If you have a familiarity with both the Japanese language and Buddhism, you may find yourself pondering the connection between the terms "あなた - Anata" and "अनत्ता - Anatta." While these words may seem related at first glance, they actually have different etymologies.
Initially, when I encountered the Pali term "Anatta," it immediately reminded me of the formal Japanese pronoun "you" (あなた。Anata). This connection became even stronger as I delved into the meanings of both terms. In Japanese, "あなた。Anata" means "you," while in Pali, "Anatta" means "No-Self," referring to the principle that there is no inherent or eternal self. I began to form a connection in my mind, associating "あなた。Anata" as another person, thus implying "No self" or that there is no true self in the other person. This analogy took shape due to my familiarity with Japanese and Pali.
Upon further investigation, I discovered that the definitions of "あなた。Anata" and "Anatta" did not directly correlate. Unlike some other other Japanese words that have Pali or Sanskrit origins, "Anatta" is not one of them. Here's what I found: Officially, these two terms are unrelated. "anattā (Pali: अनत्ता)" is derived from the Sanskrit word "anātman (Sanskrit: अनात्मन्)" meaning "no soul" (from "an-" meaning "no" and "atman" meaning "soul").
On the other hand, the Japanese word "Anata" (あなた) is a compound of "あ" (a term indicating distance, where "あ" signifies far, "そ" signifies close to the listener, and "こ" signifies close to the speaker), "な" (a possessive marker, an older version of "の"), and "た" (a direction indicator in archaic usage). Thus, the earliest usage of "Anata" in Japanese roughly translated to "over there." During the Heian period, its meaning shifted to indicate a person located "over there," and eventually evolved to simply mean "the person across from oneself."
While these two words are indeed unrelated, there is a possibility of a connection emerging when the usage of "Anata" changed to represent "you." This shift could have been influenced by the concept of "Anatta" in Buddhism, which was already the primary state-sponsored religion during the Heian period in Japan. Perhaps the author or users of the term found it clever to use Buddhist terminology for "Non-Self" to refer to "you." This usage might have spread, transforming a word once associated with location into a term denoting "you."
However, it is important to note that this explanation is purely speculative and lacks substantial evidence. Although "Anata" did not originate from Pali, there are several words in Japanese that can be directly traced back to Pali through the adoption of Buddhism and cultural exchange with Buddhist civilizations. Thus, while the connection between "Anata" and "Anatta" may seem intriguing, it is likely to be coincidental rather than rooted in historical reality.
Anata vs. Anatta: Language, Buddhism, and the Search for Connection
References:
Wiktionary: Anata (Japanese)
Kokin Wakashu : Early use example: (Early Collection of Japanese Poems from the 10th century) - The site set off a warning when I first went onto it so I did some searching and it seems to check out. Its an old university site and the material is there.
Reading the Buddha's Discourses in Pali - Bhikku Bodi (Great context for understanding Pali words)
日本国語大辞典 - Shogaku Kan - Dictionary (Japanese)
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