魔羅

Chinese

	phonetic
trad. (魔羅)	魔	羅
simp. (魔罗)	魔	罗
alternative forms	摩羅／摩罗

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魔

Etymology

From Sanskrit मार (māra, “killing; death; destroyer; demon”).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): móluó

(Zhuyin): ㄇㄛˊ ㄌㄨㄛˊ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: móluó
  - Zhuyin: ㄇㄛˊ ㄌㄨㄛˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: móluó
  - Wade–Giles: mo²-lo²
  - Yale: mwó-lwó
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: moluo
  - Palladius: моло (molo)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mu̯ɔ³⁵ lu̯ɔ³⁵/

Middle Chinese: ma la

Rime
Character	魔	羅
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)	來 (37)
Final (韻)	戈 (95)	歌 (94)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open
Division (等)	I	I
Fanqie	莫婆切	魯何切
Baxter	ma	la
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/muɑ/	/lɑ/
Pan Wuyun	/muɑ/	/lɑ/
Shao Rongfen	/muɑ/	/lɑ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/mwa/	/la/
Li Rong	/muɑ/	/lɑ/
Wang Li	/muɑ/	/lɑ/
Bernhard Karlgren	/muɑ/	/lɑ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	mó	luó
Expected Cantonese Reflex	mo⁴	lo⁴

Noun

魔羅

(Buddhism) mara (demon)

Derived terms

魔 (mó)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (魔羅):

→ Japanese: 魔羅(まら) (mara)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
魔	羅
ま Grade: S	ら Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 魔羅 (muɑ lɑ), in turn a transcription of Sanskrit मार (Māra, “the Destroyer, the Evil One”).^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4]^[5] The kanji are phonetic ateji (当て字) applied when transcribing the Sanskrit into Middle Chinese.

The shift from "Buddhist evil demon" to "penis" was originally slang use among monks,^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] in reference to sexual desires distracting one from the path to enlightenment.

Some sources link this term to 放る (maru, “to excrete”).^[1]^[2] However, the verb maru refers to "excreting" bodily wastes in general, not just urination but also defecation, and some sources also list flatulation as an included sense.^[4] In addition, other nouns attested from Old Japanese that derive from verbs and end in -a appear to be the result of the action of the verb, which does not fit this case. Ultimately, the proposed connection between Sanskrit-derived mara ("penis") and Japonic-derived maru ("to excrete") appears to be a folk etymology, likely arising from the superficial similarity in forms.

First attested in the Nihon Ryōiki, in a section dated to the early 800s.^[1]

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) まら [màráꜜ] (Odaka – [2])^[3]^[5]
(Tokyo) まら [máꜜrà] (Atamadaka – [1])^[5]
IPA^(key): [ma̠ɾa̠]

(Yamanashi) まら [màráꜜ] (Odaka – [2])^[6]
IPA^(key): [ma̠ɾa̠]

Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) • (mara)

[from early 800s] (Buddhism) Mara: a Buddhist demon that personifies the "death" of spiritual life
[from early 800s] (anatomy) penis
Synonyms: see Thesaurus:陰茎
- 938, Minamoto no Shitagō, Wamyō Ruijushō, volume 2, page 45:
  玉茎房内經云玉茎男陰名也 [...] 一云麻良 [...]
  Penis: The Classic of the Bedchamber calls it 'jade stalk', it is a name for the male sex organ [...] One name [is] mara
- 1603, Vocabvlario da Lingoa de Iapam (Nippo Jisho) [Vocabulary of the Language of Japan] (in Portuguese), Nagasaki, page 386:
  Mara. l, nancon. マラ. または, ナンコン (𨳯. または, 男根) 陰茎. 卑語.
  Mara. Also, nancon^[sic]. A penis. Vulgar language.

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 “魔羅・摩羅”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 “魔羅”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen]‎^[2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 [Kōjien] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ “マラ”, in 日本の危機言語‎^[3] (in Japanese), National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics, 2022

Doi, Tadao (1603–1604) Hōyaku Nippo Jisho (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, published 1980, →ISBN.
Minamoto, Shitagō with Kyōto Daigaku Bungakubu Kokugogaku Kokubungaku Kenkyūshitu (931–938) Shohon Shūsei Wamyō Ruijushō: Honbunhen (in Japanese), Kyōto: Rinsen, published 1968, →ISBN.

Kikai

Kanji in this term
魔	羅
ま Grade: S	ら Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /mara/

Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara)

(anatomy) penis

References

岩倉市郎 (1941) 喜界島方言集 [Kikai-jima Dialect Collection]‎^[4] (in Japanese), 中央公論社, page 279

Kunigami

Kanji in this term
魔	羅
ま Grade: S	らー Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /maɾaː/

Noun

魔(ま)羅(らー) (marā)

(anatomy) penis

Miyako

Kanji in this term
魔	羅
ま Grade: S	ら Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /mara/

Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara)

(anatomy) penis

Northern Amami Ōshima

Kanji in this term
魔	羅
ま Grade: S	ら Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /mara/

Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara)

(anatomy) penis

Okinawan

Kanji in this term
魔	羅
ま Grade: S	ら Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /mara/

Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara)

(anatomy) penis

Yaeyama

Kanji in this term
魔	羅
ま Grade: S	ら Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /mara/

Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara)

(anatomy) penis

Yonaguni

Kanji in this term
魔	羅
ま Grade: S	ら Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /mara/

Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara)

(anatomy) penis

Yoron

Kanji in this term
魔	羅
ま Grade: S	ら Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /mara/

Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara)

(anatomy) penis

[KDJ2-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 “魔羅・摩羅”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006

[DDJS-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 “魔羅”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen]‎^[2] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months

[DJR-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[K-4] 4.0 ^4.1 ^4.2 Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 [Kōjien] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN

[SMK5-5] 5.0 ^5.1 ^5.2 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[KG-6] “マラ”, in 日本の危機言語‎^[3] (in Japanese), National Institute for Japanese Language and Linguistics, 2022

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