弓

See also: 弖 and 弔

Translingual

Stroke order

Etymology

Pictogram (象形)

Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Large seal script	Small seal script

Han character

弓 (radical 57 弓+0, 3 strokes, cangjie input 弓 (N), four-corner 1720₇)

1. bow (noun)
2. curved, arched
3. KangXi radical number 57

See also

• 箭
• 矢

Descendants

• Index:Chinese radical/弓
• 發, 雋, 穹

References

• KangXi: page 356, character 1
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 9692
• Dae Jaweon: page 671, character 22
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 2, page 987, character 11
• Unihan data for U+5F13

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Chinese

		-
simp. and trad.		弓

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): gōng (gong¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄥ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gung¹
• Hakka (Pha̍k-fa-sṳ): kiung
• Min Nan (POJ): keng / kiong

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, Beijing)⁺
    • Pinyin: gōng
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄥ
    • Wade-Giles: kung¹
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gong
    • IPA ^(key): /kʊŋ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: gung¹
    • Yale: gūng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gung¹
    • IPA ^(key): /kʊŋ⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • Romanisations:
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kiung
    • IPA (Siyen, incl. Miaoli): /ki̯uŋ⁵⁵/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: keng / kiong
    • Tâi-lô: king / kiong
    • IPA (Taipei): /kɪŋ⁴⁴/, /kiɔŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /kɪŋ³⁴/, /kiɔŋ³⁴/
  • Note: keng - vernacular, kiong - literary.

Middle Chinese pronunciation (弓, reconstructed)
Character (弓), Pronunciation 1/1
Initial: 見 (28) Final: 東 Division: III			Openness: Open Tone: Level (Ø)			Fanqie: 居戎切
Zhengzhang Shangfang	Bernard Karlgren	Li Rong	Pan Wuyun	Edwin Pulleyblank	Wang Li	Shao Rongfen
/kɨuŋ/	/ki̯uŋ/	/kiuŋ/	/kiuŋ/	/kuwŋ/	/kĭuŋ/	/kiuŋ/

Old Chinese pronunciation (弓, reconstructed)
Baxter-Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character								Modern Beijing (Pinyin)								Middle Chinese								Old Chinese								English
弓								gōng								‹ kjuwng ›								/*kʷəŋ/								bow (n.)
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter-Sagart system: Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character					No.					Phonetic component					Rime group					Rime subdivision					Corresponding MC rime					Old Chinese					Notes
弓					4079					弓					蒸					0					弓					/*kʷɯŋ/

Compounds

• 弓背
• 弓箭
• 弓弩
• 弓身
• 弓弦, 弓弦儿
• 弓形
• 弓腰
• 弓子

References

• Taiwan Min Nan Common Words Dictionary (臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典)

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Japanese

Kanji

弓

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• Goon: く (ku) (non-Jōyō reading), くう (kū) (non-Jōyō reading)
• Kan’on: きゅう (kyū)
• Kun: たらし (tarashi), ゆ (yu), ゆみ (yumi)
• Nanori: こ (ko), ゆ (yu)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term

弓

ゆ Grade: 2

kun'yomi

From Old Japanese. In modern Japanese, only found as a prefix in compounds.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA^(key): [jɯᵝ]

Prefix

弓 (hiragana ゆ, romaji yu-)

1. a bow, a bow shape

Derived terms

Derived terms

弓懸, 弽, 韘 (ゆがけ) (yugake): 弓束, 弓柄, 弣 (ゆづか) (yuzuka): 弓末 (ゆずえ) (yuzue): 弓弦 (ゆづる) (yuzuru): a bowstring 弓弭, 弓筈, 弓彇 (ゆはず) (yuhazu): a nock on a bow where the bowstring sits

Etymology 2

Wikipedia ^ja Wikipedia

弓 (yumi): Four different types of bow.

Wikipedia ^ja Wikipedia

弓 (yu, yumi, tarashi, kyū): Japanese bows, arrows, and arrow-stand.

Kanji in this term

弓

ゆみ Grade: 2

kun'yomi

Appears to be Old Japanese yu + suffixing element mi, itself of uncertain derivation.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• (Tokyo) ゆみ​ [yùmíꜜ] (Odaka - [2])
• IPA^(key): [jɯᵝmi]

Noun

弓 (hiragana ゆみ, romaji yumi)

1. a bow:
   1. (weaponry) a bow for shooting arrows
   2. (music) a bow for playing a stringed instrument such as a violin or cello
2. archery
3. (Shintō) a type of kagura (sacred Shinto song and dance) intended to drive away evil
4. short for 破魔弓 (はまゆみ) (hama yumi): a ceremonial archery bow with the power to dispel evil
5. a bow shape, a curve
6. a bow-shaped tool used to beat ginned cotton into a softer and finer textile

Coordinate terms

• (archery): 矢 (や, ​ya): an arrow

Derived terms

Derived terms

弓矢 (ゆみや) (yumiya): bow and arrow 梓弓 (あずさゆみyumi) (azusa yumi yumi): a catalpa wood bow 破魔弓 (はまゆみ) (hama yumi): a traditional Shintō ceremonial bow for dispelling evil 重籐弓, 滋籐弓, 繁籐弓 (しげどうゆみ) (shigedō yumi): a rattan wood bow

External links

• 弓_(武器) on the Japanese Wikipedia.ja.Wikipedia:弓_(武器) (archery)
• Yumi (Japanese archery bow) on Wikipedia.en.Wikipedia:Yumi
• 弓_(楽器) on the Japanese Wikipedia.ja.Wikipedia:弓_(楽器) (music)
• Bow_(music) on Wikipedia.en.Wikipedia:Bow_(music)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term

弓

たらし Grade: 2

kun'yomi

Alteration from torashi, 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of verb torasu, from tora as the 未然形 (mizenkei, “incomplete form”) of verb 取る (toru, “to take”) + す (su, honorific suffix in Old Japanese). Original meaning was “something kept to hand”.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA^(key): [ta̠ɾ̠a̠ɕi]

Alternative forms

• 執

Noun

弓 (hiragana たらし, romaji tarashi)

1. (rare, honorific) an archery bow, particularly one belonging to a noble

Synonyms

• 御執, 御弓 (みたらし, ​mitarashi)

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term

弓

きゅう Grade: 2

on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 弓 (*giung). Compare modern Mandarin 弓 (gōng).

Pronunciation

• On'yomi: Kan'on
• (Tokyo) きゅ​う [kyúꜜù] (Atamadaka - [1])
• IPA^(key): [kjɯᵝː]

Noun

弓 (hiragana きゅう, romaji kyū)

1. (rare) a bow
2. (obsolete) in ancient Chinese archery, a unit of length for measuring the distance between the archer and the target; one kyū was equal to six 尺 (shaku), roughly six feet or 182 centimeters
3. (obsolete) in ancient China, a unit of length for surveying land; one kyū was equal to eight 尺 (shaku), roughly eight feet or 242 centimeters

Usage notes

In modern Japanese, the reading kyū is most often found in compounds.

Derived terms

Derived terms

胡弓 (こきゅう) (kokyū): a traditional Chinese fiddle 弓道 (きゅうどう) (kyūdō): archery as a martial art 大弓 (だいきゅう) (daikyū): a great bow, a long bow 半弓 (はんきゅう) (hankyū): a half bow, a short bow

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Korean

弓
the shape of the Hun bow

Hanja

弓 (gung)
Eumhun:

• Sound (hangeul): 궁 (revised: gung, McCune-Reischauer: kung, Yale: kwung)

• Name (hangeul): 활()

1. (활:궁, hwal:gung): bow (for shooting arrows)

Compounds

• 弓道 (궁도, gungdo) archery

Related terms

• 弧 (활:호, hwal:ho) arc
• 弝 (줌통:파, jumtong:pa) handle
• 弦 (시위:현, siwi:hyeon) string
• 矢 (화살:시, ''hwasal:si) arrow

See also

• 穹 (하늘:궁, haneul:gung) celestial sphere, dome

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Vietnamese

Han character

弓 (cung, cong, củng)

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