成程

Japanese

Kanji in this term
成	程
な(る) Grade: 4	ほど Grade: 5
kun'yomi

Alternative spellings
成る程なるほど成るほど

Etymology

From 成(な)る (naru, “become”) + 程(ほど) (hodo, “as much as, degree, extent”).^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]

Historically attested in the early 1700s with a sense of "as much as possible",^[1] as still detectable in a literal English rendering "as it gets" and from which the affirmative sense follows, but this older sense was superseded by the expression 成る丈 (naru take) starting from the 1760s.^[5]

First cited in a text from 1480.^[1]

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) なるほど [nàrú hódó] (Heiban – [0])^[3]^[4]
IPA^(key): [na̠ɾɯ̟ ho̞do̞]

Interjection

成(なる)程(ほど) • (naru hodo)

[from 1480] I see!, Indeed!, Aha!, just as you say, of course
- 1906, Natsume Sōseki, Botchan‎^[4]:
  
  なるほど碌(ろく)なものにはならない。
  Naru hodo roku na mono ni wa naranai.
  Exactly; I have never amounted to much.

Usage notes

It is sometimes opined that use of this term is impolite. Rephrasings may include 分(わ)かりました (wakarimashita), そうですか (sō desu ka), 初(はじ)めて知(し)りました (hajimete shirimashita).

Derived terms

(slang, humorous) なるへそ, なるヘソ (naru heso) (literally "becoming a belly button")
(Internet slang, short) なる (naru), なるほ (naruho)

Adverb

成(なる)程(ほど) • (naruhodo)

truly; indeed (clarification of this definition is needed (obsolete?).)
Synonyms: まことに (makoto ni), いかにも (ika ni mo)
(obsolete) as much as possible

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 “成程”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
^ “成る程”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen]‎^[2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ “成丈”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[3] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006

[NKDc-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 “成程”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006

[DDJS-2] “成る程”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen]‎^[2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months

[DJR-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[SMK5-4] 4.0 ^4.1 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NKDc-nt-5] “成丈”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[3] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006

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