四

See also: 西, 匹, and 㓁

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

四 (Kangxi radical 31, 囗+2, 5 strokes, cangjie input 田金 (WC), four-corner 6021₀, composition ⿴囗⿰丿㇄(GHTV) or ⿴囗儿(JK))

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 216, character 22
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 4682
• Dae Jaweon: page 439, character 21
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 710, character 16
• Unihan data for U+56DB

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Chinese

simp. and trad.		四
alternative forms		肆 financial 亖 皿 龱 𠁤 肆 financial 亖 皿 龱 𠁤 𠃢 𦉭

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 四
Shang		Western Zhou	Spring and Autumn	Warring States			Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)			Liushutong (compiled in Ming)	Libian (compiled in Qing)
Bronze inscriptions	Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Qin slip script	Shizhoupian script	Ancient script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts	Clerical script

Characters in the same phonetic series (四) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
訵	*l̥ʰids
四	*hljids
泗	*hljids
駟	*hljids
柶	*hljids
牭	*hljids
呬	*hrids

The word "four" was written as 亖 before Western Zhou and 四 appeared in late Spring and Autumn period. This alternative form was used to prevent confusion of 亖 and 二 or 三 in vertical writing. It was standardized in Qin dynasty.

The bronzeware style of the character featured a repositioning of those four lines inside 口; this later evolved into the combination used today of 口 (“mouth”) and 八 (“divide”) which meant a dispersal of breath. It could thus be said that four is a borrowed meaning for this character. The original sense is preserved in 呬 (OC *hrids), by adding an extra 口.

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *b-ləj.

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 四

1. four
2. (music) la (musical note)
3. (printing) English; The size of type between 小四 (little 4) and 小三 (little 3), standardized as 14 point.

Usage notes

As superstition, 四 (MC sijH) is avoided because it is similar to 死 (MC sijX, “death”) in sound.

Compounds

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (四):

• → Japanese: 四(し) (shi)
• → Korean: 사(四) (sa)
• → Vietnamese: tứ (四)

Others:

• • Lao: ສີ່ (sī)
  • Thai: สี่ (sìi)

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

Playing cards in Mandarin · 撲克牌／扑克牌 (pūkèpái) (layout · text)
尖兒／尖儿 (jiānr)	二 (èr)	三 (sān)	四 (sì)	五 (wǔ)	六 (liù)	七 (qī)
八 (bā)	九 (jiǔ)	十 (shí)	鉤兒／钩儿 (gōur)	圈兒／圈儿 (quānr), 皮蛋 (pídàn, regional)	K	小王 (xiǎowáng, black), 大王 (red), 小鬼 (xiǎoguǐ, black), 大鬼 (dàguǐ, red)

Further reading

• “Entry #1418”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Kanji

四

(grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: し (shi, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: し (shi, Jōyō)
• Kun: よ (yo, 四, Jōyō); よつ (yotsu, 四つ, Jōyō); よっつ (yottsu, 四つ, Jōyō); よん (yon, 四, Jōyō)
• Nanori: あ (a); つ (tsu); ひろ (hiro); もち (mochi)

Compounds

• 四股(しこ) (shiko)
• 四阿(あずまや) (azumaya)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
四
よ Grade: 1
kun'yomi

⟨yo₂⟩ → */jə/ → /jo/

From Old Japanese.

Numeral

四(よ) • (yo) 

Japanese cardinal numbers

<  3	4	5  >
Cardinal : 四

1. four, 4

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 四(よ)つ (yotsu), 四(よっ)つ (yottsu)
• 四十(よそ) (yoso)
• 四(よ)隅(すみ) (yosumi)
• 四人(よったり) (yottari)
• 四方(よも) (yomo)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
四
よん Grade: 1
kun'yomi

Shift from yo above, influenced by analogy by the final sound of preceding number 三 (san, “three”).

Numeral

四(よん) • (yon) 

1. four, 4

Derived terms

• 四(よん)十(じゅう) (yonjū)
• 四(よん)輪(りん) (yonrin)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
四
し Grade: 1
on'yomi

/si/ → /ɕi/

From Middle Chinese 四 (MC sijH).

Compare modern Hakka 四 (si).

Alternative forms

• (financial form) 肆

Numeral

四(し) • (shi) 

1. four, 4

Usage notes

Due to Chinese influence, 四 (shi) is sometimes avoided as it is homonymous to 死 (shi, “death”).

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 四(し)角(かく) (shikaku)
• 四(し)更(こう) (shikō)
• 四(し)季(き) (shiki)
• 四(し)捨(しゃ)五(ご)入(にゅう) (shishagonyū)
• 四(し)十(じゅう) (shijū)
• 四(し)則(そく) (shisoku)
• 四(し)大(だい) (shidai)
• 四(し)天(てん)王(のう) (Shitennō)
• 四(し)面(めん) (shimen)

Noun

四(し) • (shi) 

1. the fourth

Affix

四(し) • (shi) 

1. four
2. fourth
3. quadruple
4. here and there

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 四(し)囲(い) (shī)
• 四(し)海(かい) (shikai)
• 四(し)月(がつ) (shigatsu)
• 四(し)周(しゅう) (shishū)
• 四(し)半(はん) (shihan)
• 四(し)隣(りん) (shirin)
• 再(さい)三(さん)再(さい)四(し) (saisan-saishi)
• 朝(ちょう)三(さん)暮(ぼ)四(し) (chōsanboshi)

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
四
すう Grade: 1
irregular

From Mandarin 四 (sì).

Numeral

四(スー) • (sū) 

1. four, 4

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 四(スー)暗(アン)刻(コー) (sūankō)
• 四(スー)槓(カン)子(ツ) (sūkantsu)
• 四(スー)索(ソー) (sūsō)
• 四(スー)筒(ピン) (sūpin)
• 四(スー)風(ホン)牌(パイ) (sūhonpai)
• 四(スー)喜(シー)和(ホー) (sūshīhō)
  • 小(しょう)四(スー)喜(シー) (shōsūshī)
  • 大(だい)四(スー)喜(シー) (daisūshī)
• 四(スー)萬(ワン) (sūwan)

See also

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

• The Japan Times (March 17, 2010). You can count on the tales behind number-kanji. Accessed March 23, 2010.

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Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 四 (MC sijH). Recorded as Middle Korean ᄉᆞ (so) (Yale: so) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Hanja

Wikisource

四 (eumhun 넉 사 (neok sa))

1. Hanja form^? of 사 (“four”).

Compounds

Compounds

• 사각 (四角, sagak)
• 사계 (四季, sagye)
• 사구 (四球, sagu)
• 사방 (四方, sabang)
• 사서 (四書, saseo)
• 사시 (四時, sasi)
• 사십 (四十, sasip)
• 사월 (四月, sawol)
• 사지 (四肢, saji)
• 사천 (四川, Sacheon)
• 사촌 (四寸, sachon)
• 십사 (十四, sipsa)
• 사각형 (四角形, sagakhyeong)
• 사계절 (四季節, sagyejeol)
• 사천왕 (四天王, sacheonwang)
• 사불상 (四不像, sabulsang)
• 정사품 (正四品, jeongsapum)
• 사사오입 (四捨五入, sasaoip)
• 정사각형 (正四角形, jeongsagakhyeong)
• 정사면체 (正四面體, jeongsamyeonche)
• 재삼재사 (再三再四, jaesamjaesa)

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [1]

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Old Japanese

Etymology

From Proto-Japonic *yə.

Also used as 借訓 (shakkun) kana for ⟨yo₂⟩.

Numeral

四 (yo₂) (kana よ)

1. four, 4

Derived terms

• 四人 (yo₂tari)

Descendants

• Japanese: 四 (yo, yon)

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Vietnamese

Han character

四: Hán Việt readings: tứ
四: Nôm readings: tớ, tứ, tư

1. chữ Hán form of tứ (“four”).
2. Nôm form of tư (“four; fourth”).