Colexification

Which distinct concepts share a single word — within each language. A shared row span means one form covers those senses; the point is the pattern of the spans, not cognacy between the rows. Concept headers link to CLICS³ where the concept exists there.

Curated colexification tables — which distinct concepts share one form in each language. Colexification is about meaning-sharing within a language, not cognacy across languages; areal parallels are flagged as such. Concept links point to CLICS³ (clics.clld.org) where the concept exists there.

重い・重要な・尊い HEAVY · IMPORTANT · REVERED

概念	〈重い〉	〈重要な〉	〈尊い〉
アイヌ語	páse
日本語	おもい		とうとい
中国語	重		尊
英語	heavy	important	revered

páse covers all three senses (田村1996 ①重い ②尊い・重要な): páse kamuy 'revered god', páse tono 'lord', páse maciya 'capital'. Japanese 重い reaches rank and responsibility (重い役職, 責任が重い) with 尊い kept separate; Chinese 重 spans 重要/貴重 the same way. CLICS⁴'s strongest HEAVY edges are DIFFICULT, THICK and EXPENSIVE — the IMPORTANT span is the East Asian areal pattern. English keeps the metaphor only in derivatives (weighty, grave < Latin gravis 'heavy; serious'). Within Ainu the metaphor also feeds sípase 'truly revered' and kemapase 'be aged' (kema 'leg' + pase).

聞く・聴く・効く・訊く HEAR · LISTEN · BE EFFECTIVE · ASK

概念	〈聞く〉	〈聴く〉	〈効く〉	〈訊く〉
日本語	きく
韓国語	듣다			묻다
アイヌ語	nu			(ko)pisi
中国語	聽		有效	問
漢文	聞		效	問
英語	hear	listen	be effective	ask

The HEAR/EFFECTIVE span of Ainu nu (kusuri nu 'the medicine works') matches Japanese きく and Korean 듣다 — an areal pattern CLICS³ does not record (its nearest neighbour is HEAR–OBEY). Ainu also extends nu to OBEY in yepnu / uitaknu 言うことを聞く. See the nu family.

太陽・月・月（暦） SUN · MOON · MONTH

概念	〈太陽〉	〈月〉	〈月（暦）〉
アイヌ語	cup
日本語	日	つき（月）
韓国語	해	달
中国語	太陽/日	月
英語	sun	moon	month

Ainu cup spans SUN as well (cupkamuy, sakcup); MOON–MONTH is one of the commonest colexifications in CLICS³, but the three-way SUN–MOON–MONTH span is rarer. See the cup family.

心臓・心・思考 HEART · MIND · THOUGHT

概念	〈心臓〉	〈心〉	〈思考〉
アイヌ語	sampe	ram(u)
日本語	心臓	こころ
韓国語	심장	마음
英語	heart		mind

Ainu splits the organ (sampe) from the seat of thought (ram: ramu 'think', the eram- field, yaykosiramsuypa) — unlike English heart, which spans organ and emotion. HEART–MIND is a classic CLICS³ edge. See the ram family.

良い・美しい・清い GOOD · BEAUTIFUL · CLEAN

概念	〈良い〉	〈美しい〉	〈清い〉
アイヌ語	pirka
日本語	よい	きれい
英語	good	beautiful	clean

pirka spans good / beautiful / fine weather (sir pirka); Japanese きれい spans beautiful / clean but not good. GOOD–BEAUTIFUL is a frequent CLICS³ edge.

影・姿・人 SHADOW · FIGURE · PERSON

概念	〈影〉	〈姿〉	〈人〉
アイヌ語	kur
日本語	かげ		ひと
英語	shadow	figure	person

kur spans shadow (kunne < kur ne 'like shadow'), a dim figure, and 'person' (the -kur agent noun: nispa-kur, inkaruskur). Japanese かげ spans shadow/figure but not person. Internal hypothesis; verify the semantic chain before citing.

声・音・便り VOICE · SOUND · NEWS

概念	〈声〉	〈音〉	〈便り〉
アイヌ語	haw	hum	haw/asur
日本語	おと・こえ		音沙汰
中国語	聲/音		音信
英語	voice	sound	news

Ainu keeps animate voice (haw) apart from inanimate sound/felt vibration (hum: humse, humi as evidential), while haw extends to 'news' (hawas 'it is said') just as Sino-Japanese 音信/音沙汰 does. See the haw family.