弱

Translingual

Han character

弱 (radical 57 弓+7, 10 strokes, cangjie input 弓一弓戈一 (NMNIM), four-corner 1712₇, composition ⿰⿹弓冫⿹弓冫)

Derived characters

• 溺 鰯

References

• KangXi: page 358, character 24
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 9791
• Dae Jaweon: page 675, character 17
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 2, page 996, character 16
• Unihan data for U+5F31

---

Chinese

		-
simp. and trad.		弱

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): ruò (ruo⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄖㄨㄛˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): joek⁶
• Hakka (Pha̍k-fa-sṳ): ngio̍k
• Min Nan (POJ): jia̍k / jio̍h / jio̍k / lio̍h / lio̍k
• Wu (WT Romanisation): zaq (T5)

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, Beijing)⁺
    • Pinyin: ruò
    • Zhuyin: ㄖㄨㄛˋ
    • Wade-Giles: juo⁴
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ruoh
    • IPA ^(key): /ʐu̯ɔ⁵¹/

    • (file)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: joek⁶
    • Yale: yeuhk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: joek⁹
    • IPA ^(key): /jœːk̚²/
• Hakka
  • Romanisations:
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ngio̍k
    • IPA (Siyen, incl. Miaoli): /ɲi̯ok̚⁵/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: jia̍k / jio̍h / jio̍k / lio̍h / lio̍k
    • Tâi-lô: jia̍k / jio̍h / jio̍k / lio̍h / lio̍k
    • IPA (Taipei): /d͡ʑiak̚⁴/, /d͡ʑiɔʔ⁴/, /d͡ʑiɔk̚⁴/, /liɔʔ⁴/, /liɔk̚⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /d͡ʑiak̚¹²¹/, /d͡ʑiɔʔ¹²¹/, /d͡ʑiɔk̚¹²¹/, /liɔʔ¹²¹/, /liɔk̚¹²¹/
• Wu
  • (Shanghainese)
    • WT Romanisation: zaq (T5)
    • IPA ^(key): /z̻ᴀʔ¹²/

Middle Chinese pronunciation (弱, reconstructed)
Character (弱), Pronunciation 1/1
Initial: 日 (38) Final: 藥 Division: III			Openness: Open Tone: Checked (Ø)			Fanqie: 而灼切
Zhengzhang Shangfang	Bernard Karlgren	Li Rong	Pan Wuyun	Edwin Pulleyblank	Wang Li	Shao Rongfen
/ȵɨɐk̚/	/ȵʑi̯ak̚/	/ȵiak̚/	/ȵiɐk̚/	/ȵɨak̚/	/ȵʑĭak̚/	/ȵʑiɑk̚/

Old Chinese pronunciation (弱, reconstructed)
Baxter-Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character								Modern Beijing (Pinyin)								Middle Chinese								Old Chinese								English
弱								ruò								‹ nyak ›								/*newk/								weak
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
弱					10947					弱					藥					2					若					/*njewɢ/

Definitions

弱

1. weak, feeble

   軟弱 / 软弱  ―  ruǎnruò  ―  weak, feeble

2. fragile, delicate

Antonyms

• 強／强

Derived terms

• 弱肉強食／弱肉强食

---

Japanese

Kanji

弱

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. weak
2. weakness
3. slightly less than

Readings

• Goon: にゃく (nyaku) (non-Jōyō reading)
• Kan’on: じゃく (jaku)
• Kun: よわい (弱い, yowai), よわる (弱る, yowaru), よわまる (弱まる, yowamaru)

---

Korean

Hanja

弱 (yak) (hangeul 약, McCune-Reischauer yak, Yale yak)

1. This entry needs a definition. Please add one, then remove {{defn}}.

---

Vietnamese

Han character

弱 (nhược, ních)

1. This entry needs a definition. Please add one, then remove {{defn}}.