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I was studying kanji when I noticed that 承{うけたまわ}る and 賜{たまわ}る share 「たまわる」and
they do seem to have related meanings. In fact, it appears to me that 承る is a
compound verb that combines 受ける and 賜る but I'm not sure. Are they related? And
if so, why the difference in kanji?
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2020-04-28T23:55:36.997
76906
2020-04-29T18:23:33.837
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question
etymology
承る and 賜る: are they etymologically related?
_(Full disclosure: I edited[the Wiktionary
entry](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%89%BF%E3%82%8B) linked earlier in
the comments.)_

### Derivation

承{うけたまわ}る and 賜{たまわ}る are indeed related: 承{うけたまわ}る even has a rare
alternative spelling as 受{う}け賜{たまわ}る. 賜{たまわ}る has a meaning of _"to be granted
or gifted something from a social superior"_ , and the additional 受{う}け on the
front in 承{うけたまわ}る adds an additional sense of _"to receive, to take in"_.

### Spelling

As others have noted, don't let the spellings confuse you about the
derivations. Spellings in Japanese have historically been rather fluid (and,
if you've read any manga and noticed the liberal use of furigana, you'll see
that they can still be quite flexible). If you are curious about the
derivation of a particular word, and that word is _kun'yomi_ , examine it with
a focus on the kana -- how the word is spoken. Kanji for _kun'yomi_ terms are
an additional layer, providing further nuance, but the kanji are largely
irrelevant to the actual derivation of _kun'yomi_ terms.
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2020-04-29T18:23:33.837
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answer