柄

Translingual

Etymology

Phono-semantic compound (形聲): semantic 木 (“wood”) + phonetic 丙 – a wooden handle.

Han character

柄 (radical 75 木+5, 9 strokes, cangjie input 木一人月 (DMOB), four-corner 4192₇)

1. handle, lever, knob
2. authority

References

• KangXi: page 518, character 8
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 14603
• Dae Jaweon: page 906, character 9
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 2, page 1179, character 2
• Unihan data for U+67C4

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Cantonese

Hanzi

柄 (Yale beng3, bing3)

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Japanese

Kanji

柄 (common “Jōyō” kanji)

1. a handle, lever, knob
2. a design or pattern
3. one's build or character

Readings

• Go'on: ひょう (hyō), (historical) ひゃう (hyau)
• Kan'on: へい (hei)
• Kun: え (e), かび (kabi), かい (kai), から (kara), がら (gara), つか (tsuka), つく (tsuku)
• Nanori: から (kara), ら (ra)

Etymology 1

Change in meaning from 枝 (e, historically ye, “branch, stem”).

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA: [e̞]

Noun

柄 (hiragana え, romaji e)

1. a handle, a grip, a shaft, a haft

   大鎌の柄

   おおがまのえ
   ōgama no e

   a snath, a scythe shaft

Synonyms

• 取っ手, 取手, 把手 (とって, totte)

Idioms

• 柄の無い所に柄をすげる (えのないところにえをすげる, e no nai tokoro ni e o sugeru): “to attach a handle where there isn't one” → to strain credibility with one's words, to talk out one's ass

Etymology 2

From Old Japanese. Used in the Kojiki. Generally regarded as cognate with 黴 (kabi, “mold”), from the shared idea of sprouts or shoots. Appears to be noun stem of Old Japanese verb かぶ (kabu) (source of modern Japanese 黴る, kabiru, “to go moldy”), with probable original meaning of to sprout.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA: [ka̠bi]

Alternative forms

• 穎

Noun

柄 (hiragana かび, romaji kabi)

1. an ear of grain, particularly of rice
2. the handle or grip of a tool, or hilt of a blade

Usage notes

The grain sense is more commonly spelled 穎.

Synonyms

• (ear of grain): 穂 (ほ, ho)
• (ear of grain): 穂先 (ほさき, hosaki)

Etymology 3

Alteration of kabi.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA: [ka̠i]

Alternative forms

• 穎

Noun

柄 (hiragana かい, romaji kai, historical hiragana かひ)

1. see kabi above

Etymology 4

From Old Japanese. Origin of particle から (kara, “from, because”).

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA: [ka̠ɺ̠a̠]

Suffix

柄 (hiragana から, romaji -kara)

1. of the same lineage
2. the inherent qualities or characteristics of a thing

Usage notes

The lineage sense is often found embedded in other words, such as the first few of the following.

Derived terms

Derived terms

(lineage): 同胞 (はらから, harakara): “of the (same) belly” → a sibling, more specifically a sibling from the same mother (lineage): 族 (やから, yakara): “of the (same) house” → a family member (lineage): 親族 (うから, ukara): “of the (same) parents/ancestors” → a blood relative (qualities): 神柄 (かみから, kamikara; かむから, kamukara): the true nature of a god (qualities): 山柄 (やまから, yamakara): the nature or characteristics of a mountain

Noun

柄 (hiragana から, romaji kara)

1. (archaic) (by extension from the qualities sense) an origin or source, a reason for something

Usage notes

Often followed by the particle に (ni). This usage evolved into the modern particle から (kara, “from, because”).

Etymology 5

In light of the stem sense, probably derived semantically from origin, source meanings.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA: [ka̠ɺ̠a̠]

Alternative forms

• 幹

Counter

柄 (hiragana から, romaji kara)

1. used to count items with shafts

Noun

柄 (hiragana から, romaji kara)

1. the trunk or stem of a plant
2. the shaft of an arrow
3. the shaft, haft, or handle of a tool

Prefix

柄 (hiragana から, romaji kara-)

1. describes something with a stem, shaft, or handle

Usage notes

The shaft sense is often found embedded in other words, such as the following, which are often spelled with other kanji.

Derived terms

Derived terms

柄臼, 唐臼, 碓 (からうす, karausu): a kind of mortar and pestle with the pestle mounted on a long shaft for leverage 柄秤, 唐秤, 権衡 (からはかり, karahakari; からばかり, karabakari): a balance scale (as opposed to a spring scale) 柄楫, 唐楫 (からかじ, karakaji): a tiller with a shafted handle 柄鋤, 唐鋤, 犂 (からすき, karasuki): a plow (literally, “a spade on a long shaft”)

Etymology 6

Alteration of kara, “qualities, characteristics”.

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA: [ga̠ɺ̠a̠], [ŋa̠ɺ̠a̠]

Suffix

柄 (hiragana がら, romaji -gara)

1. the inherent qualities or characteristics of a thing
2. a shape, pattern, or design

Derived terms

Derived terms

(qualities): 国柄 (くにがら, kunigara): a nation's (good) qualities; the state of a nation (qualities): 人柄 (ひとがら, hitogara): a person's character (qualities): 家柄 (いえがら, iegara): a family's or household's station or standing in society (qualities): 続柄, 続き柄 (つづきがら, tsuzukigara): one's immediate relations, such as parents or siblings (qualities): 場所柄 (ばしょがら, bashogara): the qualities of a place; that which is appropriate or suitable for a place (qualities): 時節柄 (じせつがら, jisetsugara): the qualities of a time or season; that which is appropriate or suitable for a time or season (shape): 花柄 (はながら, hanagara): a flower pattern

Noun

柄 (hiragana がら, romaji gara)

1. one's physical shape or build

   柄の大きいやつだな。

   がらのおおきいやつだな。
   Gara no ōkii yatsu da na.

   Wow, he's sure built big.

2. one's character, personality, or temperament

   柄の悪い人

   がらのわるいひと
   gara no warui hito

   a person with a bad character

3. a pattern or design, such as on cloth

   あの柄は派手過ぎるよ。

   あのがらははですぎるよ。
   Ano gara wa hade sugiru yo.

   That pattern is way too colorful.

Synonyms

• (build): 体付き, 体付 (からだつき, karadatsuki); なり (nari)
• (pattern): 模様 (もよう, moyō)

Idioms

• 柄にもない (がらにもない, gara ni mo nai): “not even in one's character” → just not in one, just not suitable for one's character or abilities

Etymology 7

Cognate with 束 (tsuka, ancient unit of length, equivalent to the amount covered from pinky to forefinger when gripping something; analogous to English hand).

Both likely derive from verb 付く (tsuku, “to set to, to attach, to accompany”), particularly as seen in modern Japanese idioms such as 手を付ける (te o tsukeru, “to set one's hand to something”), 手が付く (te ga tsuku, “to start using something”, literally “one's hand sets on something”).

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA: [t͡sɯᵝka̠]

Noun

柄 (hiragana つか, romaji tsuka)

1. the hilt of a sword or knife, or the grip of a bow or staff
2. the portion of a brush pen held in the hand
3. a penis

Idioms

• 柄を握る (つかをにぎる, tsuka o nigiru): “to hold the grip” → to stay the course in a career or trade and become an old master
• 柄を取る (つかをとる, tsuka o toru): “to take the grip” → to stay the course in a career or trade and become an old master

Etymology 8

Nominalization of verb 付く (“to attach”).

Pronunciation

• Kun'yomi
• IPA: [t͡sɯᵝkɯᵝ]

Alternative forms

• 銑, 釻

Noun

柄 (hiragana つく, romaji tsuku)

1. the nock on either end of a bow where the bowstring rests
2. a bent nail or other kind of spike attached to or driven through an iron staff or a truncheon to make the weapon more dangerous
3. the areas on either end of a yoke or other carrying pole where cordage or rope is attached, from which the load is carried
4. the grip of a tiller, boathook, or other pole
5. (as a pun on the verb sense of stick to, attach) a female entertainer's or prostitute's secret lover

Usage notes

The grip sense is not spelled using the alternative forms, and is only spelled 柄 in kanji.

Synonyms

• (secret male lover): 隠し男, 隠男 (かくしおとこ, kakushiotoko)

Etymology 9

Ateji or misspelling for uncommon 表外字 (hyōgaiji, “non-standard character”) kanji 枘 (hozo, “navel”, also generic term for something that protrudes slightly). Note that the right half of 柄 is 丙, with a top bar, while the right half of 枘 is 内, without a top bar.

Pronunciation

• Kan'yōyomi
• IPA: [ho̞zo̞]

Noun

柄 (hiragana ほぞ, romaji hozo)

1. a tenon, as in a mortise and tenon carpentry join

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Korean

Hanja

柄 (hangeul 병, revised byeong, McCune-Reischauer pyŏng, Yale pyeng)

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Mandarin

Hanzi

柄 (pinyin bǐng (bing3), Wade-Giles ping³)

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Vietnamese

Han character

柄 (bính)