Daijōbu (大丈夫 - It's Okay) Part 2

Previously, I introduced you to the Japanese term 大丈夫 (daijōbu), which is often used as the meaning of "it's okay" or "no problem."

http://lang-8.com/kanotown/journals/81720289771087487824771147428200042192

Today I'd like to talk about its etymology.

大 (dai) means "big," 丈 (jō) means a unit of length based on a height of an adult male, and 夫 (bu/fu) means "man."

In the past in China, adult men were called 丈夫, and especially fully grown men were called 大丈夫.

After this term was brought to Japan, the meaning of fully grown men was extended to other meanings; "it's strong," "it's okay," and "no problem."

Incidentally, the length of 1 丈 was about 1.8 meters in those days in China, but now it is about 3 meters.

大丈夫 Part 2

以前私は "it's okay" や "no problem" の意味でよく使われる「大丈夫」という日本語を紹介しました。

今日は、この言葉の語源を説明します。

「大」は "big," 「丈」は成人男性の身長を基準とした長さの単位、「夫」は "man" を意味します。

かつて中国では成人男性を「丈夫」と言い、特に一人前の男のことを「大丈夫」と言いました。

この言葉が日本に伝わり、立派な男の意味から「強い」「安心できる」「問題無い」などの意味に派生しました。

ちなみに、1 丈 は当時の中国では約 1.8 m でしたが、今では 約 3 m となっています。