also: そくばく · そこば
noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', noun
Formal/literary quantifier meaning a small but indefinite number or amount. Used before nouns with の or as a noun itself.
若干の誤りが報告書に含まれていた。
The report contained a few errors.
会議には若干の変更があった。
There were some changes to the meeting.
adverb
somewhat; a bit; to a certain extent
Formal/literary adverb modifying adjectives or verbs to indicate a moderate degree.
この案には若干問題がある。
There are some problems with this plan.
彼の説明は若干わかりにくい。
His explanation is somewhat hard to understand.
noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no', adverb, noun
Archaic usage meaning 'many' or 'a large amount'. Not used in modern Japanese; replaced by 多くの or たくさん.
古語では「そこばく」が「たくさん」の意味で使われた。
In classical Japanese, そこばく was used to mean 'many' or 'a lot'.
Rare kanji spelling; 若干 is overwhelmingly preferred.
Alternate reading; less common than そこばく.
Obsolete kana form; not used in modern Japanese.
The word 若干 (そこばく) is of native Japanese origin, with the kanji 若干 being a jukujikun (special kanji reading) assignment. The exact derivation is uncertain, but it has been used since classical times with the meaning 'some' or 'a certain amount'.