汝
you, thou
Readings
On'yomi
- ジョ
Kun'yomi
- なんじ
- なれ
- い
- うぬ
- いまし
- し
- しゃ
- な
- なむち
- まし
- みまし
Meaning
汝 is an archaic or formal second-person pronoun, equivalent to 'you' or 'thou'. It is used to address someone directly, often with a sense of familiarity or authority.
Most common words using 汝
- 汝うぬ
blockhead!; you
- 弱き者よ汝の名は女なりよわきものよなんじのなはおんななり
frailty, thy name is woman
- 弱き者汝の名は女なりよわきものなんじのなはおんななり
frailty, thy name is woman
- 汝い
you
- 汝いまし
you
- 汝なむち
you
- 汝なんじ
you
- 汝みまし
you
- 汝の敵を愛せよなんじのてきをあいせよ
love your enemies
- 汝の隣人を愛せよなんじのりんじんをあいせよ
love your neighbour (neighbor)
- 汝等うぬら
ye; you
- 汝自らを知れなんじみずからをしれ
Know thyself
- 汝自身を知れなんじじしんをしれ
Know thyself
- 爾汝じじょ
you; thou
- 爾汝の交わりじじょのまじわり
close acquaintance; relationship where two people are close enough to use familiar language
- 艱難汝を玉にすかんなんなんじをたまにす
hardship makes the man
Study
Etymology
The exact historical development of 汝 is uncertain. It visually combines 氵 (water) and 女 (woman), but this may not reflect the original semantic or phonetic intent.
Meaning mnemonic
Imagine a woman (女) by the water (氵) calling out 'you' to someone across the river. The scene helps recall the archaic second-person meaning.
Reading mnemonic
For ジョ, picture a woman named Jo standing by the water, and you call out 'Jo!' to get her attention. Jo -> ジョ, and you are addressing her directly.