In the Afterbath: Part 2 of 4
Friday, July 13th, 2007
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While investigating 後 (KŌ, GO, ato, ushi(ro): after, behind), I’ve been amused to find it popping up in some highly specific words:
髭剃り後 (higesoriato: after shaving)
beard + to shave + after
浴後 (yokugo: after the bath)
to bathe + after
後ろ明き (ushiroaki: clothing that opens in the back)
back + to be open
For Other Amusingly
Specific Words Including 後 …
It seems that someone designed these words to expedite discussions of such matters. I say “expedite” because, aside from the charming specificity on display here, blow-by-blow descriptions of morning routines are rarely scintillating. Fortunately, two key features will make listeners stay tuned, rather than keeling over in boredom:
• Each compound has a different yomi for 後: first ato, then go, then ushi(ro). That’ll keep listeners (and perhaps speakers) on their toes.
• With handy words such as higesoriato and yokugo, speakers can be concise. To say “after,” they needn’t resort to the cumbersome phrase no ato de but can instead use the suffix 後. When serving as a suffix, 後 has two yomi: -ato and -go. The latter is much more common.
The -Go Suffix, Hard at Work
Here’s the -go suffix hard at work in several common compounds:
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Posted by Eve Kushner in Kanji Curiosity | No Comments »
