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Long time no see! Speaking of length, last time we looked at 長 (CHŌ, naga), which usually means “long” or “chief.” In that discussion, we encountered the following word:
足長 (ashinaga: long-leggedness) legs + long
And we saw how this compound puts the long legs in daddy longlegs:
足長おじさん (ashinaga-ojisan: daddy longlegs)
Although people usually write ojisan (uncle) in hiragana, you can also represent this word with 叔父さん, which breaks down as uncle + father.
On Daddy Longlegs (the Spiders) …
Other Animals with Length to Them …
What happens if we take those long legs and turn them on their head? That is, what if we invert the compound? We get this:
長足 (chōsoku: rapid or giant strides) long + legs
Everything changes: the yomi (from kun-kun to on-on) and the meaning. The idea of “strides” makes me imagine that the spider itself could still be in the picture. In fact, I want to say this:
足長おじさんが長足で歩きます。
Ashinaga ojisan ga chōsoku de arukimasu.
The daddy longlegs walks with great strides.
But in fact, the “great strides” more often turn out to be a metaphorical way of referring to progress.
Just as an inversion turns 足長 into 長足, it seems that 長 compounds contain a wealth of inverted possibilities. Take, for instance, this pair:
座長 (zachō: chairman, moderator, troupe leader) to sit + chief
By the way, I notice that “chairman” similarly breaks down as something related to sitting + person!
長座 (chōza: to stay long) long + to sit
This second compound, 長座, seems as if it would have a negative nuance, but that’s not necessarily the case. However, the following word has a similar breakdown and does have a negative meaning:
長尻 (nagajiri: overstaying one’s welcome) long + buttocks
I think the actual buttocks aren’t long! Rather, they’ve been rooted to one spot for a lengthy amount of time! For other negative words about wearing out one’s welcome or about long, boring things, check out the next link.
For more fun with inversions, have a go at the first Verbal Logic Quiz.
And just to make sure your summer doesn’t feel long and boring, treat yourself to a second Verbal Logic Quiz, on the house.
