九

See also 玖, and 丸

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

Etymology

Pictogram (象形) – a stylized hand, with bent wrist/forearm (hence the hook stroke at lower right). Earlier forms resemble 手, 寸.

九 is meant to symbolize a fist tightening to bump up against something; thus, there is a metaphorical bumping up of nine against ten, which is the the last number when counting on one's fingers.

Han character

九 (radical 5 乙+1, 2 strokes, cangjie input 大弓 (KN), four-corner 4001₇, composition ⿰乙丿)

1. nine

Derived characters

• 朹 杂 究 叴 旭 旯 軌 染

Related characters

• 丸

References

• KangXi: page 83, character 19
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 167
• Dae Jaweon: page 168, character 2
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 1, page 48, character 5
• Unihan data for U+4E5D
• http://www.kanjinetworks.com/eng/kanji-dictionary/online-kanji-etymology-dictionary.cfm

See also

• (Chinese written numbers): 〇  一  二  三  四  五  六  七  八  九  十
• (Chinese financial form): 玖

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Cantonese

Etymology

From Old Chinese *k^wyu^?, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *t-kua (compare Classical Tibetan dgu)

Hanzi

九 (Yale gau2)

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Japanese

Etymology

A depiction of a bent elbow, an archaic representation of the number nine.

Number

Japanese cardinal numbers

<  8	9	10   >
Cardinal : 九

九 (きゅう, kyū)

1. nine

Noun

九 (hiragana きゅう, romaji kyū)

1. nine
2. quite many things (lead to 究)

Counter

九 (hiragana ここの, romaji kokono)

1. nine

Kanji

九 (grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• On: きゅう (kyū), く (ku)
• Kun: ここの (kokono), ここのつ (九つ, kokonotsu)
• Nanori: いちじく (ichijiku), いちのく (ichinoku), この (kono), ひさし (hisashi)

Compounds

• 九夏 (kyuuka):
• 九回戦 (kyuukaisen):
• 九官鳥 (kyuukanchou):
• 九牛一毛 (kyuugyuuichimou):
• 九九, 九々 (kuku): Multiplication table
• 九月 (kugatsu): September
• 九死 (kyuuji):
• 九州 (kyuushuu): Kyushu region of Japan
• 九重 (kokonoe):
• 九寸五分 (kusungobu):
• 九星 (kyuusei):
• 九折 (kyuusetsu):
• 九泉 (kyuusen):
• 九地 (kyuuchi):
• 九天 (kyuuten):
• 九拝 (kyuuhai):
• 九分 (kubu):
• 九輪 (kurin):
• 九六 (kunroku):

References

• The Japan Times (March 17, 2010). You can count on the tales behind number-kanji. Accessed March 23, 2010.

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Korean

Hanja

九
Eumhun:

• Sound (hangeul): 구 (revised: gu, McCune-Reischauer: ku, Yale: kwu)

• Name (hangeul): 아홉 (revised: ahop, McCune-Reischauer: ahop, Yale: ahop)

1. nine

Compounds

• 正九品
• 從九品
• 重九
• 九重
• 九月
• 九輪
• 九冬
• 九九
• 九泉
• 九官鳥
• 九天
• 九界
• 九經
• 九族

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Mandarin

Pronunciation

• audio

  (file)

Hanzi

九 (pinyin jiǔ (jiu3), xiǎng (xiang3), xiàng (xiang4), Wade-Giles chiu³, hsiang³, hsiang⁴)

Compounds

九一八事变 (九一八事變)

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Min Nan

Hanzi

九 (traditional, POJ kiú/káu/kiáu)

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Vietnamese

Han character

九 (cửu)

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Wu

Pronunciation

Latin Alphabet: juˇ

Zhuyin Fuhao: ㄐ一ㄡˇ