Why is 大きい written おおきい not おうきい?

Why is 大きい written おおきい not おうきい?

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I’d say it’s because the おお reading of 大 is kun’yomi (Japanese origin). It if was an on’yomi reading (Chinese origin) then it would be おう.

Other examples that come to mind:

Word Spelling Meaning
こおり ice
お姉さん おねえさん older sister
通り とおり avenue
覆う おおう to cover, conceal
ほお cheek
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Welp, TIL. This forum is so helpful sometimes. Thanks a tons!

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Main reason why: etymology.

Basically, in 1946 there was a massive overhaul of how things were written in kana, to make them much more consistent (and, for that matter, intuitive). Stuff that used to be written as ~おふ, ~あう or ~あふ are now written as ~おう, while stuff that used to be written as ~おほ or ~おを became ~おお.

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You can see the evidence of this overhaul in 頬 ほお cheek, which still has ほほ listed as a reading (in jisho at least)

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Though the modern ほほ would be pronounced as you see it, “hoho” as opposed to the old version that would have been the same as the ほお pronunciation.

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おを これは何?
owo

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Well, it wasn’t just things that are おお in modern Japanese, を used to be used for the modern お in other places as well.

The word おとめ was をとめ for instance.

The restriction of を to the particle is a modern change.

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I apologize for having you take me seriously. :sweat_smile:
But thanks for the info.

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