何

Definition from Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Jump to navigation Jump to search
See also: 伺, 向, 同, and 回
何 U+4F55, 何
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4F55
← 佔
[U+4F54] 		CJK Unified Ideographs 佖 →
[U+4F56]

Translingual[edit]

Stroke order
0 strokes
Stroke order
何-order.gif

Han character[edit]

何 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+5, 7 strokes, cangjie input 人一弓口 (OMNR), four-corner 21220, composition ⿰亻可)

Derived characters[edit]

References[edit]

  • KangXi: page 98, character 15
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 511
  • Dae Jaweon: page 208, character 5
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 130, character 4
  • Unihan data for U+4F55

Chinese[edit]

simp. and trad.
 何
alternative forms ⿰彳可

Glyph origin[edit]

Historical forms of the character 何
Shang Western Zhou Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts
何-oracle.svg 何-bronze.svg 何-seal.svg 何-bigseal.svg
Oracle bone script
ACC-j18879.svg

j18879

ACC-j18880.svg

j18880

ACC-j18881.svg

j18881

ACC-j18882.svg

j18882

ACC-j18883.svg

j18883

ACC-j18884.svg

j18884

ACC-j18885.svg

j18885

ACC-j18886.svg

j18886

ACC-j18887.svg

j18887

ACC-j18888.svg

j18888

ACC-j18889.svg

j18889

ACC-j18890.svg

j18890

ACC-j18891.svg

j18891

ACC-j18892.svg

j18892

ACC-j18893.svg

j18893

ACC-j18894.svg

j18894

ACC-j18895.svg

j18895

ACC-j18896.svg

j18896

ACC-j18897.svg

j18897

ACC-j18898.svg

j18898

ACC-j18899.svg

j18899

ACC-j18901.svg

j18901

ACC-j18902.svg

j18902

ACC-j18903.svg

j18903

ACC-j18904.svg

j18904

ACC-j18905.svg

j18905

ACC-j18906.svg

j18906

ACC-j18907.svg

j18907

ACC-j18908.svg

j18908

ACC-j18909.svg

j18909

ACC-j18910.svg

j18910

ACC-j18911.svg

j18911

ACC-j18913.svg

j18913

ACC-j18914.svg

j18914

ACC-j18915.svg

j18915

ACC-j18916.svg

j18916

ACC-j18917.svg

j18917

ACC-j18918.svg

j18918

ACC-j18919.svg

j18919

ACC-j18920.svg

j18920

ACC-j18921.svg

j18921

ACC-j18922.svg

j18922

ACC-j18923.svg

j18923

ACC-j18924.svg

j18924

ACC-j18925.svg

j18925

ACC-j18926.svg

j18926

ACC-j18927.svg

j18927

ACC-j18928.svg

j18928

ACC-j18929.svg

j18929

ACC-j18930.svg

j18930

ACC-j18931.svg

j18931

Bronze inscriptions
ACC-b12289.svg

b12289

ACC-b12290.svg

b12290

Small seal script
ACC-s05736.svg

s05736

Transcribed ancient scripts
ACC-L32362.svg

L32362

ACC-L08383.svg

L08383

ACC-L08384.svg

L08384

ACC-L08385.svg

L08385

ACC-L08386.svg

L08386

ACC-L08387.svg

L08387

ACC-L08377.svg

L08377

ACC-L08378.svg

L08378

ACC-L08379.svg

L08379

ACC-L08380.svg

L08380

ACC-L08381.svg

L08381

ACC-L08382.svg

L08382

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 (可) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
砢 *ɡ·raːlʔ
柯 *kaːl
菏 *kaːl, *ɡaːl
牁 *kaːl
滒 *kaːl
哥 *kaːl
歌 *kaːl
謌 *kaːl
鴚 *kaːl
哿 *kaːlʔ
舸 *kaːlʔ
笴 *kaːlʔ, *kaːnʔ
軻 *kʰaːl, *kʰaːlʔ, *kʰaːls
珂 *kʰaːl
可 *kʰaːlʔ
岢 *kʰaːlʔ
坷 *kʰaːlʔ, *kʰaːls
蚵 *kʰaːls, *ɡaːl
呵 *qʰaːl, *qʰaːls
訶 *qʰaːl
抲 *qʰaːl
荷 *qʰaːls, *ɡaːl, *ɡaːlʔ
何 *ɡaːl, *ɡaːlʔ
河 *ɡaːl
苛 *ɡaːl
魺 *ɡaːl
袔 *ɡaːls
阿 *qaːl
妸 *qaːl, *qaːlʔ
疴 *qaːl, *kʰraːls
鈳 *qaːl
娿 *qaːl, *qaːlʔ
痾 *qaːl
跒 *kʰraːlʔ
閜 *qʰraːlʔ

Pictogram (象形): a man carrying something – original form of 荷 (OC *ɡaːlʔ, “to carry”). (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)

Etymology[edit]

Cognate with the following interrogative pronouns:

  • 胡 (OC *ɡaː, “what; why”)
  • 奚 (OC *ɡeː, “what; why; where”)
  • 曷 (OC *ɡaːd, “why”)
  • 盍 (OC *ɡaːb, “why not”): from the fusion of 何不 (OC *ɡaːl pɯ, “why not”)

In Sino-Tibetan, cognate with Tibetan ག་ན (ga na, “where; how”), Tibetan ག་རུ (ga ru, “to where”) (Schuessler, 2007).

STEDT, on the other hand, compares 何 (OC *ɡaːlʔ) to Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ka (“which; like; diectic; interrogative”), to which 幾 (OC *kɯlʔ, “how many”) and 豈 (OC *ŋ̊ʰɯlʔ, “how”) are also compared.

Pronunciation 1[edit]

Note:
  • hô/hô͘ - literary (incl. surname);
  • ôa - vernacular.
  • Wu
    • Rime
    Character 何
    Reading # 1/2
    Initial (聲) 匣 (33)
    Final (韻) 歌 (94)
    Tone (調) Level (Ø)
    Openness (開合) Open
    Division (等) I
    Fanqie 胡歌切
    Reconstructions
    Zhengzhang
    Shangfang         		/ɦɑ/
    Pan
    Wuyun         		/ɦɑ/
    Shao
    Rongfen         		/ɣɑ/
    Edwin
    Pulleyblank         		/ɦa/
    Li
    Rong         		/ɣɑ/
    Wang
    Li         		/ɣɑ/
    Bernard
    Karlgren         		/ɣɑ/
    Expected
    Mandarin
    Reflex         		hé
    Expected
    Cantonese
    Reflex         		ho4
    Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
    Character 何
    Reading # 1/1
    Modern
    Beijing
    (Pinyin)         		hé
    Middle
    Chinese         		‹ ha ›
    Old
    Chinese         		/*[ɡ]ˁaj/
    English what

    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 何
    Reading # 1/2
    No. 7458
    Phonetic
    component         		可
    Rime
    group         		歌
    Rime
    subdivision         		1
    Corresponding
    MC rime         		何
    Old
    Chinese         		/*ɡaːl/

    Definitions[edit]

    何

    1. (interrogative pronoun asking for the specification of an identity, quantity, quality, etc. of something) what; which
      何處 / 何处  ―  héchù  ―  where [lit. what place]
      何日  ―  hérì  ―  what day; when
    2. where; what place
    3. (interrogative pronoun asking for reason, manner, etc. of an action) why; how
      何必  ―  hébì  ―  why must you
      何不  ―  hébù  ―  why not
    4. † (forming emphatic sentences) so; such; what; how
    5. A surname​.
      何應欽 / 何应钦  ―  Hé Yìngqīn  ―  He Yingqin (Kuomintang general)
    Quotations[edit]
    Synonyms[edit]

    Compounds[edit]

    Descendants[edit]

    • → Tagalog: Ho (Hokkien dialect)

    Pronunciation 2[edit]

    Rime
    Character 何
    Reading # 2/2
    Initial (聲) 匣 (33)
    Final (韻) 歌 (94)
    Tone (調) Rising (X)
    Openness (開合) Open
    Division (等) I
    Fanqie 胡可切
    Reconstructions
    Zhengzhang
    Shangfang         		/ɦɑX/
    Pan
    Wuyun         		/ɦɑX/
    Shao
    Rongfen         		/ɣɑX/
    Edwin
    Pulleyblank         		/ɦaX/
    Li
    Rong         		/ɣɑX/
    Wang
    Li         		/ɣɑX/
    Bernard
    Karlgren         		/ɣɑX/
    Expected
    Mandarin
    Reflex         		hè
    Expected
    Cantonese
    Reflex         		ho6
    Zhengzhang system (2003)
    Character 何
    Reading # 2/2
    No. 7466
    Phonetic
    component         		可
    Rime
    group         		歌
    Rime
    subdivision         		1
    Corresponding
    MC rime         		荷
    Old
    Chinese         		/*ɡaːlʔ/
    Notes 同荷

    Definitions[edit]

    何

    1. † Original form of 荷 (“to carry”).

    Pronunciation 3[edit]

    Definitions[edit]

    何

    1. † Original form of 呵 (“to scold; to criticise; to denounce”).

    References[edit]

    Japanese[edit]

    Kanji[edit]

    何

    (grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

    1. what

    Readings[edit]

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Compounds[edit]

    Interjection[edit]

    Kanji in this term
    何
    なに
    Grade: 2
    kun’yomi

    何(なに) • (nani) 

    1. What?, Huh?


    Pronoun[edit]

    Kanji in this term
    何
    なに
    Grade: 2
    kun’yomi

    何(なに) • (nani)  (alternative reading hiragana なん, rōmaji nan)

    1. what
    2. that thing (used in place of words you can't remember at the moment.)

    Usage notes[edit]

    • 何 is usually read as なに, but before だ, で, の, it is read as なん. When followed by で, both readings are possible, albeit with different meanings.

    Derived terms[edit]

    Related terms[edit]

    See also[edit]

    Japanese demonstratives
    ko-
    “this”
    (close to speaker)         		so-
    “that”
    (close to listener)         		a-
    “that over there”
    (far from both)         		do-
    “which”
    (indeterminate, question)
    Object これ (kore) それ (sore) あれ (are) どれ (dore)
    これら (korera) それら (sorera) あれら (arera) —
    Determiner この (kono) その (sono) あの (ano) どの (dono)
    これらの (korera no) それらの (sorera no) あれらの (arera no) —
    Kind こんな (konna) そんな (sonna) あんな (anna) どんな (donna)
    Place ここ (koko) そこ (soko) あそこ (asoko)* どこ (doko)
    こっから (kokkara) そっから (sokkara) — どっから (dokkara)
    Direction こちら (kochira) そちら (sochira) あちら (achira) どちら (dochira)
    こっち (kotchi) そっち (sotchi) あっち (atchi) どっち (dotchi)
    Human こいつ (koitsu) そいつ (soitsu) あいつ (aitsu) どいつ (doitsu)
    こちら様 (kochirasama) そちら様 (sochirasama) あちら様 (achirasama) どちら様 (dochirasama)
    Manner こう (kō) そう (sō) ああ (ā)** どう (dō)
    Degree こんくらい (konkurai) そんくらい (sonkurai) あんくらい (ankurai) どんくらい (donkurai)
    こんだけ (kondake) そんだけ (sondake) あんだけ (andake) どんだけ (dondake)
    * irregular
    ** regular (long vowel)
    The kanji 此(こ) (ko), 其(そ) (so), 彼(あ) (a), and 何(ど) (do) can be used for determiners, but they are almost always spelled in hiragana.
    Classical Japanese pronouns and demonstratives
    a-/wa-
    “I, we”
    (first person)         		na-/-ma-
    “you, ye, thou”
    (second person)         		k-
    “this”
    (close to speaker)         		s-
    “that”
    (close to listener)         		a-/ka-
    “that over there”
    (far from both)         		i-/ta-/nani-
    “who, what, where, how, when”
    (interrogative)         		ono-
    “oneself”
    (reflexive)
    Person あ (a)
    あれ (are)
    わ (wa)
    われ (ware)
    まろ (maro)     		な (na)
    なれ (nare)
    なんぢ (nanji)
    まし (mashi)
    いまし (imashi)
    みまし (mimashi)
    きみ (kimi)     		こ (ko)
    これ (kore)     		そ (so)
    それ (sore)     		あ (a)
    あれ (are)
    か (ka)
    かれ (kare)     		た (ta)
    たれ (tare)
    なにがし (nanigashi)     		おの (ono)
    おのれ (onore)
    Thing こ (ko)
    これ (kore)     		そ (so)
    それ (sore)     		あ (a)
    あれ (are)
    か (ka)
    かれ (kare)     		いづれ (izure)
    なに (nani)
    Location ここ (koko) そこ (soko) あしこ (ashiko)
    かしこ (kashiko)     		いづく (izuku)
    いづこ (izuko)
    いどこ (idoko)
    どこ (doko)
    Direction こち (kochi)
    こなた (konata)     		そち (sochi)
    そなた (sonata)     		あち (achi)
    あなた (anata)
    かなた (kanata)     		いづち (izuchi)
    いづら (izura)
    いづかた (izukata)
    Manner か (ka)
    かく (kaku)
    かくて (kakute)
    かう (kō)     		さ (sa)
    さて (sate)
    しか (shika)     		いか (ika)
    Time いつ (itsu)

    Prefix[edit]

    Kanji in this term
    何
    なん
    Grade: 2
    kun’yomi

    何(なん) • (nan-) 

    1. what number, how many (used with a counter)
    2. (used with も) many (used with a counter)
      この広(こう)告(こく)を何(なん)回(かい)も見(み)た
      kono kōkoku o nankai mo mita
      I've seen this ad many times

    Derived terms[edit]

    References[edit]

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1974, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Second Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō

    Korean[edit]

    Etymology[edit]

    From Middle Chinese 何 (MC ɦɑ).

    Hanja[edit]

    Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

    Wikisource

    何 (eumhun 어찌 하 (eojji ha))

    1. Hanja form? of 하 (“how; what”).

    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]

    Kunigami[edit]

    Kanji[edit]

    何

    Readings[edit]

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Pronoun[edit]

    何 (hiragana ぬー, rōmaji nū)

    1. what

    Miyako[edit]

    Kanji[edit]

    何

    Readings[edit]

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Pronoun[edit]

    何 (hiragana のー, rōmaji nō)

    1. what

    Okinawan[edit]

    Kanji[edit]

    何

    (grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

    Readings[edit]

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Pronoun[edit]

    何 (hiragana ぬー, rōmaji nū)

    1. what

    Vietnamese[edit]

    Han character[edit]

    何: Hán Nôm readings: hà, gã, há

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

    References[edit]

    Yaeyama[edit]

    Kanji[edit]

    何

    Readings[edit]

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Pronoun[edit]

    何 (hiragana のー, rōmaji nō)

    1. what

    Yonaguni[edit]

    Kanji[edit]

    何

    Readings[edit]

    Pronunciation[edit]

    Pronoun[edit]

    何 (hiragana ぬー, rōmaji nū)

    1. what
    Retrieved from "https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=何&oldid=67154810"