# 魔羅
## Chinese

* 魔

### Etymology

From Sanskrit मार (māra, “killing; death; destroyer; demon”).

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): móluó
    (Zhuyin): ㄇㄛˊ ㄌㄨㄛˊ
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: móluó
*** Zhuyin: ㄇㄛˊ ㄌㄨㄛˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: móluó
*** Wade–Giles: mo$^2$-lo$^2$
*** Yale: mwó-lwó
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: moluo
*** Palladius: моло (molo)
*** Sinological IPA : /mu̯ɔ³⁵ lu̯ɔ³⁵/
* Middle Chinese: ma la
Rime :
| Character | 魔 | 羅 |
| Reading # | 1/1 | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 明 (4) | 來 (37) |
| Final (韻) | 戈 (95) | 歌 (94) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) | Level (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Closed | Open |
| Division (等) | I | I |
| Fanqie | 莫婆切 | 魯何切 |
| Baxter | ma | la |
| Reconstructions |||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /muɑ/ | /lɑ/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /muɑ/ | /lɑ/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /muɑ/ | /lɑ/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /mwa/ | /la/ |
| Li Rong | /muɑ/ | /lɑ/ |
| Wang Li | /muɑ/ | /lɑ/ |
| Bernard Karlgren | /muɑ/ | /lɑ/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | mó | luó |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | mo$^4$ | lo$^4$ |

### Noun

魔羅
* (Buddhism) mara (demon)

#### Derived terms

* 魔 (mó)

#### Descendants

* → Japanese: 魔羅(まら) (mara)

## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 魔 | 羅 |
| ま Grade: S | ら Grade: S |
| on'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 摩羅

### Etymology

From Middle Chinese 魔羅 (muɑ lɑ), in turn a transcription of Sanskrit मार (Māra, “the Destroyer, the Evil One”). The kanji are phonetic ateji (当て字) applied when transcribing the Sanskrit into Middle Chinese.
The shift from "Buddhist evil demon" to "penis" was originally slang use among monks, in reference to sexual desires distracting one from the path to enlightenment.
Some sources link this term to 放る (maru, “to excrete”). However, the verb maru refers to "excreting" bodily wastes in general, not just urination but also defecation, and some sources also list flatulation as an included sense. In addition, other nouns attested from Old Japanese that derive from verbs and end in -a appear to be the result of the action of the verb, which does not fit this case. Ultimately, the proposed connection between Sanskrit-derived mara ("penis") and Japonic-derived maru ("to excrete") appears to be a folk etymology, likely arising from the superficial similarity in forms.
First attested in the Nihon Ryōiki, in a section dated to the early 800s.

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) まら [màráꜜ] (Odaka – [2])
* (Tokyo) まら [máꜜrà] (Atamadaka – [1])
* IPA: [ma̠ɾa̠]
* (Yamanashi) まら [màráꜜ] (Odaka – [2])
* IPA: [ma̠ɾa̠]

### Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) • (mara)
* [from early 800s] (Buddhism) Mara: a Buddhist demon that personifies the "death" of spiritual life
* [from early 800s] (anatomy) penis
    Synonyms: see Thesaurus:陰茎
** 938, Minamoto no Shitagō, Wamyō Ruijushō, volume 2, page 45:玉茎 房内經云 玉茎 男陰名也 [...] 一云 麻良 [...]Penis: The Classic of the Bedchamber calls it 'jade stalk', it is a name for the male sex organ [...] One name [is] mara
** 1603–1604, Nippo Jisho, page 386:Mara. l, nancon. マラ. または, ナンコン (𨳯. または, 男根) 陰茎. 卑語.Mara. Also, nancon. A penis. Vulgar language.

### References

* 1 2 3 4 “魔羅・摩羅”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
* 1 2 3 “魔羅”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen]‎ (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
* 1 2 3 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* 1 2 3 Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 [Kōjien] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
* 1 2 3 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* ↑ “マラ”, in 日本の危機言語‎ (in Japanese), National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics, 2022
   * Doi, Tadao (1603–1604) Hōyaku Nippo Jisho (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, published 1980, →ISBN.
   * Minamoto, Shitagō with Kyōto Daigaku Bungakubu Kokugogaku Kokubungaku Kenkyūshitu (931–938) Shohon Shūsei Wamyō Ruijushō: Honbunhen (in Japanese), Kyōto: Rinsen, published 1968, →ISBN.

## Kikai

Kanji in this term :
| 魔 | 羅 |
| ま Grade: S | ら Grade: S |
| on'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 摩羅

### Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mara/

### Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara)
* (anatomy) penis

### References

* 岩倉市郎 (1941) 喜界島方言集 [Kikai-jima Dialect Collection]‎ (in Japanese), 中央公論社, page 279

## Kunigami

Kanji in this term :
| 魔 | 羅 |
| ま Grade: S | らー Grade: S |
| on'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 摩羅

### Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /maɾaː/

### Noun

魔(ま)羅(らー) (marā)
* (anatomy) penis

## Miyako

Kanji in this term :
| 魔 | 羅 |
| ま Grade: S | ら Grade: S |
| on'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 摩羅

### Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mara/

### Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara)
* (anatomy) penis

## Northern Amami Ōshima

Kanji in this term :
| 魔 | 羅 |
| ま Grade: S | ら Grade: S |
| on'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 摩羅

### Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mara/

### Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara)
* (anatomy) penis

## Okinawan

Kanji in this term :
| 魔 | 羅 |
| ま Grade: S | ら Grade: S |
| on'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 摩羅

### Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mara/

### Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara)
* (anatomy) penis

## Yaeyama

Kanji in this term :
| 魔 | 羅 |
| ま Grade: S | ら Grade: S |
| on'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 摩羅

### Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mara/

### Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara)
* (anatomy) penis

## Yonaguni

Kanji in this term :
| 魔 | 羅 |
| ま Grade: S | ら Grade: S |
| on'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 摩羅

### Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mara/

### Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara)
* (anatomy) penis

## Yoron

Kanji in this term :
| 魔 | 羅 |
| ま Grade: S | ら Grade: S |
| on'yomi ||
* Alternative spelling
* 摩羅

### Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /mara/

### Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara)
* (anatomy) penis