參

See also: 参, 蔘, and 叄

Translingual

Japanese	参 参 参
Simplified	参 叁 参
Traditional	參 參 蔘

Han character

參 (Kangxi radical 28, 厶+9, 11 strokes, cangjie input 戈戈戈竹 (IIIH), four-corner 2320₂, composition ⿱厽㐱)

Derived characters

• 傪, 𠗿, 𠔭, 嘇, 墋, 㜗, 㠁, 幓, 慘, 摻, 滲, 遪, 槮, 犙, 㺑, 㽩, 磣, 穇, 糝, 縿, 襂, 謲, 贂, 䟃, 醦, 鏒, 驂, 鰺, 黲, 剼, 毿, 㓄, 䫩, 嵾, 蔘, 篸, 瘮, 鬖

Descendants

• 参 (Japanese shinjitai and simplified Chinese)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 164, character 28
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 3098
• Dae Jaweon: page 372, character 28
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 387, character 23
• Unihan data for U+53C3

• Unihan data for U+F96B

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Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 參
Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Characters in the same phonetic series (參) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
篸	*ʔsluːm, *ʔsluːms
參	*sʰluːm, *sʰluːms, *sloːm, *sʰrum, *srum
驂	*sʰluːm
傪	*sʰluːm, *sʰluːmʔ
慘	*sʰluːmʔ
黲	*sʰluːmʔ, *sʰloːmʔ
謲	*sʰluːms
毿	*sluːm
蔘	*sluːm, *srum
犙	*sluːm, *sru, *srɯu
糝	*sluːmʔ
槮	*sluːmʔ, *sʰrum, *srum, *srumʔ
鬖	*sloːm
摻	*sruːm, *sruːmʔ
醦	*sruːmʔ, *sʰrumʔ
縿	*sroːm
穇	*sroːm
嵾	*sʰrum
磣	*sʰrumʔ
墋	*sʰrumʔ
曑	*srum
瘮	*srumʔ
滲	*srums

Simplified from 曑 (晶 → 厽).

The bronze script form is an ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 晶 (“stars”) + 光 (“light; brightness”) + 彡 (“light rays”) – Three Stars mansion. 彡 (OC *sroːm, *slom) also acts as a phonetic component. Ignoring the lines connecting the three stars, 光 may be interpreted as 卩 (“kneeling person”), representing someone looking at the shining stars above him.

Alternatively, it may be the original character of 簪 (OC *ʔsɯːm, *ʔsrɯm, “hairpin”), since the bronze script forms resemble a person wearing a hat with three stars.

Based on the seal script form, Shuowen interprets the character as a phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *sʰluːm, *sʰluːms, *sloːm, *sʰrum, *srum) : semantic 晶 (“stars”) + phonetic 㐱 ().

Etymology 1

trad.		參
simp.		参
alternative forms		曑 叄 㕘 叅

From 三 (OC *suːm, *suːms, “three”) + other element (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): shēn (shen¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄕㄣ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sam¹
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): sim / serm

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: shēn
    • Zhuyin: ㄕㄣ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shen
    • Wade–Giles: shên¹
    • Yale: shēn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shen
    • Palladius: шэнь (šɛnʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂən⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: sam¹
    • Yale: sām
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sam¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: sem¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɐm⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sim
    • Tâi-lô: sim
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sym
    • IPA (Xiamen): /sim⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: serm
    • Tâi-lô: serm
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /səm³³/

---

• Middle Chinese: srim

Rime
Character	參
Reading #	1/5
Initial (聲)	生 (21)
Final (韻)	侵 (140)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	所今切
Baxter	srim
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ʃˠiɪm/
Pan Wuyun	/ʃᵚim/
Shao Rongfen	/ʃiem/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ʂjim/
Li Rong	/ʃjəm/
Wang Li	/ʃĭĕm/
Bernard Karlgren	/ʂi̯əm/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	shēn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	sam1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*srum/

  (Zhengzhang): /*srum/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	參
Reading #	4/4
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	shēn
Middle Chinese	‹ srim ›
Old Chinese	/*srum/ (should be *s.rum)
English	the constellation Orion’ (named for the three stars in Orion’s belt)
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	參
Reading #	5/5
No.	1108
Phonetic component	參
Rime group	侵
Rime subdivision	3
Corresponding MC rime	森
Old Chinese	/*srum/

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 參

1. (～宿) (Chinese astronomy) Three Stars mansion (one of the Twenty-Eight Mansions)
2. a surname

Etymology 2

trad.		參/蔘*
simp.		参
alternative forms		蓡／参 薓 葠／参 叄 㕘 蓡／参 薓 葠／参 叄 㕘 叅

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): shēn (shen¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄕㄣ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): sam¹
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): sim / serm / song / som

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: shēn
    • Zhuyin: ㄕㄣ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shen
    • Wade–Giles: shên¹
    • Yale: shēn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shen
    • Palladius: шэнь (šɛnʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂən⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: sam¹
    • Yale: sām
    • Cantonese Pinyin: sam¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: sem¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɐm⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Hsinchu, Sanxia, Kinmen, Magong)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sim
    • Tâi-lô: sim
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sym
    • IPA (Xiamen, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Kinmen): /sim⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Lukang)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: serm
    • Tâi-lô: serm
    • IPA (Quanzhou, Lukang): /səm³³/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Magong)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: song
    • Tâi-lô: song
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sofng
    • IPA (Xiamen): /sɔŋ⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Tainan, Taichung, Sanxia, Yilan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: som
    • Tâi-lô: som
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sofm
    • IPA (Zhangzhou, Tainan, Yilan): /sɔm⁴⁴/

---

• Middle Chinese: srim

Rime
Character	參
Reading #	1/5
Initial (聲)	生 (21)
Final (韻)	侵 (140)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	所今切
Baxter	srim
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ʃˠiɪm/
Pan Wuyun	/ʃᵚim/
Shao Rongfen	/ʃiem/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ʂjim/
Li Rong	/ʃjəm/
Wang Li	/ʃĭĕm/
Bernard Karlgren	/ʂi̯əm/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	shēn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	sam1

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 參

1. ginseng or any other similar plant
2. Short for 海參／海参 (hǎishēn, “sea cucumber”).

Etymology 3

trad.		參
simp.		参
alternative forms		叄 㕘 叅

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “derived from 三? related to 審?”)

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): cān (can¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄘㄢ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): caam¹ / cam¹
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): chham

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: cān
    • Zhuyin: ㄘㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: can
    • Wade–Giles: tsʻan¹
    • Yale: tsān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tsan
    • Palladius: цань (canʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰän⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: caam¹ / cam¹
    • Yale: chāam / chām
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsaam¹ / tsam¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: cam¹ / cem¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰaːm⁵⁵/, /t͡sʰɐm⁵⁵/

Note: cam1 - rare.

• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chham
    • Tâi-lô: tsham
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zhafm
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡sʰam⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sʰam³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡sʰam⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡sʰam⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰam⁴⁴/

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• Middle Chinese: tshom

Rime
Character	參
Reading #	3/5
Initial (聲)	清 (14)
Final (韻)	覃 (159)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	倉含切
Baxter	tshom
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/t͡sʰʌm/
Pan Wuyun	/t͡sʰəm/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡sʰɒm/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/t͡sʰəm/
Li Rong	/t͡sʰᴀm/
Wang Li	/t͡sʰɒm/
Bernard Karlgren	/t͡sʰăm/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	cān
Expected Cantonese Reflex	caam1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[tsʰ]ˤ[u]m/

  (Zhengzhang): /*sʰluːm/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	參
Reading #	1/4
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	cān
Middle Chinese	‹ tshom ›
Old Chinese	/*[tsʰ]ˁ[u]m/
English	accumulate
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	參
Reading #	1/5
No.	1081
Phonetic component	參
Rime group	侵
Rime subdivision	3
Corresponding MC rime	參
Old Chinese	/*sʰluːm/

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 參

1. ^† three objects in a group
2. ^† to pair up
3. ^† to equate
4. ^† to mix
5. ^† to be spread out; to be displayed
6. to join
7. to study; to discuss; to understand
8. ^† to inspect and verify
9. ^† to face
10. ^† to greet
11. to refer; to consult
12. to visit; to pay one's respect to
13. to impeach
14. ^† high
15. ^† a unit of weight
16. ^† (deprecated template usage) Alternative form of 驂／骖 (cān).

Etymology 4

trad.		參/叁
simp.		叁

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): sān (san¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄙㄢ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): saam¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: sān
    • Zhuyin: ㄙㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: san
    • Wade–Giles: san¹
    • Yale: sān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: san
    • Palladius: сань (sanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sän⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: saam¹
    • Yale: sāam
    • Cantonese Pinyin: saam¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: sam¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /saːm⁵⁵/

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 參

1. (financial) (deprecated template usage) Alternative form of 三 (sān, “three”).

   • 君子博學而日參省乎己 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     君子博学而日参省乎己 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Xunzi, c. 3^rd century BCE

     jūnzǐ bó xué ér rì sān xǐng hū jǐ [Pinyin]

     The gentleman learns broadly and examines himself thrice daily

See also

Chinese numbers
	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	102	103	104	106	108	1012
Normal (小寫／小写)	〇, 零, 空	一, 蜀	二, 兩／两	三	四	五	六	七	八	九	十	百	千	萬／万, 十千 (Malaysia, Singapore)	百萬／百万, 桶(Philippines), 面桶 (Philippines)	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

Etymology 5

trad.		參
simp.		参
alternative forms		叄 㕘 叅

Related to 巉 (OC *zraːm, *zraːmʔ, “craggy”) (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): cēn (cen¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄘㄣ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): caam¹ / cam¹
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): chhim / chham / chherm

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: cēn
    • Zhuyin: ㄘㄣ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: cen
    • Wade–Giles: tsʻên¹
    • Yale: tsēn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tsen
    • Palladius: цэнь (cɛnʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰən⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: caam¹ / cam¹
    • Yale: chāam / chām
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsaam¹ / tsam¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: cam¹ / cem¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰaːm⁵⁵/, /t͡sʰɐm⁵⁵/

Note: cam1 - rare.

• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhim
    • Tâi-lô: tshim
    • Phofsit Daibuun: chym
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡sʰim⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chham
    • Tâi-lô: tsham
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zhafm
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡sʰam⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chherm
    • Tâi-lô: tsherm
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sʰəm³³/

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• Middle Chinese: tsrhim

Rime
Character	參
Reading #	2/5
Initial (聲)	初 (19)
Final (韻)	侵 (140)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	楚簪切
Baxter	tsrhim
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/t͡ʃʰˠiɪm/
Pan Wuyun	/ʈ͡ʂʰᵚim/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡ʃʰiem/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ʈ͡ʂʰjim/
Li Rong	/t͡ʃʰjəm/
Wang Li	/t͡ʃʰĭĕm/
Bernard Karlgren	/ʈ͡ʂʰi̯əm/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	chēn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	cam1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[tsʰr][u]m/

  (Zhengzhang): /*sʰrum/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	參
Reading #	2/4
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	cēn
Middle Chinese	‹ tsrhim ›
Old Chinese	/*[tsʰr][u]m/
English	參差 tsrhim.tsrhje uneven
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	參
Reading #	4/5
No.	1103
Phonetic component	參
Rime group	侵
Rime subdivision	3
Corresponding MC rime	嵾
Old Chinese	/*sʰrum/
Notes	同嵾

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 參

1. Only used in 參差／参差 (cēncī) and 參錯／参错 (cēncuò).

Etymology 6

For pronunciation and definitions of 參 – see 摻 (“càn, type of drum music”). (This character is a variant form of 摻).

Etymology 7

For pronunciation and definitions of 參 – see 糝 (“mixed; impure”). (This character is a variant form of 糝).

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Japanese

Shinjitai	参
Kyūjitai	參

Kanji

參

(uncommon “Hyōgai” kanji, kyūjitai kanji, shinjitai form 参)

1. three

Readings

• Go-on: さん (san); しん (shin); そん (son)
• Kan-on: さん (san); しん (shin)
• Kun: まいる (mairu, 參る)

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Korean

Hanja

參 • (cham, sam) (hangeul 참, 삼, revised cham, sam, McCune–Reischauer ch'am, sam, Yale cham, sam)

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

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Vietnamese

Han character

參: Hán Nôm readings: tham, sam, sâm, khươm

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