# 背負う
## Japanese
### Etymology 1

Kanji in this term :
| 背 | 負 |
| せ Grade: 6 | お Grade: 3 |
| kun'yomi ||
Compound of 背 (se, “back”) +‎ 負う (ou, “to carry or bear something”).
First cited in the early 1200s.

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) せおう [sèóꜜù] (Nakadaka – [2])
* IPA: [se̞o̞ɯ̟]
* Tokyo pitch accent of conjugated forms of 「背負う」
Source: Online Japanese Accent Dictionary :
| Stem forms ||||
| Terminal (終止形) Attributive (連体形) | 背負う | せおう | [sèóꜜù] |
| Imperative (命令形) | 背負え | せおえ | [sèóꜜè] |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 背負われる | せおわれる | [sèówáréꜜrù] |
| Causative | 背負わせる | せおわせる | [sèówáséꜜrù] |
| Potential | 背負える | せおえる | [sèóéꜜrù] |
| Volitional | 背負おう | せおおー | [sèóóꜜò] |
| Negative | 背負わない | せおわない | [sèówáꜜnàì] |
| Negative perfective | 背負わなかった | せおわなかった | [sèówáꜜnàkàttà] |
| Formal | 背負います | せおいます | [sèóímáꜜsù] |
| Perfective | 背負った | せおった | [sèóꜜttà] |
| Conjunctive | 背負って | せおって | [sèóꜜttè] |
| Hypothetical conditional | 背負えば | せおえば | [sèóꜜèbà] |

#### Verb

背(せ)負(お)う • (seou) godan (stem 背(せ)負(お)い (seoi), past 背(せ)負(お)った (seotta))
* [from early 1200s] to be burdened with, to carry on back or shoulder

##### Conjugation

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms") :
| Mizenkei ("imperfective") | 背負わ | せおわ | seowa |
| Ren’yōkei ("continuative") | 背負い | せおい | seoi |
| Shūshikei ("terminal") | 背負う | せおう | seou |
| Rentaikei ("attributive") | 背負う | せおう | seou |
| Kateikei ("hypothetical") | 背負え | せおえ | seoe |
| Meireikei ("imperative") | 背負え | せおえ | seoe |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 背負われる | せおわれる | seowareru |
| Causative | 背負わせる 背負わす | せおわせる せおわす | seowaseru seowasu |
| Potential | 背負える | せおえる | seoeru |
| Volitional | 背負おう | せおおう | seoō |
| Negative | 背負わない | せおわない | seowanai |
| Negative continuative | 背負わず | せおわず | seowazu |
| Formal | 背負います | せおいます | seoimasu |
| Perfective | 背負った | せおった | seotta |
| Conjunctive | 背負って | せおって | seotte |
| Hypothetical conditional | 背負えば | せおえば | seoeba |
Stem forms :
| Irrealis (未然形) | 背負は | せおは | seofa |
| Continuative (連用形) | 背負ひ | せおひ | seofi |
| Terminal (終止形) | 背負ふ | せおふ | seofu |
| Attributive (連体形) | 背負ふ | せおふ | seofu |
| Realis (已然形) | 背負へ | せおへ | seofe |
| Imperative (命令形) | 背負へ | せおへ | seofe |
| Key constructions ||||
| Negative | 背負はず | せおはず | seofazu |
| Contrasting conjunction | 背負へど | せおへど | seofedo |
| Causal conjunction | 背負へば | せおへば | seofeba |
| Conditional conjunction | 背負はば | せおはば | seofaba |
| Past tense (firsthand knowledge) | 背負ひき | せおひき | seofiki |
| Past tense (secondhand knowledge) | 背負ひけり | せおひけり | seofikeri |
| Perfect tense (conscious action) | 背負ひつ | せおひつ | seofitu |
| Perfect tense (natural event) | 背負ひぬ | せおひぬ | seofinu |
| Perfect-continuative tense | 背負へり 背負ひたり | せおへり せおひたり | seoferi seofitari |
| Volitional | 背負はむ | せおはむ | seofamu |

### Etymology 2

Kanji in this term :
| 背 | 負 |
| しょ ||
| Grade: 6 | Grade: 3 |
| irregular ||
* Alternative spelling
* 負う (rare)
Phonological shift from 背負う (seou), as the /se/ sound was formerly pronounced more like /ɕe/, as recorded in the Nippo Jisho of 1603. This Japanese-Portuguese dictionary transcribes all instances of せ (se) using the then-current Portuguese orthography of ⟨xe⟩, where the ⟨x⟩ spelling indicated, similar to the initial consonant sound in English shed.
* /ɕeou/ → /ɕjou/ → /ɕʲou/
This reading is first attested in a text from 1278.

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) しょう [shòú] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [ɕo̞ɯ̟]

#### Verb

背負(しょ)う • (shou) godan (stem 背負(しょ)い (shoi), past 背負(しょ)った (shotta))
* [from 1278] to be burdened with, to carry on back or shoulder

##### Conjugation

Katsuyōkei ("stem forms") :
| Mizenkei ("imperfective") | 背負わ | しょわ | showa |
| Ren’yōkei ("continuative") | 背負い | しょい | shoi |
| Shūshikei ("terminal") | 背負う | しょう | shou |
| Rentaikei ("attributive") | 背負う | しょう | shou |
| Kateikei ("hypothetical") | 背負え | しょえ | shoe |
| Meireikei ("imperative") | 背負え | しょえ | shoe |
| Key constructions ||||
| Passive | 背負われる | しょわれる | showareru |
| Causative | 背負わせる 背負わす | しょわせる しょわす | showaseru showasu |
| Potential | 背負える | しょえる | shoeru |
| Volitional | 背負おう | しょおう | shoō |
| Negative | 背負わない | しょわない | showanai |
| Negative continuative | 背負わず | しょわず | showazu |
| Formal | 背負います | しょいます | shoimasu |
| Perfective | 背負った | しょった | shotta |
| Conjunctive | 背負って | しょって | shotte |
| Hypothetical conditional | 背負えば | しょえば | shoeba |
Stem forms :
| Irrealis (未然形) | 背負は | しよは | syofa |
| Continuative (連用形) | 背負ひ | しよひ | syofi |
| Terminal (終止形) | 背負ふ | しよふ | syofu |
| Attributive (連体形) | 背負ふ | しよふ | syofu |
| Realis (已然形) | 背負へ | しよへ | syofe |
| Imperative (命令形) | 背負へ | しよへ | syofe |
| Key constructions ||||
| Negative | 背負はず | しよはず | syofazu |
| Contrasting conjunction | 背負へど | しよへど | syofedo |
| Causal conjunction | 背負へば | しよへば | syofeba |
| Conditional conjunction | 背負はば | しよはば | syofaba |
| Past tense (firsthand knowledge) | 背負ひき | しよひき | syofiki |
| Past tense (secondhand knowledge) | 背負ひけり | しよひけり | syofikeri |
| Perfect tense (conscious action) | 背負ひつ | しよひつ | syofitu |
| Perfect tense (natural event) | 背負ひぬ | しよひぬ | syofinu |
| Perfect-continuative tense | 背負へり 背負ひたり | しよへり しよひたり | syoferi syofitari |
| Volitional | 背負はむ | しよはむ | syofamu |

### References

* 1 2 3 4 “背負”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
* 1 2 “背負う”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen]‎ (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
* 1 2 Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 [Kōjien] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
* 1 2 3 4 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* 1 2 3 4 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* 1 2 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN