Origin of the kanji for 叶う


One thing that has always confused me is how the word `叶【かな】う` took on the
meaning of `for a (wish) to come true`. I find this perplexing because in
Chinese, the word has never had this meaning. `叶`'s ancient meaning was:

> [叶](http://ctext.org/kangxi-zidian/30/2#n320472)：古文 **協** 字。 (Meaning the
> same as 協)

More recently, `叶` has become the character in simplified Chinese meaning `葉`
because it has historically been mistakenly used as a replacement due to being
similarly sounding.

However, neither of these meanings are at all close to a wish coming true.

Why/when/how did the kanji `叶` become associated with this meaning?




"Come true" isn't the literal translation of 叶{かな}う. The word かなう means "to
fit; match; accord", in this sense in accord with 叶's meaning in Classical
Chinese. So we are practically saying 願いが叶う "my wish matches it" as if a fixed
phrase corresponds to "my wish comes true".

かなう once had tons of kanji transcriptions (see below), but most of them were
culled out and only [適, 叶 and
敵](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%8F%B6%E3%81%86%E3%83%BB%E9%81%A9%E3%81%86%E3%83%BB%E6%95%B5%E3%81%86-232303)
are left standardized. 叶, despite definitions in several dictionaries, is not
only for "come true"; it can also be used where you can use 適, e.g.
「[法に叶い、理に叶い、情に叶う](http://damnet.or.jp/cgi-bin/binranB/TPage.cgi?id=235)」,
which reflect more of its original meaning. That said, it's not vice versa; 適
can't be used where it means "come true". The actual process _how_ 叶 becomes
the only allowed kanji for "come true" is yet to be confirmed, but I guess it
was chosen because it was a fallen-out-of-use character that was convenient
for recycling. A similar example is 咲, which [originally was an obsolete
variant of 笑](http://www.zdic.net/z/16/kx/54B2.htm), but is only used for [a
different meaning](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%92%B2%E3%81%8F-509508) today.

* * *

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2xM8b.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2xM8b.jpg)
(from [類聚名義抄仮名索引](http://kindai.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1212353/139))




"Come true" isn't the literal translation of 叶{かな}う. The word かなう means "to
fit; match; accord", in this sense in accord with 叶's meaning in Classical
Chinese. So we are practically saying 願いが叶う "my wish matches it" as if a fixed
phrase corresponds to "my wish comes true".

かなう once had tons of kanji transcriptions (see below), but most of them were
culled out and only [適, 叶 and
敵](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%8F%B6%E3%81%86%E3%83%BB%E9%81%A9%E3%81%86%E3%83%BB%E6%95%B5%E3%81%86-232303)
are left standardized. 叶, despite definitions in several dictionaries, is not
only for "come true"; it can also be used where you can use 適, e.g.
「[法に叶い、理に叶い、情に叶う](http://damnet.or.jp/cgi-bin/binranB/TPage.cgi?id=235)」,
which reflect more of its original meaning. That said, it's not vice versa; 適
can't be used where it means "come true". The actual process _how_ 叶 becomes
the only allowed kanji for "come true" is yet to be confirmed, but I guess it
was chosen because it was a fallen-out-of-use character that was convenient
for recycling. A similar example is 咲, which [originally was an obsolete
variant of 笑](http://www.zdic.net/z/16/kx/54B2.htm), but is only used for [a
different meaning](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%92%B2%E3%81%8F-509508) today.

* * *

[![enter image description
here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2xM8b.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/2xM8b.jpg)
(from [類聚名義抄仮名索引](http://kindai.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/1212353/139))

