黄葉

⟨mo₍₁₎mi₁ti⟩ → */mʷomʲiti/ → */mʷomʲidi/ → /momid͡ʑi/ → /momiʑi/

Shift from Old Japanese 黄葉 (momiti → momichi).

The 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of classical verb 黄葉づ (momidu), modern 黄葉ず (momizu, “to yellow in autumn, said of leaves”).

Probably cognate with classical verb 燃ゆ (/mo₁yu/ → moyu), modern 燃える (moeru, “to burn”), from the coloring of autumn leaves appearing like a fire burning.

• (autumn leaves, mostly reddened): 紅葉

• (Tokyo) もみじ [móꜜmìjì] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [mo̞mʲiʑi]

黄葉(もみじ) or 黄葉(モミジ) • (momiji) ^{←もみぢ (momidi) or モミヂ (momidi)?}

1. the yellowing of leaves in autumn
2. the yellowed autumn leaves themselves
3. alternative spelling of 紅葉 (momiji): the Japanese maple (Acer palmatum); a kind of kamon with a Japanese maple leaf design

• 銀杏(いちょう)黄葉(もみじ) (ichō momiji, “yellowed gingko leaves”)

黄葉(もみじ)する • (momiji suru) ^{←もみぢ (momidi)?}suru (stem 黄葉(もみじ)し (momiji shi), past 黄葉(もみじ)した (momiji shita))

1. (of leaves) to yellow in autumn

黄葉(もみじ) • (Momiji) 

1. a female given name

Shift from Old Japanese 黄葉 (momichi-ba).

Can also be parsed as a compound of 黄葉(もみじ) (momiji, “yellowing of leaves in autumn”) + 葉(は) (ha, “leaf, leaves”). The ha changes to ba as an instance of rendaku (連(れん)濁(だく)).

• (Tokyo) もみじば [mòmíjíꜜbà] (Nakadaka – [3])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [mo̞mʲiʑiba̠]

黄(もみじ)葉(ば) • (momiji-ba) ^{←もみぢば (momidiba)?}

1. yellowed autumn leaves
2. alternative spelling of 紅葉 (momiji-ba): the leaves of the Japanese maple (Acer palmatum)

For emphasis, the initial momiji is almost always written in kana alone, as もみじ葉 (​momiji-ba).

• 黄(もみじ)葉(ば)の (momiji-ba no, pillow word)

/kwau jepu/ → /kwɔːjefu/ → /kwɔːjeu/ → /koːjoː/

From Middle Chinese compound 黃葉 (MC hwang yep).

• (Tokyo) こーよー [kòóyóó] (Heiban – [0])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [ko̞ːjo̞ː]

黄(こう)葉(よう) • (kōyō) ^{←くわうえふ (kwauefu)?}

1. the yellowing of leaves in autumn
2. the yellowed autumn leaves themselves

• 黄葉(こうよう)和歌(わか)集(しゅう) (Kōyō Wakashū)

黄(こう)葉(よう)する • (kōyō suru) ^{←くわうえふ (kwauefu)?}suru (stem 黄(こう)葉(よう)し (kōyō shi), past 黄(こう)葉(よう)した (kōyō shita))

1. (of leaves) to yellow in autumn

• 紅葉(こうよう) (kōyō, “reddened autumn leaves”)

Compound of 黄 (ki, “yellow”) + 葉 (ha, “leaf”). The ha changes to ba as an instance of rendaku (連(れん)濁(だく)).

黄(き)葉(ば) • (Kiba) 

1. a surname

Compound of 黄 (ō, “yellow”, the goon reading) + 葉 (ha, “leaf”, the kun-yomi or native Japanese reading).

The ha changes to ba as an instance of rendaku (連(れん)濁(だく)).

黄(おう)葉(ば) • (Ōba) ^{←わうば (Wauba)?}

1. a surname

Compound of 黄 (kō, “yellow”, the kan'on reading) + 葉 (ha, “leaf”, the kun-yomi or native Japanese reading).

黄(こう)葉(は) • (Kōha) ^{←くわうは (Kwaufa)?}

1. a female given name

• “黄葉”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026