] parallels of latitude

【縊】H [affix] hang; strangle

【胃】6 [noun] stomach [proper noun] (Chinese astronomy) Stomach Mansion (one of the Twenty-Eight Mansions) [affix] stomach

【萎】S [affix] wither; droop

【蝟】H [noun] the Chinese name of the 針鼠 (harinezumi, “hedgehog”)

【衣】4 [noun] clothes, clothing [affix] clothes, clothing [affix] garb, robe (as worn by a monk, nun, or priest)

【違】S [affix] differ; vary [affix] go against; run counter to; disobey

【遺】6 [noun] something fallen, something lost or left behind [affix] be left, remain [affix] leave behind after one's death, bequeath [affix] leave behind, forget [affix] give, present [affix] let leak

(This term, い (i), is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.) For a list of all kanji read as い, see Category:Japanese kanji read as い.)

Etymology 5

From various Japonic origins.

For pronunciation and definitions of い – see the following entries.

【井】4 [noun] well (water source) [proper noun] a surname

【亥】J [proper noun] the Boar, the twelfth of the twelve Earthly Branches

【堰】J [noun] a dike or levee for containing water

【居】5 [noun] being (in a place), sitting (in a place); a seat

【寝】S [noun] (obsolete) sleep, sleeping

【胆】S [noun] gallbladder; liver

【猪】J [noun] a pig or wild boar

【藺】H [noun] a rush

【五】1 [noun] five

【五十】 [numeral] Combining form of いそ (iso) above: fifty, 50 [noun] (by extension) Combining form of いそ (iso) above: a large quantity

【斎】S [prefix] (Shinto) added to spiritual nouns to indicate purity and holiness: holy, pure, sacred

(This term, い (i), is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.) For a list of all kanji read as い, see Category:Japanese kanji read as い.)

(The following entry is uncreated: 汝.)

References

• Kurano, Kenji with Yūkichi Takeda (1958) Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 1: Kojiki, Norito, Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
• Kurano, Kenji (1936) Shoku Nihongi Senmyō (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
• Satake, Akihiro with Hideo Yamada, Rikio Kudō, Masao Ōtani, and Yoshiyuki Yamazaki (c. 759) Shin Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 1: Man’yōshū 1 (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, published 1999, →ISBN.
• Satake, Akihiro with Hideo Yamada, Rikio Kudō, Masao Ōtani, and Yoshiyuki Yamazaki (c. 759) Shin Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 2: Man’yōshū 2 (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, published 2000, →ISBN.
• Satake, Akihiro with Hideo Yamada, Rikio Kudō, Masao Ōtani, and Yoshiyuki Yamazaki (c. 759) Shin Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 3: Man’yōshū 3 (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, published 2002, →ISBN.
• Donald Keene (2023 March 25) “The Manyōshū: The Nippon Gakujutsu Shinkōkai Translation of One Thousand Poems with the Texts in Romaji”, in The Japan Society for the Promotion of Scientific Research, Gwern.net‎^[1] (PDF), retrieved 17 June 2023

Okinawan

Prefix

い (i-) 

1. (Old Okinawan, Middle Okinawan) attaches to verbs and adjectives. Further details are uncertain. The derived terms do not appear to have any difference in meaning than their original terms.
2. attaches to nouns to give a special value

   いくとぅば

   ikutuba

   legend (< kutuba "word")

References

• Okinawa Kogo Daijiten Henshū I'inkai (沖縄古語大辞典編集委員会) (1995) 沖縄古語大辞典 [Dictionary of Archaic Okinawan], Tokyo (東京都): Kadokawa Shoten (角川書店), →ISBN, page 53