# 念珠
## Chinese
### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): niànzhū
    (Zhuyin): ㄋㄧㄢˋ ㄓㄨ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): nim$^6$ zyu$^1$
* Jin (Wiktionary): nie$^3$ zu$^1$
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): liām-chu
    (Teochew, Peng'im): niam$^7$ zu$^1$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: niànzhū
*** Zhuyin: ㄋㄧㄢˋ ㄓㄨ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: niànjhu
*** Wade–Giles: nien$^4$-chu$^1$
*** Yale: nyàn-jū
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: niannju
*** Palladius: няньчжу (njanʹčžu)
*** Sinological IPA : /ni̯ɛn⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂu⁵⁵/
** (Standard Chinese, erhua-ed)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: niànzhūr
*** Zhuyin: ㄋㄧㄢˋ ㄓㄨㄦ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: niànjhur
*** Wade–Giles: nien$^4$-chu$^1$-ʼrh
*** Yale: nyàn-jūr
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: niannjul
*** Palladius: няньчжур (njanʹčžur)
*** Sinological IPA : /ni̯ɛn⁵¹ ʈ͡ʂuɻʷ⁵⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: nim$^6$ zyu$^1$
*** Yale: nihm jyū
*** Cantonese Pinyin: nim$^6$ dzy$^1$
*** Guangdong Romanization: nim$^6$ ju$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /niːm²² t͡syː⁵⁵/
* Jin
** (Taiyuan)
*** Wiktionary: nie$^3$ zu$^1$
*** Sinological IPA (old-style): /nie⁴⁵ t͡su¹¹/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Xiamen, General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: liām-chu
*** Tâi-lô: liām-tsu
*** Phofsit Daibuun: liaxmzw
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /liam³³⁻²¹ t͡su⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Xiamen): /liam²²⁻²¹ t͡su⁴⁴/
*** IPA (Taipei): /liam³³⁻¹¹ t͡su⁴⁴/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: niam$^7$ zu$^1$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: niām tsu
*** Sinological IPA : /niam¹¹ t͡su³³/

### Noun

念珠
* prayer beads; rosary

#### Synonyms

| Variety | Location | Words |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 數珠, 念珠, 佛珠 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Beijing | 數珠兒, 念珠兒 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Yangzhou | 佛珠子 |
| Gan | Lichuan | 念佛珠 |
| Hakka | Meixian | 佛珠 |
| Hakka | Yudu | 佛珠, 念珠 |
| Jin | Taiyuan | 念珠 |
| Northern Min | Jian'ou | 彌陀珠 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 數珠, 香珠, 捾珠 |
| Southern Min | Zhangzhou | 捾珠 |
| Southern Min | Tainan | 數珠, 念珠, 佛珠 |
| Wu | Wenzhou | 念佛珠珠, 拜佛珠珠 |

#### Derived terms

* 念珠菌 (niànzhūjūn)
* 念珠菌症 (niànzhūjūnzhèng)

## Japanese
### Alternative forms

* (honorific) お念珠(ねんじゅ) (o-nenju)

### Etymology 1

Kanji in this term :
| 念 | 珠 |
| ねん Grade: 4 | す > ず Grade: S |
| on'yomi ||
From Middle Chinese compound 念珠 (nem$^H$ t͡ɕio, literally “thinking + pearls”), in reference to “beads used for thinking [about the Buddha]”: that is, prayer beads, a rosary. The goon reading, so likely the earliest borrowing. Note that the second character 珠 has a goon reading of su. The su changes to zu as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) ねんず [néꜜǹzù] (Atamadaka –)
* IPA: [nẽ̞nd͡zɨ]

#### Noun

念(ねん)珠(ず) • (nenzu)
* prayer beads, rosary

##### Usage notes

The reading nenzu is a homophone with several terms of related meanings:
* the older reading of the term 念誦 (nenzu), meaning “the act of focusing on the image of the Buddha within one's mind, and reciting or chanting the sutras or the name of Buddha”.
* the classical Japanese verb 念ず (nenzu) (modern 念ずる nenzuru or 念じる nenjiru) meaning “to pray, to pray for safety and protection, to recite silently (a prayer, chant, sutra, or the name of Buddha)”.
* the classical Japanese verb 捻ず or 拈ず (nenzu, obsolete in modern Japanese), meaning “to twist or twirl, to pinch or pick with the fingers”, much as one would twist or pinch the beads of the rosary.
Both the nenzu and nenju readings are still in use. Nenju appears to be more common.

##### Synonyms

* 数珠 (juzu, zuzu)

### Etymology 2

Kanji in this term :
| 念 | 珠 |
| ねん Grade: 4 | しゅ > じゅ Grade: S |
| on'yomi ||
Alteration of nenzu above, using the kan'on reading of shu for the 珠 character. The shu changes to ju as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) ねんじゅ [néꜜǹjù] (Atamadaka –)
* IPA: [nẽ̞ɲ̟d͡ʑɨ]

#### Noun

念(ねん)珠(じゅ) • (nenju)
* prayer beads, rosary

##### Usage notes

The reading nenju is a homophone with the relatively newer reading of the term 念誦 (nenju), meaning “the act of focusing on the image of the Buddha within one's mind, and reciting or chanting the sutras or the name of Buddha”.
Both the nenzu and nenju readings are still in use. Nenju appears to be more common.

##### Synonyms

* 数珠 (juzu, zuzu)

### References

* 1 2 3 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* ↑ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

## Korean

Hanja in this term :
| 念 | 珠 |

### Noun

念珠 • (yeomju) (hangeul 염주)
* hanja form of 염주 (“prayer beads, rosary”)