Is kanji for "kawaii" ateji character?

[JimmySeal]

I know the OP was made more than 5 years ago, but to answer the original question, I believe 可愛→可愛い is a loanword from Chinese "ke ai," and therefore not ateji.

 

[Glenn]

According to 広辞苑 they're ateji:

かわい・い ｶﾊｲｲ
（形）
（カワユイの転。「可愛い」は当て字）
１：いたわしい。ふびんだ。かわいそうだ。（古文例文省略）
２：愛すべきである。深い愛情を感じる。（現代例文省略）
３：小さくて美しい。（現代例文省略）
（慣用句省略）

It doesn't even give the kanji in the 見出し語. And here's the entry in 大辞林, which also says they're ateji. Chinese 可愛 may be a case of reverse importation.

 

[Toritoribe]

かほはゆし → かはゆし → かわゆい → かわいい

There's an explanation that 可愛い is ateji.
可愛い／かわいい - 語源由来辞典

Wiki mentions also the possibility that it could be the loan word from China.
可愛い - Wikipedia

Anyway, かほはゆし/かはゆし/かわゆい would have never been written as 可愛い.

 

[Tsurugi]

Can somebody tell me are gaman, gomen and mendou ateji words? In some dictionaries, I read that these are wasei kango words, but in other dictionaries , it is written that these are ateji words in which Kanji is only used to indicate pronounciation.

 

[Glenn]

広辞苑 says no, no, yes. Which dictionaries are you using?

 

[Tsurugi]

ﾂ広ﾅｽﾂｫ窶ｰ窶 says no, no, yes. Which dictionaries are you using?

It was in various dictionaries on internet, so I was just checking about it, because I was not sure. Where can I find more about ateji words? Is there any dictionary of ateji?

 

[Toritoribe]

Where can I find more about ateji words? Is there any dictionary of ateji?

語源由来辞典(gogen yurai jiten: ETYMOLOGY DICTIONARY)
トップページ - 語源由来辞典
all in Japanese, though...


我慢(gaman)
我慢／がまん - 語源由来辞典
The Buddhism term translated into Chinese from the Sanskrit

御免(gomen)
御免／ごめん - 語源由来辞典
The honorific prefix 御(go) + 免(men: forgive)

面倒(mendou)
面倒くさい／面倒臭い／めんどうくさい／めんどくさい - 語源由来辞典
1) from めでる(mederu: to praise/admire)
2) from めったい/めってい/めんたい(mettai/mettei/mentai: a dialect for "thanks")


Thus, as Glenn-san wrote,
我慢(gaman); loanword from Chinese, of course not ateji
御免(gomen); wasei kango, not ateji
面倒(mendou); wasei kango, ateji

 

[Glenn]

It was in various dictionaries on internet, so I was just checking about it, because I was not sure. Where can I find more about ateji words? Is there any dictionary of ateji?

Just out of curiosity, why does it matter so much to you? What is your goal in knowing this? Why does whether something is ateji or not make a difference to you?

 

[Tsurugi]

Just out of curiosity, why does it matter so much to you? What is your goal in knowing this? Why does whether something is ateji or not make a difference to you?

I am studiing it and I try to find etymological dictionary in order to learn more about etimology.

 

[Glenn]

Are you using Japanese dictionaries? I don't think you'll find much if you aren't.

 

[tada]

I know the OP was made more than 5 years ago, but to answer the original question, I believe 可愛→可愛い is a loanword from Chinese "ke ai," and therefore not ateji.

I did not notice the age of this thread until you pointed it out. o_o