びっくり

Japanese

Alternative forms

Etymology

Derivation from the びく (biku) root found in other terms such as びくっと (bikutto, “startedly”), びくつく (bikutsuku, “to shiver, as from fright; to startle; to become nervous”). The underlying meaning of the root appears to be twitch or start (noun).[1]

This is one of many adverbs formed by the addition of the suffix り (ri) to the root, and then gemination of the middle consonant. The suffix may derive from the auxiliary verb り (ri), itself from classical verb あり (ari, “is, are”).

*biku → bikuri → bikkuri

The kanji spellings for this term are very rare. The kana spellings びっくり or ビックリ are much more common.

Pronunciation

Adverb

びっくり (katakana ビックリ, rōmaji bikkuri)

  1. startledly, surprisedly, astonishedly

Verb

びっくりする (katakana ビックリする, rōmaji bikkuri suru)

  1. to be surprised, to be startled, to be frightened, to be astonished

Conjugation

References

  1. ↑ 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  2. ↑ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
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