「用う」

[Glenn]

I've seen this a couple of times now, and I'm not sure how to read it. Is it just つかう, from the meaning? I thought もちう might be possible, but that seems out of use these days (it being under 用ふ is a pretty good indication of that...).

 

[Mike Cash]

Could you share some sentences you've seen it in and roughly what period the writing was from?

I find 用うる, could it be a conjugated variant?

 

[Glenn]

Sure thing. From the 広辞苑 entry of 取柄: 取るべきところ。用うべき点。長所。The other time I came across it was also in a dictionary. Heh, now that I think about it, most of my reading is in dictionaries these days.

 

[Toritoribe]

I'm sure it's もちう. I've never seen it's read つかう. Also, 広辞苑 tends to prefer to use classical/archaic wordings.

 

[Mike Cash]

Want me to send you some books, Glenn?

 

[Glenn]

Hmm... that's a temping offer. It's not that I don't have any books, but at the moment they aren't accessible to me, and while I am in the middle of reading 西遊記 (and have made it to the last of the three books in this particular translation), I've been thrown off my routine of reading at lunch due to some fairly major life changes. That should be settling down in the next few weeks, but that remains to be seen.

Also, thanks, Toritoribe! That is curious, though. But at least I know how to read it now!

 

[Mike Cash]

Let me know. I can send you some of those pick-it-up-and-read-from-anywhere "bathroom" books. The 雑学stuff that would be perfect for either end of the alimentary canal (during lunch break, or while taking a dump).

 

[Glenn]

Japanese bathroom reading? I'm curious now. Are you serious?