婆

婆 U+5A46, 婆 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5A46 ← 婅 [U+5A45] CJK Unified Ideographs 婇 → [U+5A47]

Translingual

Han character

婆 (Kangxi radical 38, 女+8, 11 strokes, cangjie input 水水女 (EEV), four-corner 3440₄, composition ⿱波女)

Derived characters

• 嘙, 𫾀, 𪳪, 𡼃, 蔢

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 264, character 6
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6390
• Dae Jaweon: page 530, character 26
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1061, character 11
• Unihan data for U+5A46

Chinese

trad.		婆
simp. #		婆

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 婆
Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Transcribed ancient scripts

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

	Old Chinese
陂	*pral, *prals
詖	*pral, *prals
彼	*pralʔ
柀	*pralʔ
佊	*pralʔ, *prals
貱	*prals
跛	*prals, *paːlʔ
披	*pʰral, *pʰralʔ
鈹	*pʰral
帔	*pʰral, *pʰrals
鮍	*pʰral
耚	*pʰral
狓	*pʰral
翍	*pʰral
旇	*pʰral, *brals
秛	*pʰral, *pʰrals
紴	*pʰralʔ, *paːl
皮	*bral
疲	*bral
被	*bralʔ, *brals
髲	*brals
鞁	*brals
骳	*mbralʔ
波	*paːl
碆	*paːl, *baːl
菠	*paːl
簸	*paːlʔ, *paːls
駊	*paːlʔ, *pʰaːlʔ
頗	*pʰaːl, *pʰaːlʔ, *pʰaːls
坡	*pʰaːl
玻	*pʰaːl
破	*pʰaːls
婆	*baːl
蔢	*baːl

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *baːl): phonetic 波 (OC *paːl) + semantic 女 (“woman”).

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *pʷa-n ~ *bʷa-n (“grandmother”). Cognate with Burmese ဘွား (bhwa:, “grandmother”) (STEDT).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): pó (po²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄆㄛˊ

  (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): po²

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): po⁴ / po^4-2

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): po³ / po⁴

• Gan (Wiktionary): po²
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): phò

  (Meixian, Guangdong): po²

• Jin (Wiktionary): pe¹
• Northern Min (KCR): bǒ̤
• Eastern Min (BUC): bò̤
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): bo²
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): pô / pô͘

  (Teochew, Peng'im): pua⁵ / bo⁵

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶bu
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): bo² / ba¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: pó
    • Zhuyin: ㄆㄛˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: pó
    • Wade–Giles: pʻo²
    • Yale: pwó
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: por
    • Palladius: по (po)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰu̯ɔ³⁵/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: po²
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: po
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰo²¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: po⁴ / po^4-2
    • Yale: pòh / pó
    • Cantonese Pinyin: po⁴ / po^4-2
    • Guangdong Romanization: po⁴ / po^4-2
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰɔː²¹/, /pʰɔː²¹⁻³⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: po³ / po⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰᵘɔ²²/, /pʰᵘɔ²¹/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: po²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰo²⁴/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: phò
    • Hakka Romanization System: po^ˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: po²
    • Sinological IPA: /pʰo¹¹/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: po²
    • Sinological IPA: /pʰo¹¹/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: pe¹
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /pʰɤ¹¹/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: bǒ̤
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pɔ²¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: bò̤
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /po⁵³/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: bo²
    • Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: beó
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /po¹³/
  • (Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: bo²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /po²⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pô
    • Tâi-lô: pô
    • Phofsit Daibuun: pooi
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /po¹³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /pɤ²³/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Taipei): /po²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pô͘
    • Tâi-lô: pôo
    • Phofsit Daibuun: poo
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /pɔ²⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: pua⁵ / bo⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: phuâ / pô
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pʰua⁵⁵/, /po⁵⁵/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶bu
    • MiniDict: bu^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³bu
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /bu²³/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: bo² / ba¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /po¹³/, /pa̠³³/

Note: ba1 - only used in “婆娑(ba1sa1)”.

---

• Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 婆
Mandarin	Beijing	/pʰo³⁵/
	Harbin	/pʰɤ²⁴/
	Tianjin	/pʰo⁴⁵/
	Jinan	/pʰə⁴²/
	Qingdao	/pʰə⁴²/
	Zhengzhou	/pʰo⁴²/
	Xi'an	/pʰo²⁴/ ～娘 /pʰo⁴⁴/ 丈夫母親
	Xining	/pʰɔ²⁴/
	Yinchuan	/pʰuə⁵³/
	Lanzhou	/pʰə⁵³/
	Ürümqi	/pʰɤ⁵¹/
	Wuhan	/pʰo²¹³/
	Chengdu	/pʰo³¹/
	Guiyang	/pʰo²¹/
	Kunming	/pʰo³¹/
	Nanjing	/pʰo²⁴/
	Hefei	/pʰʊ⁵⁵/
Jin	Taiyuan	/pʰɤ¹¹/
	Pingyao	/pʰɔ¹³/ /pei¹³/ 老～
	Hohhot	/pʰɤ³¹/
Wu	Shanghai	/bu²³/
	Suzhou	/bu¹³/
	Hangzhou	/bo²¹³/
	Wenzhou	/bøy³¹/
Hui	Shexian	/pʰo⁴⁴/
	Tunxi	/pʰo⁴⁴/
Xiang	Changsha	/po¹³/
	Xiangtan	/bo¹²/
Gan	Nanchang	/pʰo²⁴/
Hakka	Meixian	/pʰo¹¹/
	Taoyuan	/pʰo¹¹/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/pʰɔ²¹/
	Nanning	/pʰɔ²¹/
	Hong Kong	/pʰɔ²¹/
Min	Xiamen (Hokkien)	/po³⁵/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/po⁵³/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/pɔ²¹/ /pɔ³³/ 賤
	Shantou (Teochew)	/pʰua⁵⁵/ /po⁵⁵/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/fo³¹/ /ʔbo³¹/

---

• Middle Chinese: ba

Rime
Character	婆
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	並 (3)
Final (韻)	戈 (95)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	薄波切
Baxter	ba
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/buɑ/
Pan Wuyun	/buɑ/
Shao Rongfen	/buɑ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/bwa/
Li Rong	/buɑ/
Wang Li	/buɑ/
Bernhard Karlgren	/bʱuɑ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	pó
Expected Cantonese Reflex	po4

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[b]ˤa[j]/

  (Zhengzhang): /*baːl/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	婆
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	pó
Middle Chinese	‹ ba ›
Old Chinese	/*[b]ˁa[j]/
English	婆娑 saunter, dance
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	婆
Reading #	1/1
No.	9734
Phonetic component	皮
Rime group	歌
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	婆
Old Chinese	/*baːl/
Notes	爾雅用於婆娑， 廣韻老母乃如集韻同媻

Definitions

婆

1. old woman
2. grandmother
3. mother-in-law (of a woman); husband's mother
4. woman in a particular profession

   媒婆  ―  méipó  ―  female matchmaker

5. pejorative suffix for a woman

   肥婆  ―  féipó  ―  fat woman

6. (ACG, neologism) Short for 老婆 (lǎopo, “wife”)

Usage notes

In transcriptions of Buddhist terms, 婆 (MC ba) is often used to transcribe Sanskrit ब (ba), भ (bha) and व (va), e.g. 濕婆 / 湿婆 (Shīpó, “Shiva”).

Compounds

• 一片婆心
• 三姑六婆 (sāngūliùpó)
• 三婆
• 三婆二婦 / 三婆二妇
• 丑婆子
• 主人婆
• 乞婆 (qǐpó)
• 事頭婆 / 事头婆
• 伯婆 (bópó)
• 伯爺婆 / 伯爷婆
• 偷婆娘
• 優婆塞 / 优婆塞 (yōupósè)
• 優婆夷 / 优婆夷 (yōupóyí)
• 兩公婆 / 两公婆
• 八婆 (bāpó)
• 公公婆婆
• 公央婆
• 公婆 (gōngpó)
• 助產婆 / 助产婆
• 叔婆 (shūpó)
• 土地婆
• 坐婆
• 外婆 (wàipó)
• 夜叉婆
• 大嬸婆 / 大婶婆
• 大腳婆娘 / 大脚婆娘
• 太婆 (tàipó)
• 妹仔大過主人婆 / 妹仔大过主人婆
• 姑婆 (gūpó)
• 姑婆芋 (gūpóyù)
• 姨婆 (yípó)
• 娑婆 (suōpó)
• 娘婆
• 娑婆世界 (Suōpó shìjiè)
• 婆兒 / 婆儿
• 婆兒氣 / 婆儿气
• 婆姨 (póyí)
• 婆娑 (pósuō)
• 婆娘 (póniáng)
• 婆娘子
• 婆娑起舞
• 婆婆 (pópo)
• 婆婆媽媽 / 婆婆妈妈
• 婆婆慢慢
• 婆媽 / 婆妈
• 婆媳 (póxí)
• 婆子 (pózi)
• 婆子口舌
• 婆家 (pójiā)
• 婆心 (póxīn)
• 婆羅 / 婆罗 (Póluó)
• 婆老
• 婆那娑
• 媒婆 (méipó)
• 媽祖婆 / 妈祖婆
• 嬸婆 / 婶婆 (shěnpó)
• 孟婆 (Mèngpó)
• 家主婆
• 小老婆子
• 岐婆
• 巫婆 (wūpó)
• 師婆 / 师婆 (shīpó)
• 床公床婆
• 後堯婆 / 后尧婆
• 接生婆 (jiēshēngpó)
• 攙扶婆 / 搀扶婆
• 支婆
• 收生婆 (shōushēngpó)
• 春夢婆 / 春梦婆
• 歹婆娘
• 毗婆尸佛
• 毘婆沙部 / 毗婆沙部
• 毗舍婆佛
• 活閃婆 / 活闪婆
• 浪婆
• 湯婆 / 汤婆 (tāngpó)
• 漁婆 / 渔婆
• 牙婆 (yápó)
• 產婆 / 产婆 (chǎnpó)
• 產婆術 / 产婆术
• 男人婆 (nánrénpó)
• 番婆
• 神婆 (shénpó)
• 穩婆 / 稳婆 (wěnpó)
• 管家婆 (guǎnjiāpó)
• 綽板婆 / 绰板婆
• 老令婆
• 老太婆 (lǎotàipó)
• 老婆
• 老子婆娑
• 老虔婆
• 肥婆 (féipó)
• 腳婆 / 脚婆
• 苦口婆心 (kǔkǒupóxīn)
• 蘋婆 / 苹婆 (píngpó)
• 虎姑婆
• 虔婆 (qiánpó)
• 虔婆勢 / 虔婆势
• 衰婆
• 豬婆龍 / 猪婆龙 (zhūpólóng)
• 賣婆 / 卖婆
• 跟婆
• 道婆
• 醫婆 / 医婆
• 阿婆 (āpó)
• 雞婆 / 鸡婆 (jīpó)
• 頻婆 / 频婆 (pínpó)
• 風婆婆 / 风婆婆
• 養婆娘 / 养婆娘
• 鬼婆 (guǐpó)
• 麻婆
• 麻婆豆腐 (mápó dòufu)
• 黃婆 / 黄婆
• 黃臉婆 / 黄脸婆 (huángliǎnpó)
• 黃道婆 / 黄道婆
• 鼙婆 (pípó)
• 龜婆 / 龟婆 (guīpó)

Japanese

Kanji

婆

(Jōyō kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: ば (ba, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: は (ha)
• Tō-on: ほ (ho)
• Kun: ばあ (bā, 婆)、ばば (baba, 婆)

Compounds

• 婆(ば)伽(が)婆(ば) (bagaba), 婆(ば)伽(ぎゃ)婆(ば) (bagyaba)
• 婆(ば)娑(さ) (basa)
• 婆(ば)娑(さ)羅(ら) (basara), 婆(ば)娑(しゃ)羅(ら) (bashara)
• 婆(バ)婆(バ)鰈(ガレイ) (babagarei)
• 婆(バ)羅(ラ)門(モン) (baramon, “brahmin”)
• 悪(あく)婆(ば) (akuba)
• 産(さん)婆(ば) (sanba)
• 奪(だつ)衣(え)婆(ば), 脱(だつ)衣(え)婆(ば) (datsueba)
• 娑(しゃ)婆(ば) (shaba)
• 卒(そ)塔(と)婆(ば) (sotoba, “stupa”)
• 薩(そ)婆(わ)訶(か) (sowaka, “svāhā”)
• 転(てん)婆(ば) (tenba)
  • お転(てん)婆(ば), 御(お)転(てん)婆(ば) (otenba)
• 湯(ゆ)湯(たん)婆(ぽ) (yutanpo, “hot water bottle”)
• 老(ろう)婆(ば) (rōba)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
婆
ばば Grade: S
kun'yomi

Possibly a reduplication of 姥 (uba, “old woman”). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ばば [báꜜbà] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ba̠ba̠]

Noun

婆(ばば) • (baba) 

1. an elderly woman, old woman

   Synonyms: 老女 (rōjo), 老婆 (rōba)

   Antonym: 爺 (jiji)

2. (card games) Old Maid

Derived terms

• お婆(ばあ)さん (obāsan)
• 悪(あく)婆(ばば) (akubaba)
• 梅(うめ)干(ぼし)婆(ばば) (umeboshi baba)
• 火(か)車(しゃ)婆(ばば) (kasha baba)
• 鎌(かま)婆(ばば) (kamababa)
• 子(こ)取(と)り婆(ばば) (kotoribaba)
• 狸(たぬき)婆(ばば) (tanukibaba)
• 猫(ねこ)股(また)婆(ばば) (nekomata baba)
• 灸(やいと)の婆(ばば) (yaito no baba)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
婆
ばばあ Grade: S
irregular

/baba/ → /babaː/

Alteration of baba above.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ばばあ [bàbáꜜà] (Nakadaka – [2])
• IPA^(key): [ba̠ba̠ː]

Noun

婆(ばばあ) • (babā) 

1. an elderly woman, old woman

   Antonym: 爺 (jijī)

2. (colloquial) a complaint, grumbling

   Synonym: 愚痴 (guchi)

Derived terms

• 狸(たぬき)婆(ばばあ) (tanukibabā)

See also

• 祖母(ばば) (baba, “grandmother”)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
婆
ば Grade: S
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 婆 (MC ba).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ba̠]

Affix

婆(ば) • (ba) 

1. old woman, crone
2. Used in Sanskrit transliterations

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 婆 (MC ba). Recorded as Middle Korean 파 (pha) (Yale: pha) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Hanja

Wikisource

婆 (eumhun 할머니 파 (halmeoni pa))

1. hanja form^? of 파 (“old woman”)

Compounds

• 노파 (老婆, nopa)
• 바라문 (婆羅門, baramun)
• 사바 (娑婆, saba)
• 탑파 (塔婆, tap'pa)

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]

Vietnamese

Han character

婆: Hán Nôm readings: bà

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