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I love the yomi arawa. It rolls off the tongue. And yet the sequence of sounds is also tough to remember—so much so that when I first learned arawa(seru) as the kun-yomi of 表, I had to associate it with a mnemonic: Ottawa. Strangely, those words sound similar—or they do when I pronounce them!
Last week we found that 露 can have the yomi of arawa, in which case it means “exposed, scanty, bare, unconcealed, naked.”
In a tucked-away corner of an August blog, we looked at three other kanji with the kun-yomi of arawa and with similar meanings. So here’s what we now have altogether:
1. 露 (arawa: exposed, scanty, bare, unconcealed, naked)
2. 著 (arawa(su): to write, publish)
3. 現 (arawa(su): to appear, become visible, come into view, be revealed, materialize)
4. 表 (arawa(su): to express)
At that time, I wrote that all these arawa words “must have sprung from the same source, becoming more differentiated over the course of time. It’s wonderful to think of publishing as another way to make things visible and to make ideas materialize. And of course publishing relates directly to the concept of ‘expressing’ something. So it’s as if 著 lies directly between the meanings of 現 and 表, constituting a missing link.”
Any others lurking out there? Actually, there is one more!
5. 顕 (arawa(reru): to appear, become evident; arawa(su): to show, exhibit, manifest)
I figured this must be a rare kanji, but it’s Jōyō!
Etymology
So … what’s going on?! Why are there five kanji with this yomi and this kind of meaning? These characters are often interchangeable, having only subtle differences in nuance in some cases. To understand these differences, let’s look at the etymology of each character.
1. 露 (arawa: exposed, scanty, bare, unconcealed, naked; tsuyu: dew)
Three weeks ago, I explained the etymology of 露; I said that according to Henshall, “dew” is the original meaning of 露, and the “exposure” part came later, most likely because dew appears openly for all to see.
2. 著 (arawa(su): to write, to publish)
Henshall notes that in Chinese, 著 can mean “to show, display, manifest.” So he connects the act of writing a book with the act of displaying (e.g., talent, views).
3. 現 (arawa(su): to appear, become visible, come into view, be revealed, materialize)
This kanji contains 王, a variant on the “jewel” character, as well as 見, “to see.” If a jewel shines, that jewel is visible, says Henshall.
4. 表 (arawa(su): to express)
This character combines an altered version of “fur” (毛) and “clothing” (衣). Henshall says that because fur clothing was worn on the outside, it led to a sense of “to manifest, show.”
5. 顕 (arawa(reru): to appear, become evident; arawa(su): to show, exhibit, manifest)
Henshall says the shape of this character has evolved but relates to “small things showing up in sunlight.”
Usage
Actually, that was kind of a useless examination, wasn’t it? What I really want to know is why ancient Japanese people felt the need to differentiate the various forms of arawa to this degree. I have no means of traveling back in time for the answer, but looking at distinctions in present-day usage might help.
1. 露 (arawa: exposed, scanty, bare, unconcealed, naked)
Reserve this one for “exposing the truth” or, more to the point, “exposing lies”!
2. 著 (arawa(su): to write, publish)
Reserve this one for publishing, writing, etc.
3. 現 (arawa(su): to appear, become visible, come into view, be revealed, materialize)
This one is good for times when something hidden has just come into view and has even become tangible, as in the following scenarios: the shape of something materializes and becomes clear in the distance, someone reveals his true (and less than appealing) colors, reality becomes apparent, or a leader emerges as the one with the true power.
4. 表 (arawa(su): to express)
Use this to talk about thoughts or feelings that come to light when someone expresses them. (Conversely, when someone says it’s too hard to put certain thoughts and feelings into words, they’re thinking of 表.) This kanji covers facial expressions, verbal expressions, and even artistic expression.
5. 顕 (arawa(reru): to appear, become evident; arawa(su): to show, exhibit, manifest)
Reserve this for the act of publicizing something, such as memorializing good deeds with a monument.
Palling Around Together
You likely know the word 表現 (hyōgen: expression, to express + to appear). This is just one of several words in which the arawa kanji shed their kun-yomi and team up as on-yomi to form compounds. Here are some others:
顕現 (kengen: manifestation) to appear + to cause to appear
顕著 (kencho: noticeable) apparent + conspicuous
露顕 (roken: to be found out, come to light) to expose + to reveal
People also write this as 露見, with the same yomi and meaning. In fact, it’s possible that 露見 is the more common way of writing the word, but I can’t confirm this.
Time for your Verbal Logic Quiz!
