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ArchivesRe: Ren - Lotus
in reply to a message by ClaudiaS
Irrelevant observation.
Just adding that 奈 is
5948 22856 *nɑ̀i noi6 nai4 NAI4 NAY NA nại NA DAI KARANASHI but, how; bear, stand, endure
even though its use in a name might not use any of the meanings. Also Nara has been spelt in many ways in the past, and there are even theories that the name may have been non-Japanese loan.
Just adding that 奈 is
5948 22856 *nɑ̀i noi6 nai4 NAI4 NAY NA nại NA DAI KARANASHI but, how; bear, stand, endure
even though its use in a name might not use any of the meanings. Also Nara has been spelt in many ways in the past, and there are even theories that the name may have been non-Japanese loan.
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Replies
Very interesting. The theory that Nara is a non-Japanese loan seems reasonable because, unlike the vast majority of place-names, its kanji are apparently phonetic and have no clear meaning. Certainly 奈 is used by modern parents for its phonetic value only, though it is far from the only kanji used this way. Other examples would be 亜 "a" and 伊 "i."
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