始

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

始 (Kangxi radical 38, 女+5, 8 strokes, cangjie input 女戈口 (VIR), four-corner 4346₀, composition ⿰女台)

Derived characters

• 𡤔, 𪦲, 𦰯, 𠝔, 𤯯, 㗠, 𡤓

Further reading

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 258, character 16
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6166
• Dae Jaweon: page 523, character 22
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1041, character 12
• Unihan data for U+59CB

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Chinese

trad.		始
simp. #		始
alternative forms		兘 乨 𠃭 𠙉

Glyph origin

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

	Old Chinese
胎	*l̥ʰɯː
台	*l̥ʰɯː, *l'ɯː, *l'ɯː, *lɯ
邰	*l̥ʰɯː
鮐	*l̥ʰɯː, *lɯ
孡	*l̥ʰɯː
苔	*l'ɯː
抬	*l'ɯː
駘	*l'ɯː, *l'ɯːʔ
炱	*l'ɯː
菭	*l'ɯː, *l'i
跆	*l'ɯː
殆	*l'ɯːʔ
怠	*l'ɯːʔ
迨	*l'ɯːʔ
紿	*l'ɯːʔ
詒	*l'ɯːʔ, *lɯ
軩	*l'ɯːʔ
咍	*hlɯː
佁	*lɯːʔ, *l̥ʰɯs, *lɯʔ
枲	*slɯʔ
辝	*ljɯ
鈶	*ljɯʔ
笞	*l̥ʰɯ
齝	*l̥ʰɯ, *hljɯ
眙	*l̥ʰɯs, *lɯ
治	*l'ɯ, *l'ɯs, *l'is
始	*hljɯʔ
怡	*lɯ
貽	*lɯ
飴	*lɯ
瓵	*lɯ
珆	*li

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *hljɯʔ) : semantic 女 (“woman”) + phonetic 台 (OC *l̥ʰɯː, *l'ɯː, *l'ɯː, *lɯ).

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 始

1. to begin; to start
2. beginning; start
3. initial; first
4. then; only then; only after

   • 千呼萬喚始出來，猶抱琵琶半遮面。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     千呼万唤始出来，犹抱琵琶半遮面。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: (deprecated template usage) 白居易, 《琵琶行》 (translated by Betty Tseng)

     Qiānhūwànhuàn shǐ chūlái, yóu bào pípá bàn zhē miàn. [Pinyin]

     It was after many invitations, call after call, before she showed herself. Even then, she held her pipa close and revealed only half of her countenance.

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (始):

• → Japanese: 始(し) (shi)
• → Korean: 시(始) (si)
• → Vietnamese: thuỷ (始)

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Japanese

Kanji

始

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

1. to begin; to start

Readings

• Go-on: し (shi, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: し (shi, Jōyō)
• Kun: はじめる (hajimeru, 始める, Jōyō); はじめ (hajime, 始め); はじまる (hajimaru, 始まる, Jōyō)
• Nanori: とも (tomo); はじめ (hajime); はる (haru); もと (moto)

Compounds

• 始(はじめ)値(ね) (hajimene)
• 書(ふみ)始(はじめ) (fumihajime)
• 講(こう)書(しょ)始(はじめ) (kōshohajime)
• 布(ほう)衣(い)始(はじめ) (hōihajime)

 

Etymology

Kanji in this term
始
し Grade: 3
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 始 (MC syiX).

Affix

始(し) • (shi) 

1. beginning; start
2. initial; first

Derived terms

• 始期(しき) (shiki)
• 始(し)業(ぎょう) (shigyō)
• 始(し)原(げん) (shigen)
• 始(し)終(じゅう) (shijū)
• 始祖(しそ) (shiso)
• 始(し)端(たん) (shitan)
• 始(し)点(てん) (shiten)
• 始(し)電(でん) (shiden)
• 始(し)動(どう) (shidō)
• 始(し)発(はつ) (shihatsu)
• 始(し)末(まつ) (shimatsu)
• 開(かい)始(し) (kaishi)
• 起始(きし) (kishi)
• 原(げん)始(し) (genshi)
• 元(げん)始(し) (genshi)
• 更(こう)始(し) (kōshi)
• 終(しゅう)始(し) (shūshi)
• 創(そう)始(し) (sōshi)
• 年(ねん)始(し) (nenshi)
• 無始(むし) (mushi)
• 始(し)球式(きゅうしき) (shikyūshiki)
• 始(し)新世(しんせい) (shishinsei)
• 始(し)生代(せいだい) (shiseidai)
• 始(し)端(たん)部(ぶ) (shitanbu)
• 始(し)発駅(はつえき) (shihatsueki)
• 始(し)末書(まつしょ) (shimatsusho)
• 始(し)末(まつ)屋(や) (shimatsuya)

 

See also

• 初(しょ) (sho)

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Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 始 (MC syiX).

Hanja

Wikisource

始 (eumhun 비롯할 시 (birothal si))
始 (eumhun 비로소 시 (biroso si))

1. hanja form^? of 시 (“beginning; start”)
2. hanja form^? of 시 (“initial; first”)

Compounds

Compounds

• 시말 (始末, simal)
• 시작 (始作, sijak)
• 시조 (始祖, sijo)
• 시종 (始終, sijong)
• 개시 (開始, gaesi)
• 본시 (本始, bonsi)
• 연시 (年始, yeonsi)
• 원시 (原始, wonsi)
• 조시 (肇始, josi)
• 종시 (終始, jongsi)
• 창시 (創始, changsi)
• 시조조 (始祖鳥, sijojo)

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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Vietnamese

Han character

始: Hán Việt readings: thủy/thuỷ, thỉ (詩(thi)止(chỉ)切(thiết))
始: Nôm readings: thỉ, thủy/thuỷ

1. chữ Hán form of thuỷ/thủy (“beginning; start; initial”).

Compounds

Compounds

• 始終 (thủy chung/thuỷ chung)
• 始祖 (thủy tổ/thuỷ tổ)
• 終始 (chung thủy/chung thuỷ)
• 開始 (khai thủy/khai thuỷ)
• 起始 (khởi thủy/khởi thuỷ)
• 原始 (nguyên thủy/nguyên thuỷ)