# し

| し | U+3057, &#12375; HIRAGANA LETTER SI |
| ← ざ [U+3056] | Hiragana | じ → [U+3058] |

## Japanese
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ɕi]
* Audio:(file)

### Etymology 1

Derived in the Heian period from writing the man'yōgana kanji 之 in the cursive sōsho style.

#### Syllable

し • (shi)
* The hiragana syllable し (shi). Its equivalent in katakana is シ (shi). It is the twelfth syllable in the gojūon order; its position is さ行い段 (sa-gyō i-dan, “row sa, section i”).

##### Derived terms

* しゃ (sha), しゅ (shu), しょ (sho)
* じ (ji)

##### See also

* (Hiragana) 平仮名; あぁ, いぃ, うぅゔ, えぇ, おぉ, かゕが, きぎ, くぐ, けゖげ, こご, さざ, しじ, すず, せぜ, そぞ, ただ, ちぢ, つっづ, てで, とど, な, に, ぬ, ね, の, はばぱ, ひびぴ, ふぶぷ, へべぺ, ほぼぽ, ま, み, む, め, も, やゃ, ゆゅ, よょ, ら, り, る, れ, ろ, わゎ, ゐ, ゑ, を, ん, ー, ゝ, ゞ, ゟ

### Etymology 2
#### Particle

し • (shi)
* conjunctive particle, separates items in a list of reasons
** 1937, Yumeno Kyūsaku, Osoroshii Tōkyō [Terrifying Tokyo]‎:
    見(み)渡(わた)す限(かぎ)り百(ひゃっ)貨(か)店(てん)みたいで、何処(どこ)で切(きっ)符(ぷ)を売(う)っているのかわからないし、プラットフォームらしいものもないので、間(まち)違(が)ったのかなと思(おも)って又(また)石(いし)段(だん)を上(のぼ)って見(み)ると、丸(まる)キリ知(し)らない繁(はん)華(か)な町(まち)である。
       Miwatasu kagiri hyakkaten mitai de, doko de kippu o utteiru no ka wakaranai shi, purattofōmu rashii mono mo nai no de, machigatta no ka na to omotte mata ishidan o nobottemiruto, marukiri shiranai hanka na machi de aru.
       What I could see looked like a department store, I had no idea where tickets were being sold, and there wasn't anything like a platform. Wondering if I haven't come to the wrong place I once again walked up the stone stairs and a bustling street I wasn't familiar with filled my vision.
** K-On!
    「でもでも、私(わたし)運(うん)動(どう)音(おん)痴(ち)だし、文(ぶん)化(か)系(けい)のクラブもよくわからないし…」
       “Demo demo, watashi undō onchi da shi, bunkakei no kurabu mo yoku wakaranai shi…”
       "But—but I'm terrible at sports and I don't really know anything about the cultural clubs…"
* sentence-ending particle, indicating mild emphasis, and alluding to an inferable but deliberately omitted conclusion
    てかなんでやったし。
       Te ka nande yatta shi.
       But then, why did you do that [when you shouldn't have]?

### Etymology 3

* Alternative spellings
* 此 是 之 維 惟
Cognate with demonstrative pronoun そ (so).

#### Pronoun

し • (shi)
* third person personal pronoun; he, she, it
** c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 5, poem 904:夕星乃 由布弊尓奈礼婆 伊射祢余登 手乎多豆佐波里 父母毛 表者奈佐我利 三枝之 中尓乎祢牟登 愛久 志我可多良倍婆(please add an English translation of this quotation)
** c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 19, poem 4191:鵜河立 取左牟安由能 之我波多波 吾等尓可伎无気 念之念婆(please add an English translation of this quotation)
** c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 19, poem 4254:八隅知之 吾大皇 秋花 之我色々尓 見賜 明米多麻比 酒見附 榮流今日之 安夜尓貴左(please add an English translation of this quotation)
* reflexive pronoun; one, oneself
** c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 18, poem 4094:八十伴雄乎 麻都呂倍乃 牟気乃麻尓々々 老人毛 女童児毛 之我願 心太良比尓 撫賜 治賜婆(please add an English translation of this quotation)
** c. 935: Tosa Nikki (day 24)
    廿四日。講師、むまのはなむけしにいでませり。ありとあるかみしも、わらはまでゑひしれて、一文字をだにしらぬもの、しがあしは十文字にふみてぞあそぶ。(please add an English translation of this usage example)
** c. late 10th century: Ochikubo Monogatari (Volume 1)
    あなわかわかしの晝寢や。しが身のほど知らぬこそいと心憂けれ」とて、うちあざわらひ給ふ。(please add an English translation of this usage example)

### Etymology 4

Various Chinese loanwords.
For pronunciation and definitions of し – see the following entries. :
| 【四】1 | [numeral] four, 4 [noun] the fourth [affix] four [affix] fourth [affix] quadruple [affix] here and there |
| 【詩】3 | [noun] poem [noun] verse of poetry [noun] (poetry) Chinese poetry [noun] Short for 詩経 (“Shijing, the Book of Odes”). |
| 【死】3 | [noun] death [noun] (law, historical) one of the five punishments under the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system, the methods used are 絞 (kō, “strangling”) and 斬 (zan, “decapitation”) [affix] death, to die [affix] dead, unfunctional [affix] life-or-death situation [affix] dangerous, life-threatening [affix] (baseball) out |
| 【師】5 | [noun] teacher, Reverend |
| 【仕】3 | [noun] official, civil service [verb] Alternative spelling of し (shi, continuative of する (suru)) |
| 【市】2 | [suffix] city |
| 【氏】4 | [noun] a family, a clan [noun] a certain person [suffix] (honorific) Mr.; Ms. |
(This term, し (shi), is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.) For a list of all kanji read as し, see Category:Japanese kanji read as し.) :

### Etymology 5
#### Suffix

し • (-shi)
* (Classical Japanese or literary) the adnominal form of Classical and Old Japanese き (ki, past tense auxiliary), equivalent to modern た
    選(えら)ばれし者(もの)
       erabareshi mono
       the chosen one (modern language)
** 1994, “春よ、来い”, 松任谷由実 (lyrics), 松任谷由実 (music), performed by 松任谷由実:
    瞼(まぶた)閉(と)じればそこに　愛(あい)をくれし君(きみ)の　なつかしき声(こえ)がする
       mabuta tojireba soko ni ai o kureshi kimi no natsukashiki koe ga suru
       When I close my eyelids, I hear by my side the voice of beloved you who gave me love (modern language)

### Etymology 6

From Old Japanese. Not productive in modern usage.

#### Suffix

し • (-shi)
* (Classical Japanese) The 終止形 (shūshikei, “terminal or predicative form”) of the conjugable ending for 形容詞 (keiyōshi, “-i adjectives”).

##### Usage notes

* In Classical and Old Japanese, this is the terminal ending for both しく (shiku) adjectives (those ending in しい (-shii) in modern usage, such as 楽しい (tanoshii, “fun”)) and く (ku) adjectives (those ending in い (-i) in modern usage, such as 高い (takai, “high, tall; expensive”)).
* Meanwhile, in modern Japanese, the terminal ending and adnominal ending both manifest as い (i).
       Examples:
       Classical TerminalClassical AdnominalModern Terminal / Adnominal 楽(たの)し (tanoshi) 高(たか)し (takashi) 楽(たの)しき (tanoshiki) 高(たか)き (takaki) 楽(たの)しい (tanoshii) 高(たか)い (takai)
* Many Japanese adjectives were formed by appending this suffix to nouns, for example 大人 (otona, “adult”) +‎ し (-shi) makes Classical 大人(おとな)し (otonashi, modern form 大人(おとな)しい (otonashii)).

#### Conjugation

Stem forms :
| Irrealis (未然形) | く$^{[1]}$ から$^{[2]}$ | く$^{[1]}$ から$^{[2]}$ | ku kara |
| Continuative (連用形) | く$^{[1]}$ かり$^{[2]}$ | く$^{[1]}$ かり$^{[2]}$ | ku kari |
| Terminal (終止形) | し | し | si |
| Attributive (連体形) | き かる | き かる | ki karu |
| Realis (已然形) | けれ | けれ | kere |
| Imperative (命令形) | かれ | かれ | kare |
| Key constructions ||||
| Negative | からず | からず | karazu |
| Contrasting conjunction | けれど | けれど | keredo |
| Causal conjunction | ければ | ければ | kereba |
| Conditional conjunction | くば | くば | kuba |
| Past tense (firsthand knowledge) | かりき | かりき | kariki |
| Past tense (secondhand knowledge) | かりけり | かりけり | karikeri |
| Adverbial | く | く | ku |
| $^{[1]}$Without auxiliary verb. $^{[2]}$With auxiliary verb. ||||
Stem forms :
| Irrealis (未然形) | しく$^{[1]}$ しから$^{[2]}$ | しく$^{[1]}$ しから$^{[2]}$ | siku sikara |
| Continuative (連用形) | しく$^{[1]}$ しかり$^{[2]}$ | しく$^{[1]}$ しかり$^{[2]}$ | siku sikari |
| Terminal (終止形) | し | し | si |
| Attributive (連体形) | しき しかる | しき しかる | siki sikaru |
| Realis (已然形) | しけれ | しけれ | sikere |
| Imperative (命令形) | しかれ | しかれ | sikare |
| Key constructions ||||
| Negative | しからず | しからず | sikarazu |
| Contrasting conjunction | しけれど | しけれど | sikeredo |
| Causal conjunction | しければ | しければ | sikereba |
| Conditional conjunction | しくば | しくば | sikuba |
| Past tense (firsthand knowledge) | しかりき | しかりき | sikariki |
| Past tense (secondhand knowledge) | しかりけり | しかりけり | sikarikeri |
| Adverbial | しく | しく | siku |
| $^{[1]}$Without auxiliary verb. $^{[2]}$With auxiliary verb. ||||

### Etymology 7

* Alternative spellings
* 為 (rare) 仕 (in compounds)

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) し [shì] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [ɕi]

#### Verb

し • (shi)
* stem or continuative form of する (suru)

### References

* Fujii, Sadakazu with Keiji Inaga (1989) Shin Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 18: Ochikubo Monogatari, Sumiyoshi Monogatari (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
* Hasegawa, Masaharu with Yūichirō Imanishi, Hiroshi Itō, Hiroshi Yoshioka (1989) Shin Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 24: Tosa Nikki, Kagerō Nikki, Murasaki Shikibu Nikki, Sarashina Nikki (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
* Satake, Akihiro with Hideo Yamada, Rikio Kudō, Masao Ōtani, and Yoshiyuki Yamazaki (c. 759) Shin Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 1: Man’yōshū 1 (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, published 1999, →ISBN.
* Satake, Akihiro with Hideo Yamada, Rikio Kudō, Masao Ōtani, and Yoshiyuki Yamazaki (c. 759) Shin Nihon Koten Bungaku Taikei 4: Man’yōshū 4 (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, published 2003, →ISBN.

## Okinawan
### Etymology

Cognate with Kikai す (-su, “person”, Onotsu dialect), Yoron し (shi), Yaeyama す (su).
Ultimately from Proto-Ryukyuan *su, from the same root as *si (“to do”), or less likely, cognate with *-su, a bird-related element found in nouns such as がらし (garashi, “crow”), Japanese 烏 (karasu).

### Pronunciation

* (Ryūka) IPA: [si]

### Noun

し (shi)
* person; someone (general)
** 1531-1623, Omoro Sōshi
    うぶだまはいのる　すど　よかけるubudama ya inoru su do yogakeruThe present-giving globe is something that prays; it rules the world.
** Ryūka Zenshū
    づりも呼びゆ　す　がど　親の　孝も　しゆゆる　酒も　飲みゆ　す　がど　元祖　継ぎゆるdzurimo YObyu su gado OYA no KO mo shuyuru SAKE mo NOmyu su gado GWANSO TSUgyuru dzirin yubyu si gadu uya nu ko n shuyuru saki n numyu si gadu gwansu tujuruEven if some prostitute invites me over, even for my parents, even if I drank some kind of sake, I would succeed my ancestry...

### Suffix

し or すぃ (-shi)
* the act of doing

### References

* Okinawa Kogo Daijiten Henshū I'inkai (沖縄古語大辞典編集委員会) (1995) 沖縄古語大辞典 [Dictionary of Archaic Okinawan], Tokyo (東京都): Kadokawa Shoten (角川書店), →ISBN, page 350

## Yoron
### Etymology

Cognate with Kikai す (-su, “person”, Onotsu dialect), Okinawan し (shi), Yaeyama す (su).
Ultimately from Proto-Ryukyuan *su, from the same root as *si (“to do”), or less likely, cognate with *-su, a bird-related element found in nouns such as がらし (garashi, “crow”), Japanese 烏 (karasu).

### Pronunciation

(Mugiya Higashi-ku) IPA: [ɕi]

### Noun

し (shi)
* person; someone who does [...]
** a person who is involved in the preceding subject
    むーる　が　し
       mūru ga shi
       person involved with everyone
*** あまなん　あいさー　ぴちゅ　ぬ　し
    amanan aisā pichu nu shi
    a person of a stranger over there
** This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
    たーし、　うれーたーし
       tāshi, urētāshi
       Something belonging to who; something belonging to you
    うりゃー　わーし　でーる
       uryā wāshi dēru
       That belongs to me.
       (literally, “Those are my belongings.”)
    こーりゅーし
       kōryūshi
       something edible
    ちゅらさし　とぅゆん
       churasashi tuyun
       To take something pretty

### References

* Kiku, Chiyo, Takahashi, Toshizō (2005) 与論方言辞典 [Yoron Dialect Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: Musashinoshoin