1874
This sentence was in a grammar textbook:

> 彼{かれ}は同僚{どうりょう}にライバル意識{いしき}、ひいては殺意{さつい}すら **抱** いていた

... it means:

> "He regarded his colleague as a rival, even to the point of considering
> murder."

My question is about the last kanji, 抱. It seems to have three readings,
`だ・く`, `いだ・く`, and `うだ・く`, though I think the last one might be rare.

So far as I can tell, they all carry exactly the same definition, which is "to
hold, to embrace, to carry", which can be meant both in the physical sense of
actually holding something, as well as the metaphorical sense of holding onto
a feeling, like a grudge. (So I would assume the translation above, which
isn't mine, took the liberty of changing "harbouring intentions of murder"
into "considering murder".)

Is there a way I can determine which reading is the right one? Unless I'm
mistaken, they all conjugate with the same
[okurigana](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okurigana), so I can't use the
trailing hiragana as any kind of indicator.

Is there any difference in implied meaning or usage between the readings?

Also, slight bonus question... My understanding is that the `だ・く` reading can
be used as a slang way of saying sex (I saw it used that way in a TV show
once). Is that true, what would be the nuances it carries, and is it also true
for the other readings?

_Lastly: As is always my preference, please keep answers readable for all,
with either no technical linguistic terminology, or with linguistic terms in a
separate section for those who want it. Thanks!_
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-07-12T08:23:27.567
1873
2022-03-21T22:25:20.870
2013-09-13T16:33:55.907
119
119
question
word-choice verbs definitions readings okurigana
How do I know when to read the kanji 抱 as 「だ・く」, and when to read it as 「いだ・く」, or even 「うだ・く」?
Well, first, I think that うだく is archaic, as I read it:

> 〔上代語「むだく」の転で、「だく」の古形。平安鎌倉時代の漢文訓読にだけ見える語〕

Then, だく seems to be use for concrete situations, when you really use your
hands.

いだく seems to be

  * a more literary reading, or
  * used in abstract situations, like 「理想を―・く」「不安を―・く」. This is exactly your sentence, isn't it?

Sources: on-line dictionaries and websites for Japanese people having the same
questions :)
CC BY-SA 3.0
2011-07-12T08:42:32.370
1874
2011-07-12T08:42:32.370
356
1873
answer
First, concurring with Axioplase: だく is for tangible things; いだく is for
abstract things. Daijisen has a usage note under 抱える that deals with this
distinction.)

With regard to your second question, yes, だく can have the connotation of
"sleep with" (second sense in the Daijisen definition for 抱く). It's a somewhat
"nicer" way to say "sleep with" in the sense that it doesn't have the same
bluntness as the loanword セックス or the crude やる, probably because the more
common interpretation is that of embracing, as in 抱きしめる. Whether you can use
it in conversation still depends on the setting you're in, but it's not all
that uncommon to hear of magazine surveys listing which famous people readers
most want to だきたい or だかれたい.
CC BY-SA 4.0
2011-07-12T12:32:49.383
1875
2022-03-21T22:25:20.870
2022-03-21T22:25:20.870
30454
94
1873
answer