also: そう · さう · す
auxiliary
Archaic polite auxiliary used after で or に as a copula, replacing ある in classical Japanese. Found in historical documents and formal pre-modern writing.
In old documents, you see '…に候' meaning 'it is …'.
auxiliary
Archaic polite auxiliary used in place of ます in classical Japanese, often attached to the continuative form of verbs. See also 候ふ (sense 2).
See also: 候ふ
In classical Japanese, it was used like '書き候' to mean 'I write (politely)'.
Archaic kanji spelling for the auxiliary verb そう; primarily encountered in historical texts.
Contracted form found in certain classical constructions.
Kana spelling of the archaic polite auxiliary; the most common modern representation.
Historical kana spelling reflecting older pronunciation; used in pre-modern texts.
A contracted form of 候う（そうろう）, originally “to serve” or “to attend,” which developed into a polite verb and auxiliary in premodern Japanese.