た

Derived in the Heian period from writing the man'yōgana kanji 太 in the cursive sōsho style.

• IPA^(key): [ta̠]

た • (ta) 

1. The hiragana syllable た (ta). Its equivalent in katakana is タ (ta). It is the sixteenth syllable in the gojūon order; its position is た行あ段 (ta-gyō a-dan, “row ta, section a”).

• だ (da)

• (Hiragana) 平仮名; あぁ, いぃ, うぅゔ, えぇ, おぉ, かゕが, きぎ, くぐ, けゖげ, こ𛄲 (𛄲)ご, さざ, しじ, すず, せぜ, そぞ, ただ, ちぢ, つっづ, てで, とど, な, に, ぬ, ね, の, はばぱ, ひびぴ, ふぶぷ, へべぺ, ほぼぽ, ま, み, む, め, も, やゃ, 𛀆, ゆゅ, 𛀁, よょ, らら゚, りり゚, るる゚, れれ゚, ろろ゚, わゎわ゙, ゐ𛅐 (𛅐)ゐ゙, 𛄟 (𛄟), ゑ𛅑 (𛅑)ゑ゙, を𛅒 (𛅒)を゙, ん, ー, ゝ, ゞ, ゟ

From たる (taru), the 連体形 (rentaikei, “adnominal form”) of the classical auxiliary verb たり (tari), in turn a contraction of てあり (te ari), from て (te, conjunctive form of classical completion auxiliary つ (tsu)) + あり (ari).[1]

Doublet of てある (-te aru).

• だ (-da, when used on -bu, -gu, -mu, and -nu godan verbs)

た • (-ta) 

1. indicates a past or completed action

   昨日(きのう)出(しゅっ)張(ちょう)から帰(かえ)ってきた

   Kinō shutchō kara kaette kita

   I returned from my business trip yesterday.

   原(げん)稿(こう)をやっと書(か)いたよ

   Genkō o yatto kaita yo

   I have finally finished my manuscript.

   掃(そう)除(じ)が終(お)わったら、ごみを出(だ)しに行(い)きなさい

   Sōji ga owattara, gomi o dashi ni iki nasai

   Once you have finished cleaning, go dispose of the trash.

   • 1982, Jun'ichi Watanabe, Makeup:

     あの人(ひと)はもう起(お)きたろうか

     Ano hito wa mō okitarō ka

     I wonder if he has woken up.

     あの人(ひと)はもう起(お)きたろうか

     Ano hito wa mō okitarō ka

     I wonder if he has woken up.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

2. indicates the realization of a situation that has not realized

   話(はなし)が出(で)た時(じ)点(てん)で考(かんが)えよう

   Hanashi ga deta jiten de kangaeyō

   Let's talk about it later when that question actually comes up.

   今(こん)度(ど)会(あ)ったとき話(はな)すよ

   Kondo atta toki hanasu yo

   I will tell you when we meet next time.

3. indicates the resulting state of an action

   割(わ)れたガラス窓(まど)から風(かぜ)が吹(ふ)き込(こ)む

   Wareta garasu mado kara kaze ga fukikomu

   The wind keeps blowing in through the broken glass window.

4. at the end of a sentence:
   1. indicates speaker's declaration, confirmation, or sudden realization

      あれ、君(きみ)はそこにいたの

      Are, kimi wa soko ni ita no

      Oh, there you are.

      坊(ぼう)やは今年(ことし)いくつだった

      Bōya wa kotoshi ikutsu datta

      How old are you, boy?

      もうやめた

      Mō yameta

      I have had enough.

      (literally, “I have decided to give up.”)

      よし、その品(しな)買(か)った

      Yoshi, sono shina katta

      Alright, I've decided to buy it.

      あとは頼(たの)んだぞ。

      Ato wa tanonda zo.

      I leave the rest to you.

   2. makes a light command

      待(ま)った

      Matta

      Wait!

      さあ、どんどん歩(ある)いた、歩(ある)いた

      Sā, dondon aruita, aruita

      Go. Go. Don't stop.

      どいた、どいた。

      Doita, doita.

      Move out of the way, please.

This suffix follows the 音便 (onbin, “euphonic changes”) forms of certain part of speech classes, some of which cause the suffix た (-ta) to be voiced as だ (-da):

• In Standard Japanese the -ta form of 行く (iku, “to go”) is 行った (itta), and the -ta form of 問う (tou, “to ask”) and 請う (kou, “to beg”) follows the Kansai forms, 問うた (tōta) and 請うた (kōta).
• This word is morphologically an inflectional suffix. It is classified as 助動詞 (jodōshi, “auxiliary verb”) in traditional Japanese grammar.
• In traditional Japanese grammar, this word has the following inflections: 未然形 (mizenkei, “irrealis or incomplete form”) たろ (-taro-), used to form the past conjectural suffix たろう (-tarō), and 仮定形 (kateikei, “hypothetical stem”) たら (-tara-), used to form the conditional suffix たら (-tara) or たらば (-taraba). Modern linguistic analyses usually consider -ta, -tarō, and -tara(ba) three different suffixes.

/to wa/ → /ta/

た • (ta) 

1. Contraction of とは (to wa): This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

• たあ (tā)

/(-t̚) wa/ → /(-t͡ɕɨ) wa//(-t͡sʉ) wa/ → /(-t̚)ta/

Appears in noh and kyogen texts.

Contraction of any Sino-Japanese-derived term ending in a -t̚ 入声 (nisshō, “entering tone”) ち (-chi) or つ (-tsu) + particle は (wa).

た • (ta) 

1. (rare) Synonym of は (wa):

• 今(こん)日(にっ)た (konnitta)

• Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

From Proto-Japonic *ta.[1]

た (ta)

1. interrogative personal pronoun: who
   • 711–712, Kojiki, poem 94:

     美母呂爾都久夜多麻加岐都岐阿麻斯多爾加母余良牟加微能美夜比登

     mi₁-mo₂ro₂ ni tuku ya tamakaki₁ tuki₁amasi ta ni ka mo₂ yo₂ramu kami₂ no₂ mi₁yapi₁to₂

     At Mimoro, / Built is a fine fence; / To leave behind; / Who should be approached? / Gods of the palace.

• たが (ta ga)
• たそ (ta so₂)
• 誰 (tare)

• Japanese: た (ta)

Very likely from Proto-Japonic *ta; compare *tamay (whence Old Japanese 為 (tame₂) and Okinawan 為 (tami)).

た (ta)

1. a sake, reason
   • 749, Shoku Nihongi (Tenpyō-shōhō 1, first day of the fourth lunar month)

     此_遠所念_波種種法中_爾波佛大御言_之國家護_我多仁_波勝在_止聞召。

     KO₂ wo OMOPOSE ba KUSAGUSA NO₂ NO₂RI NO₂ NAKA nipa POTO₂KE₂ NO₂ OPOMI₁KO₂TO₂ si MI₁KADO₁ MAMORU ga ta nipa SUGARERU TARI to₂ KI₁KO₂SIME₁SU

     If you think about this, there are various customs that have inner traits under the Buddhas great words for the sake of the emperor's view that will be heard of.

   • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 5, poem 808:
     , text here

     多都乃麻乎安礼波毛等米牟阿遠爾与志奈良乃美夜古邇許牟比等乃多仁

     tatu no₂ ma wo are pa moto₂me₂mu awoni yo₂si Nara no₂ mi₁yako₁ ni ko₂mu pi₁to₂ no₂ ta ni

     I would like to find a dragon horse for a person who will come to the capital of Nara where green earth is good.[2]

• Takes either the particle に (ni) or の (no₂).

• ため (tame₂)

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

た (ta-)

1. prefixed to a verb, adjective, or adverb to indicate an adjusting tone
   • 720, Nihon Shoki, poem 40:

     阿波旎辭摩異椰敷多那羅弭阿豆枳辭摩異椰敷多那羅弭豫呂辭枳辭摩之魔儾伽多佐例阿羅智之吉備那流伊慕塢阿比瀰菟流慕能

     Apadi-sima iya putanarabi Aduki₁-sima iya putanarabi yo₂ro₂siki₁ simasima ta ka ta-sarearatisi Ki₁bi₂ naru imo wo api₁mi₁turu mono₂

     Thou Island of Ahaji / With thy double ranges; / Thou Island of Adzuki / With thy double ranges / Ye good islands / Ye have seen face to face / My spouse of Kibi.