三

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See also: Ξ, ≡, ミ, 叁, 彡, and 丰
三 U+4E09, 三
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4E09
← 丈
[U+4E08] 		CJK Unified Ideographs 上 →
[U+4E0A]
㈢ U+3222, ㈢
PARENTHESIZED IDEOGRAPH THREE
← ㈡
[U+3221] 		Enclosed CJK Letters and Months ㈣ →
[U+3223]
㊂ U+3282, ㊂
CIRCLED IDEOGRAPH THREE
← ㊁
[U+3281] 		Enclosed CJK Letters and Months ㊃ →
[U+3283]
Commons:Category
Commons:Category
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Translingual[edit]

Stroke order
3 strokes
Stroke order

Han character[edit]

三 (Kangxi radical 1, 一+2, 3 strokes, cangjie input 一一一 (MMM), four-corner 10101, composition ⿱一二 or ⿱𠄟一)

  1. Shuowen Jiezi radical №4

Derived characters[edit]

Descendants[edit]

References[edit]

  • KangXi: page 76, character 5
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 12
  • Dae Jaweon: page 138, character 1
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 4, character 3
  • Unihan data for U+4E09

Further reading[edit]

Chinese Wikisource has digitized text of the Kangxi Dictionary entry for 三:

Wikisource

Chinese[edit]

simp. and trad.
 三
alternative forms 叄／叁／參／参 financial
𠫰／𠬅／𠬄 less used
弎
𢦘
Wikipedia has articles on:
  • 三 (Written Standard Chinese?)
  • 三 (Cantonese)
  • 三 (Classical)

Glyph origin[edit]

Historical forms of the character 三
Shang Western Zhou Warring States Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Bronze inscriptions Chu slip and silk script Qin slip script Ancient script Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts
Oracle bone script

j00545

j00546

j00547

j00548

j00549

j00550

j00551

j00552

j00553

j00554

Bronze inscriptions

b00355

b00356

b00357

b00358

b00359

b00360

b00361

b00362

b00363

b00364

b00365

b00366

b00367

b00368

b00369

b00370

b00371

b00372

b00373

b00374

b00375

Small seal script

s00097

Transcribed ancient scripts

L12758

L12759

L12760

L12761

L12762

References:

Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation),
which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including:

  • Shuowen Jiezi (small seal),
  • Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions),
  • Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and
  • Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).
Characters in the same phonetic series (三) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
三 *suːm, *suːms
弎 *suːm

Ideogram (指事) - three parallel strokes. Compare with 一, one stroke meaning “one”, 二, two strokes meaning “two”, and 亖, four strokes meaning “four”. Triplication of 一 (“one”).

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *g-sum.

Pronunciation 1[edit]

Note: sānr - (1) "the other woman; the other man", (2) "rfdef".
Note:
  • saⁿ - vernacular;
  • sam - literary.
Note:
  • san1 - vernacular;
  • sam1 - literary.
  • Wu
  • Xiang
    • Rime
    Character 三
    Reading # 1/2
    Initial (聲) 心 (16)
    Final (韻) 談 (143)
    Tone (調) Level (Ø)
    Openness (開合) Open
    Division (等) I
    Fanqie 蘇甘切
    Baxter sam
    Reconstructions
    Zhengzhang
    Shangfang         		/sɑm/
    Pan
    Wuyun         		/sɑm/
    Shao
    Rongfen         		/sɑm/
    Edwin
    Pulleyblank         		/sam/
    Li
    Rong         		/sɑm/
    Wang
    Li         		/sɑm/
    Bernard
    Karlgren         		/sɑm/
    Expected
    Mandarin
    Reflex         		sān
    Expected
    Cantonese
    Reflex         		saam1
    Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
    Character 三
    Reading # 1/2
    Modern
    Beijing
    (Pinyin)         		sān
    Middle
    Chinese         		‹ sam ›
    Old
    Chinese         		/*s.rum/ (*s.r- > s-; infl. by 四 *s-?)
    English three

    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 三
    Reading # 1/2
    No. 10963
    Phonetic
    component         		三
    Rime
    group         		侵
    Rime
    subdivision         		3
    Corresponding
    MC rime         		三
    Old
    Chinese         		/*suːm/

    Definitions[edit]

    三

    1. three
    2. (Mainland China, slang, neologism) the other woman; the other man
    3. (Mainland China, slang, neologism) This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
    4. a surname
    See also[edit]
    Chinese numbers
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 102 103 104 108 1012
    Normal
    (小寫／小写)     		〇, 零 一 二 三 四 五 六 七 八 九 十 百 千 萬／万
    十千 (Malaysia, Singapore)     		億／亿 兆 (Taiwan)
    萬億／万亿 (Mainland China)
    Financial
    (大寫／大写)     		零 壹 貳／贰 參／叁 肆 伍 陸／陆 柒 捌 玖 拾 佰 仟
    Playing cards in Chinese · 撲克牌／扑克牌 (pūkèpái) (layout · text)
    尖兒／尖儿／尖儿／尖儿 二 (èr) 三 四 (sì) 五 (wǔ) 六 七 (qī)
    八 (bā) 九 (jiǔ) 十 (shí) 鉤兒／钩儿／钩儿／钩儿 圈兒／圈儿／圈儿／圈儿, 皮蛋 (pídàn, regional) K 小王 (xiǎowáng, black), 大王 (red), 小鬼 (xiǎoguǐ, black), 大鬼 (dàguǐ, red)

    Compounds[edit]

    Descendants[edit]

    Sino-Xenic (三):
    • → Japanese: 三(さん) (san)
    • → Korean: 삼(三) (sam)
    • → Vietnamese: tam (三)

    Others:

    Pronunciation 2[edit]

    Rime
    Character 三
    Reading # 2/2
    Initial (聲) 心 (16)
    Final (韻) 談 (143)
    Tone (調) Departing (H)
    Openness (開合) Open
    Division (等) I
    Fanqie 蘇暫切
    Baxter samH
    Reconstructions
    Zhengzhang
    Shangfang         		/sɑmH/
    Pan
    Wuyun         		/sɑmH/
    Shao
    Rongfen         		/sɑmH/
    Edwin
    Pulleyblank         		/samH/
    Li
    Rong         		/sɑmH/
    Wang
    Li         		/sɑmH/
    Bernard
    Karlgren         		/sɑmH/
    Expected
    Mandarin
    Reflex         		sàn
    Expected
    Cantonese
    Reflex         		saam3
    Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
    Character 三
    Reading # 2/2
    Modern
    Beijing
    (Pinyin)         		sān
    Middle
    Chinese         		‹ samH ›
    Old
    Chinese         		/*s.r[u]m-s/ (*s.r- > *s-, infl. by 四 *s-?)
    English three times

    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 三
    Reading # 2/2
    No. 10965
    Phonetic
    component         		三
    Rime
    group         		侵
    Rime
    subdivision         		3
    Corresponding
    MC rime         		三
    Old
    Chinese         		/*suːms/

    Definitions[edit]

    三 (obsolete)

    1. repeatedly; thrice
      三思  ―  sānsī  ―  to think carefully

    Compounds[edit]

    References[edit]

    Japanese[edit]

    Kanji[edit]

    三

    (grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

    1. three

    Readings[edit]

    Compounds[edit]

    Compounds

    Alternative forms[edit]

    • (Financial/formal form): 参

    Etymology 1[edit]

    Japanese cardinal numbers
     <  2 3 4  > 
        Cardinal : 三
    Kanji in this term
    三
    さん
    Grade: 1
    on’yomi

    */sam/ → /samu/ → /saɴ/

    From Middle Chinese 三 (MC sɑm, sɑmH). Compare modern Mandarin 三 (sān).

    In Old Japanese, this kanji was used phonetically to transcribe さむ (samu).

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Numeral[edit]

    三(さん) • (san) 

    1. three, 3
      Synonym: スリー (surī)
    2. third
    Derived terms[edit]
    Derived terms

    Etymology 2[edit]

    Kanji in this term
    三
    さん
    Grade: 1
    on’yomi

    Borrowing from Chinese 三 (sān), with the pitch accent different from etymology 1. (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Numeral[edit]

    三(サン) • (san) 

    1. three
    Derived terms[edit]
    Derived terms

    Etymology 3[edit]

    Kanji in this term
    三
    み
    Grade: 1
    kun’yomi

    ⟨mi1⟩ → /mi/

    From Old Japanese.

    Likely an apophonic form of 六 (mu, “six”), compare 四 (yo, “four”) with 八 (ya, “eight”). (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Numeral[edit]

    三(み) • (mi) 

    1. three
      一(ひ)、二(ふ)、三(み)、四(よ)、[…]
      hi, fu, mi, yo, […]
      one, two, three, four, […]
    Derived terms[edit]
    Derived terms

    Etymology 4[edit]

    Kanji in this term
    三
    みい
    Grade: 1
    irregular

    /mi/ → /miː/

    Shift from mi above.[1]

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Numeral[edit]

    三(みい) • (mī) 

    1. (colloquial) three
      一(ひい)、二(ふう)、三(みい)、四(よお)、五(いつ)、六(むう)、七(なあ)、八(やあ)、九(こお)、十(とお)
      hī, fū, mī, yō, itsu, mū, nā, yā, kō, tō
      one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten
    Coordinate terms[edit]
    Japanese numbers
    0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
    Regular 零(れい) (rei)
    零(ゼロ) (zero)     		一(いち) (ichi) 二(に) (ni) 三(さん) (san) 四(よん) (yon)
    四(し) (shi)     		五(ご) (go) 六(ろく) (roku) 七(なな) (nana)
    七(しち) (shichi)     		八(はち) (hachi) 九(きゅう) (kyū)
    九(く) (ku)     		十(じゅう) (jū)
    Formal 壱(いち) (ichi) 弐(に) (ni) 参(さん) (san) 拾(じゅう) (jū)
    90 100 300 600 800 1,000 3,000 8,000 10,000 100,000,000
    Regular 九(きゅう)十(じゅう) (kyūjū) 百(ひゃく) (hyaku)
    一(いっ)百(ぴゃく) (ippyaku)     		三(さん)百(びゃく) (sanbyaku) 六(ろっ)百(ぴゃく) (roppyaku) 八(はっ)百(ぴゃく) (happyaku) 千(せん) (sen)
    一(いっ)千(せん) (issen)     		三(さん)千(ぜん) (sanzen) 八(はっ)千(せん) (hassen) 一(いち)万(まん) (ichiman) 一(いち)億(おく) (ichioku)
    Formal 一(いち)萬(まん) (ichiman)
    1012 8×1012 1013 1016 6×1016 8×1016 1017 1018
    一(いっ)兆(ちょう) (itchō) 八(はっ)兆(ちょう) (hatchō) 十(じゅっ)兆(ちょう) (jutchō) 一(いっ)京(けい) (ikkei) 六(ろっ)京(けい) (rokkei) 八(はっ)京(けい) (hakkei) 十(じゅっ)京(けい) (jukkei) 百(ひゃっ)京(けい) (hyakkei)

    References[edit]

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

    Korean[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    Korean numbers (edit)
    30
     ←  2 3 4  → 
        Native isol.: 셋 (set)
        Native attr.: 세 (se), (dated) 석 (seok), (archaic) 서 (seo)
        Sino-Korean: 삼 (sam)
        Hanja: 三
        Ordinal: 셋째 (setjjae)

    From Middle Chinese 三 (MC sɑm).

    Historical Readings
    Dongguk Jeongun Reading
    Dongguk Jeongun, 1448 삼 (Yale: sàm)
    Middle Korean
    Text Eumhun
    Gloss (hun) Reading
    Hunmong Jahoe, 1527[1] 석〯 (Yale: sěk) 삼 (Yale: sàm)

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Hanja[edit]

    Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

    Wikisource

    三 (eumhun 셋 삼 (set sam))

    1. Hanja form? of 삼 (“three”).

    Compounds[edit]

    Compounds

    References[edit]

    • 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [2]

    Vietnamese[edit]

    Han character[edit]

    三: Hán Việt readings: tam (蘇(tô)甘(cam)切(thiết))[1][2][3][4]
    三: Nôm readings: tam[1][2][3][4][5][6], ba[1], tám[5]

    1. chữ Hán form of tam (“three”).

    Compounds[edit]

    Compounds

    References[edit]

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Nguyễn (2014).
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Nguyễn et al. (2009).
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Trần (2004).
    4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bonet (1899).
    5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Génibrel (1898).
    6. ^ Taberd & Pigneau de Béhaine (1838).
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