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+--- Thread: Words with flipped kanji order (/thread-10893.html)
Words with flipped kanji order - Haych - 2013-06-19
So I have been noticing some words popping up with the same kanji just in a reversed order. I can think of three examples so far:
分配「ぶんぱい」 / 配分「はいぶん」
製作「せいさく」 / 作製「さくせい」
始終「しじゅう」 / 終始「しゅうし」
決議「けつぎ」 / 議決「ぎけつ」
As far as I can tell, their definitions look identical. Am I going wrong to treat them as essentially the same word? In that case is their usage just a matter of preference? Or is there some subtlety here that I'm not getting?
I'm wondering if this a common theme. Does anyone know of more of these?
Edit: just found another one and added it to the list
Words with flipped kanji order - twinzen - 2013-06-19
The examples you wrote happen to be such that both words have similar meanings. I can't say whether or not there is a subtle difference between them, but I can think of a few examples where they don't mean the same thing at all so it's probably not a common theme:
本日 (ほんじつ) / 日本 (にほん)
会社 (かいしゃ) / 社会 (しゃかい)
Words with flipped kanji order - lauri_ranta - 2013-06-19
I wrote a script for finding words like that a while ago:
jouyou = IO.read("../data/kanji jouyou.txt")
words = {}
IO.read("../data/edict_sub.txt").scan(/^([#{jouyou}]{2}) \[(.*?)\] \/(.*?)\//).shuffle.each { |w|
w[2] = w[2].sub(/^(\(.*?\) )*/, "").sub(/ \(.*?\)$/, "")
next if w[2].length >= 20
next if w[0] =~ /[一二三四五六七八九十]{2}/
words[w[0]] = [w[1], w[2]]
}
seen = []
words.each { |k, v|
next if seen.include? k.reverse
next if k.reverse == k
rev = words[k.reverse]
next unless rev
puts [k, *v, k.reverse, *rev].join("\t")
seen << k
}
Some pairs of words that I selected to review:
空kuu虚kyo emptiness 虚ko空kuu empty space
口kuchi火bi fuse 火bi口guchi a burner
国koku王ou king 王ou国koku kingdom
裁sai決ketsu decision 決kes裁sai sanction
山yama奥oku mountain recesses 奥oku山yama remote mountain
終shuu始shi beginning and end 始shi終juu continuously
住suma居i dwelling 居kyo住juu residence
所sho見ken view 見mi所dokoro point worthy of note
色shiki彩sai color 彩sai色shiki coloring
性sei急kyuu impatience 急kyuu性sei acute
素so質shitsu character 質shis素so simplicity
対tai応ou interaction 応ou対tai receiving
中chuu間kan middle 間aida中juu during
長chou所sho strong point 所sho長chou chief
長chou身shin tall figure 身shin長chou height
定jou規gi ruler 規ki定tei regulation
弟de子shi pupil 子shi弟tei young people
鉄tek鋼kou iron and steel 鋼kou鉄tetsu steel
鉄tes製sei made from iron 製sei鉄tetsu iron manufacture
年nen長chou seniority 長naga年nen long time
発hak揮ki exhibition 揮ki発hatsu volatilization
発has散san emitting 散san発patsu sporadic
部bu内nai the staff 内nai部bu interior
物mono置oki storage room 置oki物mono ornament
分bun身shin parturition 身mi分bun social position
分bun配pai division 配hai分bun distribution
別bek個ko another 個ko別betsu particular case
幕maku内uchi highest-ranking sumo division 内uchi幕maku lowdown
末mak期ki closing years 期ki末matsu end of term
名mei実jitsu in name and in reality 実jitsu名mei real name
名mei著cho famous book 著cho名mei well-known
野ya外gai fields 外gai野ya outfield
落rak下ka fall 下ge落raku depreciation
裏ura表omote both sides 表hyou裏ri two sides
量ryou産san mass production 産san量ryou output
力riki学gaku mechanics 学gaku力riki scholarly ability
All pairs of words in edict_sub (106 lines)
All pairs of words in edict (967 lines)
Edit: fixed the errors mentioned by imabi below.
Words with flipped kanji order - Haych - 2013-06-19
Interesting. It seems like there might be more with different meanings than ones with the same meaning.
I'll have to add these words for review as well, because I know how they can make things confusing. Although, I've seen a lot of those before and never made the connection. The most problematic ones are the ones where the reading is the same.
Words with flipped kanji order - imabi - 2013-06-19
Just to mention, there are a few errors in your list of words.
The main one I would like to point out is that 落下 is rakka. As far as the definitions, I understand that you wanted a single word definition, but it made a lot of words that do have significant differences sound more synonymous than they actually are. Otherwise, it is a very eye appealing list.
Another error is that 定規 is ruler, with the reading jougi, and 規定 is regulation with the reading kitei. You had them flipped with a mistaken reading for the former.