そお

Japanese

Alternative spellings
赭朱

Etymology

From Old Japanese 赭 (so₂po); attested in the Man'yōshū (c. 759).^[1]

Already non-productive after the Nara period, where it only persisted in a few compounds. All attested compounds are obsolete.

Noun

そお • (sō) ^{←そほ (sofo)^?}

[from 759] (in compounds, obsolete) red earth; also the color of such; historically used for pigment or mercury
Synonym: 朱色 (shuiro, current)
- 1888, A Japanese-English And English-Japanese Dictionary, London: Trübner & Co.:
  †SOHO ソホ赤 Red (used only in comp.).

Derived terms

赭(そおに) (sōni), 赭(そお)土(に) (sōni) (obsolete)
赭(そお)船(ぶね) (sōbune, “a boat made out of red clay”, obsolete)
真(ま)赭(そお) (masō), 真(ま)赭(すお) (masuo) (obsolete)

References

^ Nihon Kokugo Daijiten Dai-ni-han Henshū I'inkai (日本国語大辞典第二版編集委員会) (2001-2002), 日本国語大辞典　第二版 [Unabridged Japanese Dictionary: Second Edition], Tokyo (東京都): Shōgakukan (小学館), →ISBN