たいまつ , why is it in this order: 松明?


So torch is たいまつ, and is written in kanji as 松明. Matsu, however, means pine,
which is the first kanji, not the second. Are there many words like this in
Japanese that seem "out of order"? Is there a reason or way to predict this
phenomenon?




I have long enjoyed Shogakukan's _Kokugo Dai Jiten_ (KDJ) for its etymologies
-- it's one of the few monolingual Japanese dictionaries to include
etymologies for its terms.

This post relies on their entry for 松明, available [here at
Kotobank](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E6%9D%BE%E6%98%8E-92037#E7.B2.BE.E9.81.B8.E7.89.88.20.E6.97.A5.E6.9C.AC.E5.9B.BD.E8.AA.9E.E5.A4.A7.E8.BE.9E.E5.85.B8).

## Derivation of the term たいまつ

The たいまつ reading is first cited to the 宇津保【うつぼ】物語【ものがたり】, dated to around 999.
Unfortunately, I cannot confirm the first date of this reading applied to the
松明 spelling.

This たいまつ term was apparently a shift from older たきまつ, where まつ was the
regular noun 松【まつ】 ("pine"), and たき was the 連用形【れんようけい】 (continuative or stem
form) of the verb 焚【た】く ("to burn something"): 焚【た】き松【まつ】, literally "burning
pine, pine for burning".

So far as I've been able to find so far, dictionaries don't have any entry for
焚【た】き松【まつ】, but I think it's safe to guess that that form of the word is even
older.

## Odd kanji spellings: _jukujikun_

As you noticed, this spelling seems backwards compared to the reading -- the 松
character comes first, but the まつ reading comes second. This is due to a
practice known as 熟字訓【じゅくじくん】, which basically involves spelling word A with
the kanji for word B. Both words A and B are usually at least in the same
ballpark, meaning-wise.

More at Wikipedia, in [the "Special readings" section of the "Kanji"
article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji#Special_readings).

## Derivation of the spelling 松明

This is clearly 松 ("pine") + 明 ("bright; light"). Read with the 音【おん】読【よ】み,
this word is しょうめい. This spelling with the しょうめい reading (actually, the
earlier せうめい reading) is first attested in 1305.

I suspect this was used as a pun with the word 照明【しょうめい】 ("illumination,
lighting", also earlier read as せうめい), which itself is first attested in
around 1060 (per the KDJ entry
[here](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E7%85%A7%E6%98%8E-79893#E7.B2.BE.E9.81.B8.E7.89.88.20.E6.97.A5.E6.9C.AC.E5.9B.BD.E8.AA.9E.E5.A4.A7.E8.BE.9E.E5.85.B8)).

So we have a word 照明【しょうめい】 ("lighting") (1060), and pine torches used as
lighting and spelled 松明 and read as しょうめい (1305). This spelling was then used
for the "pine torch" term たいまつ, while keeping the たいまつ reading as a kind of
_jukujikun_ (??? -- first date for this is uncertain, as noted above).




I have long enjoyed Shogakukan's _Kokugo Dai Jiten_ (KDJ) for its etymologies
-- it's one of the few monolingual Japanese dictionaries to include
etymologies for its terms.

This post relies on their entry for 松明, available [here at
Kotobank](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E6%9D%BE%E6%98%8E-92037#E7.B2.BE.E9.81.B8.E7.89.88.20.E6.97.A5.E6.9C.AC.E5.9B.BD.E8.AA.9E.E5.A4.A7.E8.BE.9E.E5.85.B8).

## Derivation of the term たいまつ

The たいまつ reading is first cited to the 宇津保【うつぼ】物語【ものがたり】, dated to around 999.
Unfortunately, I cannot confirm the first date of this reading applied to the
松明 spelling.

This たいまつ term was apparently a shift from older たきまつ, where まつ was the
regular noun 松【まつ】 ("pine"), and たき was the 連用形【れんようけい】 (continuative or stem
form) of the verb 焚【た】く ("to burn something"): 焚【た】き松【まつ】, literally "burning
pine, pine for burning".

So far as I've been able to find so far, dictionaries don't have any entry for
焚【た】き松【まつ】, but I think it's safe to guess that that form of the word is even
older.

## Odd kanji spellings: _jukujikun_

As you noticed, this spelling seems backwards compared to the reading -- the 松
character comes first, but the まつ reading comes second. This is due to a
practice known as 熟字訓【じゅくじくん】, which basically involves spelling word A with
the kanji for word B. Both words A and B are usually at least in the same
ballpark, meaning-wise.

More at Wikipedia, in [the "Special readings" section of the "Kanji"
article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanji#Special_readings).

## Derivation of the spelling 松明

This is clearly 松 ("pine") + 明 ("bright; light"). Read with the 音【おん】読【よ】み,
this word is しょうめい. This spelling with the しょうめい reading (actually, the
earlier せうめい reading) is first attested in 1305.

I suspect this was used as a pun with the word 照明【しょうめい】 ("illumination,
lighting", also earlier read as せうめい), which itself is first attested in
around 1060 (per the KDJ entry
[here](https://kotobank.jp/word/%E7%85%A7%E6%98%8E-79893#E7.B2.BE.E9.81.B8.E7.89.88.20.E6.97.A5.E6.9C.AC.E5.9B.BD.E8.AA.9E.E5.A4.A7.E8.BE.9E.E5.85.B8)).

So we have a word 照明【しょうめい】 ("lighting") (1060), and pine torches used as
lighting and spelled 松明 and read as しょうめい (1305). This spelling was then used
for the "pine torch" term たいまつ, while keeping the たいまつ reading as a kind of
_jukujikun_ (??? -- first date for this is uncertain, as noted above).

