Is someone able to tell me how this word is made? I know it means “as usual”, “as before” etc but I don’t quite understand why.
AFAIK 相 is mutual or aspect and 変 is strange, queer etc so my initial guess was on the contrary something along the line of “unusual”.
Maybe the last part has something to do with it?
Thank you !
It’s the word 相 plus the word 変わる. 変わる is “to change” and 相 in this case is likely this meaning: 名詞に付いて,「同じ」,また,「対応する」という意を表す。「―弟子」「―部屋」「―手」「―方」While this applies to noun prefixes, it’s likely that that word is old enough that it was used that way in the past.
But frankly the other definitions don’t really exclude this usage as well:
② 動詞に付いて,互いに,ともに,の意を表す。「―対する」「―語らう」
③ 動詞に付いて,語調を整え,また意味を強める。「婚儀が―調いました」「この結末はいかが―成るか」
Alternatively, it’s possible that it also comes from something like 人相 which is “one’s looks”.
The first definition here is pretty simple, 「名詞に付いて」 is just “attaching to nouns” and 「「同じ」,また,「対応する」という意を表す。」 is saying it has the meaning of 同じ (same) and 対応する (to correspond).
The other two definitions are about verbs, in the case of attaching to verbs it has the meaning of “Mutual” or “Together”, in number 2.