魔羅

Chinese

		phonetic
trad. (魔羅)		魔	羅
simp. (魔罗)		魔	罗
alternative forms		摩羅／摩罗

Etymology

From Sanskrit मार (māra, “killing; death; destroyer; demon”).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): móluó

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄛˊ ㄌㄨㄛˊ

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: móluó
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄛˊ ㄌㄨㄛˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: móluó
    • Wade–Giles: mo²-lo²
    • Yale: mwó-lwó
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: moluo
    • Palladius: моло (molo)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mu̯ɔ³⁵ lu̯ɔ³⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: ma la

Rime
Character	魔	羅
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)	來 (37)
Final (韻)	戈 (95)	歌 (94)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open
Division (等)	I	I
Fanqie	莫婆切	魯何切
Baxter	ma	la
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/muɑ/	/lɑ/
Pan Wuyun	/muɑ/	/lɑ/
Shao Rongfen	/muɑ/	/lɑ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/mwa/	/la/
Li Rong	/muɑ/	/lɑ/
Wang Li	/muɑ/	/lɑ/
Bernhard Karlgren	/muɑ/	/lɑ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	mó	luó
Expected Cantonese Reflex	mo4	lo4

Noun

魔羅

1. (Buddhism) mara (demon)

Derived terms

• 魔 (mó)

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (魔羅):

• → Japanese: 魔羅(まら) (mara)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
魔	羅
ま Grade: S	ら Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 魔羅 (muɑ lɑ), in turn a transcription of Sanskrit मार (Māra, “the Destroyer, the Evil One”). The kanji are phonetic ateji (当て字) applied when transcribing the Sanskrit into Middle Chinese.

The shift from "Buddhist evil demon" to "penis" was originally slang use among monks, in reference to sexual desires distracting one from the path to enlightenment.

Some sources link this term to 放る (maru, “to excrete”). However, the verb maru refers to "excreting" bodily wastes in general, not just urination but also defecation, and some sources also list flatulation as an included sense. In addition, other nouns attested from Old Japanese that derive from verbs and end in -a appear to be the result of the action of the verb, which does not fit this case. Ultimately, the proposed connection between Sanskrit-derived mara ("penis") and Japonic-derived maru ("to excrete") appears to be a folk etymology, likely arising from the superficial similarity in forms.

First attested in the Nihon Ryōiki, in a section dated to the early 800s.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) まら [màráꜜ] (Odaka – [2])
• (Tokyo) まら [máꜜrà] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ma̠ɾa̠]

• (Yamanashi) まら [màráꜜ] (Odaka – [2])
• IPA^(key): [ma̠ɾa̠]

Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) • (mara) 

1. [from early 800s] (Buddhism) Mara: a Buddhist demon that personifies the "death" of spiritual life
2. [from early 800s] (anatomy) penis

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:陰茎

   • 938, Minamoto no Shitagō, Wamyō Ruijushō, volume 2, page 45:

     玉茎 房内經云 玉茎 男陰名也 [...] 一云 麻良 [...]

     Penis: The Classic of the Bedchamber calls it 'jade stalk', it is a name for the male sex organ [...] One name [is] mara

   • 1603, Vocabvlario da Lingoa de Iapam (Nippo Jisho) (in Portuguese), Nagasaki, page 386:

     Mara. l, nancon. マラ. または, ナンコン (𨳯. または, 男根) 陰茎. 卑語.

     Mara. Also, nancon^[sic]. A penis. Vulgar language.

References

• Doi, Tadao (1603–1604) Hōyaku Nippo Jisho (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, published 1980, →ISBN.
• Minamoto, Shitagō with Kyōto Daigaku Bungakubu Kokugogaku Kokubungaku Kenkyūshitu (931–938) Shohon Shūsei Wamyō Ruijushō: Honbunhen (in Japanese), Kyōto: Rinsen, published 1968, →ISBN.

Kikai

Kanji in this term
魔	羅
ま Grade: S	ら Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mara/

Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara) 

1. (anatomy) penis

References

• 岩倉市郎 (1941) 喜界島方言集‎^[4] (in Japanese), 中央公論社, page 279

Kunigami

Kanji in this term
魔	羅
ま Grade: S	らー Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maɾaː/

Noun

魔(ま)羅(らー) (marā) 

1. (anatomy) penis

Miyako

Kanji in this term
魔	羅
ま Grade: S	ら Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mara/

Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara) 

1. (anatomy) penis

Northern Amami Ōshima

Kanji in this term
魔	羅
ま Grade: S	ら Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mara/

Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara) 

1. (anatomy) penis

Okinawan

Kanji in this term
魔	羅
ま Grade: S	ら Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mara/

Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara) 

1. (anatomy) penis

Yaeyama

Kanji in this term
魔	羅
ま Grade: S	ら Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mara/

Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara) 

1. (anatomy) penis

Yonaguni

Kanji in this term
魔	羅
ま Grade: S	ら Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mara/

Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara) 

1. (anatomy) penis

Yoron

Kanji in this term
魔	羅
ま Grade: S	ら Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
摩羅

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 魔羅 (mara).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mara/

Noun

魔(ま)羅(ら) (mara) 

1. (anatomy) penis