延々

See also: 延延

Japanese

Kanji in this term
延	延
えん Grade: 6	えん Grade: 6
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
延延

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) えんえん [èń'éń] (Heiban – [0])^[1]^[2]
IPA^(key): [ẽ̞ɰ̃ẽ̞ɴ]

Adjective

延(えん)々(えん) • (en'en) ^{←えんえん (en'en)^?}^†-tari (adnominal 延(えん)々(えん)とした (en'en to shita) or 延(えん)々(えん)たる (en'en taru), adverbial 延(えん)々(えん)と (en'en to) or 延(えん)々(えん)として (en'en to shite))

lasting for a very long time
- 1937, Riichi Yokomitsu, Ōshū kikō‎^[1]:
  
  こちらとあちらのその間(あいだ)に、まだ誰(だれ)も見(み)たことのない美(うつく)しい国(こっ)境(きょう)がひとり延(えん)々(えん)と続(つづ)いているのだ。
  Kochira to achira no sono aida ni, mada dare mo mita koto no nai utsukushii kokkyō ga hitori en'en to tsuzuite iru no da.
  Between here and over there, a beautiful boundary alone which no one has ever seen continues endlessly.

Inflection

Classical conjugation of "延々たり" (タリ活用, see Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
Stem forms
Irrealis (未然形)	延々たら	えんえんたら	en'entara
Continuative (連用形)	延々と^[1] 延々たり^[2]	えんえんとえんえんたり	en'ento en'entari
Terminal (終止形)	延々たり	えんえんたり	en'entari
Attributive (連体形)	延々たる	えんえんたる	en'entaru
Realis (已然形)	延々たれ	えんえんたれ	en'entare
Imperative (命令形)	延々たれ	えんえんたれ	en'entare
Key constructions
Negative	延々たらず	えんえんたらず	en'entarazu
Contrasting conjunction	延々たれど	えんえんたれど	en'entaredo
Causal conjunction	延々たれば	えんえんたれば	en'entareba
Conditional conjunction	延々たらば	えんえんたらば	en'entaraba
Past tense (firsthand knowledge)	延々たりき	えんえんたりき	en'entariki
Past tense (secondhand knowledge)	延々たりけり	えんえんたりけり	en'entarikeri
Adverbial	延々と	えんえんと	en'ento

^[1]Without auxiliary verb.
^[2]With auxiliary verb.

Adverb

延(えん)々(えん) • (en'en) ^{←えんえん (en'en)^?}

on and on

Usage notes

Used with the particle と "-to".

References

^ Yamada, Tadao et al., editors (2011), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Seventh edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[SMK7-1] Yamada, Tadao et al., editors (2011), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Seventh edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[DJR-2] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

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