乙

See also: 之 and Z

乙 U+4E59, 乙 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4E59 ← 乘 [U+4E58] CJK Unified Ideographs 乚 → [U+4E5A]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

乙 (radical 5, 乙+0, 1 stroke, cangjie input 弓山 (NU), four-corner 1771₀)

1. Kangxi radical #5, ⼄.

Derived characters

• Index:Chinese radical/乙
• 艺 鳦 𢒼 𤴥 𥘆 𥝎 𦨇 𧈝 𩁶 𪐘

References

• KangXi: page 83, character 15
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 161
• Dae Jaweon: page 167, character 7
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 1, page 47, character 4
• Unihan data for U+4E59

---

Chinese

simp. and trad.		乙

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 乙
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Chu Slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts
Oracle bone script j29982 j29983 j29984 j29985 j29986 j29987 j29988 j29989 j29990 j29991 j29992 j29993 j29994 j29995 j29996 j29997 j29998 j29999 j30000 j30001 j30002 j30003 j30004 j30005 j30006 j30007 j30008 j30009 j30010 j30011 j30012 j30013 j30014 j30015 j30016 j30017 j30018 j30019 j30020 j30021 j30022 j30023 j30024 j30025 j30026 j30027 j30028 j30029 j30030 j30031 j30032 j30033 j30034 j30035 j30036 j30037 j30038 j30039 j30040 j30041 j30042 j30043 j30044 j30045 j30046 j30047 j30048 j30049 j30050 j30051 j30052 j30053 j30054 j30055 j30056 j30057 j30058 j30059 j30060 j30061 j30062 j30063 j30064 j30065 j30066 j30067 j30068 j30069 j30070 j30071 j30072 Bronze inscriptions b20226 b20227 b20228 b20229 b20230 b20231 b20232 b20233 b20234 b20235 b20236 b20237 b20238 b20239 b20240 b20241 b20242 b20243 b20244 b20245 b20246 b20247 b20248 b20249 b20250 b20251 b20252 b20253 b20254 b20255 b20256 b20257 b20258 b20259 b20260 b20261 b20262 b20263 Small seal script s10940 Transcribed ancient scripts L26039 L26040 L26041 L26042 L26043 L26044 L26045 L26046 L26047 L26048 L26049
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 (乙) (Zhengzhang, 2003)
	Old Chinese
劜	*qreːd
札	*sqriːd
扎	*sqriːd
蚻	*ʔsriːd
紮	*ʔsriːd
軋	*qriːd
圠	*qriːd
穵	*qriːd, *qʷriːd
挖	*qʷriːd
鳦	*qriːd, *qrid
耴	*ŋrid, *teb
乙	*qriɡ
肊	*qrɯɡ

• Pictogram (象形) – a developing plant (Shuowen).
• Pictogram (象形) – the intestine of a fish (Erya).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): yǐ (yi³)

  (Zhuyin): ㄧˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jyut³, jyut⁶
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): yet / yat
• Min Bei (KCR): ĭ
• Min Nan

  (Hokkien, POJ): it

  (Teochew, Peng'im): ig⁴

• Wu (Wiktionary): iq (T4)

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Pinyin: yǐ
    • Zhuyin: ㄧˇ
    • Wade–Giles: i³
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yyi
    • IPA ^(key): /i²¹⁴/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: jyut³, jyut⁶
    • Yale: yut, yuht
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jyt⁸, jyt⁹
    • Guangdong Romanization: yud³, yud⁶
    • IPA ^(key): /jyːt̚³/, /jyːt̚²/
• Hakka
  • (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yet
    • Hakka Romanization System: ied`
    • Hagfa Pinyim: yad<sup>5</sup>
    • IPA: /i̯et̚²/
  • (Southern Sixian, incl. Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yat
    • Hakka Romanization System: (r)iad`
    • Hagfa Pinyim: yad⁵
    • IPA: /(j)i̯at̚²/
• Min Bei
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: ĭ
    • IPA ^(key): /i²⁴/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: it
    • Tâi-lô: it
    • Phofsit Daibuun: id
    • IPA (Xiamen): /it̚³²/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /it̚⁵/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /it̚³²/
    • IPA (Taipei): /it̚³²/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /it̚³²/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: ig⁴
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: ik
    • IPA ^(key): /ik̚²/
• Wu
  • (Shanghainese)
    • Wiktionary: iq (T4)
    • IPA ^(key): /i̯ɪʔ⁵⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: /ʔˠiɪt̚/▼

Rime
Character	乙
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	影 (34)
Final (韻)	質 (49)
Tone (調)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	Chongniu III
Fanqie	於筆切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ʔˠiɪt̚/
Pan Wuyun	/ʔᵚit̚/
Shao Rongfen	/ʔiet̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ʔjit̚/
Li Rong	/ʔjĕt̚/
Wang Li	/ĭĕt̚/
Bernard Karlgren	/ʔi̯ĕt̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	yi

• Old Chinese▼

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*qrət/

  (Zhengzhang): /*qriɡ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	乙
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	yǐ
Middle Chinese	‹ ʔit ›
Old Chinese	/*qrət/
English	2nd heavenly stem
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	乙
Reading #	1/1
No.	14921
Phonetic component	乙
Rime group	質
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	乙
Old Chinese	/*qriɡ/
Notes	甲乙字收ɡ尾與燕乙字收d尾小分部有異

Definitions

乙

1. The second of the ten heavenly stems (天干 (tiāngān))
2. second; 2; B; II; beta (used for unnamed people or objects, to enumerate headings in a list, for grades, etc.)

   路人甲和路人乙  ―  lùrén jiǎ hé lùrén yǐ  ―  passerby A and passerby B

   他法語成績得了乙。 [MSC, trad.]
   他法语成绩得了乙。 [MSC, simp.]

   Tā fǎyǔ chéngjì dé le yǐ. [Pinyin]

   He got a B in French.

   乙肝  ―  yǐgān  ―  hepatitis B

3. (chemistry) eth-; ethyl

   乙烷  ―  yǐwán  ―  ethane

4. the seventh scale degree in Gongche musical notation (工尺譜／工尺谱 (gōngchěpǔ))
5. (literary, formal) one

   （公文）……加乙份。  ―  (gōngwén)...... Jiā yǐ fèn.  ―  (In official letters) …added one copy.

6. A surname​.

Coordinate terms

• (heavenly stems) 天干; 甲, 乙, 丙, 丁, 戊, 己, 庚, 辛, 壬, 癸

Compounds

• 三氯乙烯
• 三氯乙烷
• 乙炔 (yǐquē)
• 乙烯 (yǐxī)
• 乙烷 (yǐwán)
• 乙等特考
• 乙覽／乙览
• 乙酸 (yǐsuān)
• 乙醇 (yǐchún)

• 乙醚 (yǐmí)
• 勾乙
• 圖乙／图乙
• 塗乙／涂乙
• 太乙
• 太乙數／太乙数
• 太乙神針／太乙神针
• 小乙
• 左乙

• 某乙
• 氯乙烯 (lǜyǐxī)
• 甲乙
• 聚乙烯 (jùyǐxī)
• 聚苯乙烯
• 苯乙烯 (běnyǐxī)
• 越鳧楚乙／越凫楚乙
• 鳧乙／凫乙

See also

• 天干 (tiāngān) The Heavenly Stems.
• 工尺譜／工尺谱 (gōngchěpǔ) The Gongche notation

---

Japanese

Kanji

乙

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: おつ (otsu, Jōyō); おち (ochi)
• Kan-on: いつ (itsu)
• Kun: きのと (kinoto, 乙); おと (oto, 乙)

Compounds

Compounds

• 乙 (おと)子 (ご) (otogo)
• 乙 (おつ)種 (しゅ) (otsushu)
• 乙 (おつ)巡 (じゅん) (otsujun)
• 乙 (おと)女 (め) (otome)
• 乙 (おと)姫 (ひめ) (otohime)
• 乙 (いつ)夜 (や) (itsuya), 乙 (おつ)夜 (や) (otsuya)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
乙
おつ Grade: S
on’yomi

Originally from Middle Chinese 乙 (MC ʔˠiɪt̚), arising from the proper noun sense. Appears in texts from at least 833 CE.

Pronunciation

• On’yomi: Goon
  • (Tokyo) お​つ [óꜜtsù] (Atamadaka – [1])
  • IPA^(key): [o̞t͡sɨᵝ]

Proper noun

乙 (hiragana おつ, rōmaji Otsu)

1. the second of the ten Celestial Stems

Noun

乙 (hiragana おつ, rōmaji otsu)

1. something B
   1. the second item of any ordered list
   2. (music) one tone lower than the note indicated by 甲 (kō, “something A”)
   3. (by extension from the musical sense) a lower, sonorous and moving sound or tone
   4. (noh theater) in noh musical accompaniment, a specific kind of muffled drum beat played by striking the head of the taiko drum and keeping the mallet pressed against the head
2. (Kansai dialectal, slang) a stupid person, someone who is slow on the uptake
3. (rare, possibly archaic) the state or circumstances of a thing
4. (rare, possibly archaic) dressing up in an odd fashion

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
乙
おつ Grade: S
on’yomi

By extension from the moving tone noun sense. Appears in texts from the late Edo period, in the early 1800s.

Pronunciation

• On’yomi: Goon
  • (Tokyo) おつ [òtsú] (Heiban – [0])
  • IPA^(key): [o̞t͡sɨᵝ]

Adjective

乙 (-na inflection, hiragana おつ, rōmaji otsu)

1. out of the ordinary, strange or unusual in an interesting or stylish way
2. strange, odd, weird
   • :ja:東海道中膝栗毛 (Tōkaidōchū Hizakurige, “Footing It along the Tokaido Road”, or “Shank's Mare”), serial published 1802-1814:

     ヲヤ弥 (や)次 (じ)さん、おつな手つきをしておめへ何をする

     Oya Yaji-san, otsu na tetsuki o shite omē nani o suru

     Oy, Yaji, what do you think you're doing with your weird way of using your hands?

Inflection

Inflection of 乙

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	乙だろ	おつだろ	otsu daro
Continuative (連用形)	乙で	おつで	otsu de
Terminal (終止形)	乙だ	おつだ	otsu da
Attributive (連体形)	乙な	おつな	otsu na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	乙なら	おつなら	otsu nara
Imperative (命令形)	乙であれ	おつであれ	otsu de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	乙ではない 乙じゃない	おつではない おつじゃない	otsu de wa nai otsu ja nai
Informal past	乙だった	おつだった	otsu datta
Informal negative past	乙ではなかった 乙じゃなかった	おつではなかった おつじゃなかった	otsu de wa nakatta otsu ja nakatta
Formal	乙です	おつです	otsu desu
Formal negative	乙ではありません 乙じゃありません	おつではありません おつじゃありません	otsu de wa arimasen otsu ja arimasen
Formal past	乙でした	おつでした	otsu deshita
Formal negative past	乙ではありませんでした 乙じゃありませんでした	おつではありませんでした おつじゃありませんでした	otsu de wa arimasen deshita otsu ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	乙で	おつで	otsu de
Conditional	乙なら（ば）	おつなら（ば）	otsu nara (ba)
Provisional	乙だったら	おつだったら	otsu dattara
Volitional	乙だろう	おつだろう	otsu darō
Adverbial	乙に	おつに	otsu ni
Degree	乙さ	おつさ	otsusa

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
乙
おつ Grade: S
on’yomi

Derived as aggressive clipping of お疲れ様です (otsukaresama desu, used as a kind of greeting at work, literally “that's honorable exhaustion (from hard work)”). The use of 乙 for the spelling is an example of phonetic ateji (当て字).

Pronunciation

• On’yomi: Goon
  • IPA^(key): [o̞t͡sɨᵝ]

Interjection

乙 (hiragana おつ, rōmaji otsu)

1. (Internet slang) Clipping of お疲れ様です (otsukaresama desu).

Derived terms

• うp乙 (pおつ) (upotsu), うぽつ (upotsu)

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
乙
きのと Grade: S
kun’yomi

Compound of 木 (Ki, “Wood”, one of the Five Elements) +‎ の (no, attributive marker) +‎ 弟 (oto, “younger brother”).

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) きの​と [kìnóꜜtò] (Nakadaka – [2])
  • IPA^(key): [kʲino̞to̞]

Proper noun

乙 (hiragana きのと, rōmaji Kinoto)

1. the second of the ten Heavenly Stems

---

Korean

Hanja

乙 • (eul)

• Eumhun:
  • Sound (hangeul): 을 (revised: eul, McCune–Reischauer: ŭl)
  • Name (hangeul): 새 (revised: sae, McCune–Reischauer: sae)

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

References

• Naver Hanja Dictionary: 乙

---

Vietnamese

Han character

乙: Hán Nôm readings: ất, át, ắc, ắt, hắt, ặc, lớt

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

References

• Nom Foundation