字

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See also: 宇, 亭, and 宁
字 U+5B57, 字
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5B57
← 孖
[U+5B56] 		CJK Unified Ideographs 存 →
[U+5B58]
🈑 U+1F211, 🈑
SQUARED CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5B57
← 🈐
[U+1F210] 		Enclosed Ideographic Supplement 🈒 →
[U+1F212]

Translingual[edit]

Stroke order
Stroke order
6 strokes

Han character[edit]

字 (Kangxi radical 39, 子+3, 6 strokes, cangjie input 十弓木 (JND), four-corner 30407, composition ⿱宀子)

Derived characters[edit]

References[edit]

  • KangXi: page 277, character 18
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6942
  • Dae Jaweon: page 545, character 7
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1010, character 2
  • Unihan data for U+5B57

Chinese[edit]

simp. and trad.
 字

Glyph origin[edit]

Historical forms of the character 字
Shang Western Zhou Spring and Autumn Warring States Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions Bronze inscriptions Bronze inscriptions Qin slip script Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts
Characters in the same phonetic series (子) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
孜 *ʔslɯ
仔 *ʔslɯ, *ʔslɯʔ
孖 *ʔslɯ, *zlɯs
子 *ʔslɯʔ
虸 *ʔslɯʔ
耔 *ʔslɯʔ
秄 *ʔslɯʔ
杍 *ʔslɯʔ
籽 *ʔslɯʔ
字 *zlɯs
茡 *zlɯs
芓 *zlɯs
牸 *zlɯs
李 *rɯʔ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *zlɯs): semantic 宀 (“roof”) + phonetic 子 (OC *ʔslɯʔ, “child”).

Etymology[edit]

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *tsa ~ za (“child; to give birth; to take care; to be kind”). Related to:

  • 子 (OC *ʔslɯʔ, “child, son”) (also its phonetic component)
  • 慈 (OC *zɯ, “to be kind, loving”)
  • 滋 (OC *ʔsɯ, “to nourish, to grow”)
  • 詞 (OC *ljɯ, “word, term”)
  • 辭 (OC *ljɯ, “word, from testimony”)

Original sense (1): “to become pregnant, to give birth to, to nurture, to love” has essentially become obsolete. The sense (2) “letter, character” is either from a different root or a derivation from the sense “to produce, to generate”.

Cognate with Tibetan ཚ་བོ (tsha bo, “nephew”), Tibetan ཚ་རུས (tsha rus, “descendant”), Tibetan བཙའ (btsa', “to give birth to; to guard”), Tibetan མཛའ (mdza', “kind, peaceful, friendly”) (Quan, 1996), Burmese စာ (ca, “writing, letter”).

Pronunciation[edit]

Note:
  • lī/jī/lǐ/gī - vernacular;
  • chū/chīr/chī/jū - literary.
Note: re6 - Chinese-style name, “to be allow to marry”.
  • Dialectal data
Variety Location 字
Mandarin Beijing /t͡sz̩⁵¹/
Harbin /t͡sz̩⁵³/
Tianjin /ye⁵³/
Jinan /t͡sz̩²¹/
Qingdao /t͡sz̩⁴²/
Zhengzhou /t͡sz̩³¹²/
Xi'an /t͡sz̩⁴⁴/
Xining /t͡sz̩²¹³/
Yinchuan /t͡sz̩¹³/
Lanzhou /t͡sz̩¹³/
Ürümqi /t͡sz̩²¹³/
Wuhan /t͡sz̩³⁵/
Chengdu /t͡sz̩¹³/
Guiyang /t͡sz̩²¹³/
Kunming /t͡sz̩²¹²/
Nanjing /t͡sz̩⁴⁴/
Hefei /t͡sz̩⁵³/
Jin Taiyuan /t͡sz̩⁴⁵/
Pingyao /t͡sz̩³⁵/
Hohhot /t͡sz̩⁵⁵/
Wu Shanghai /zz̩²³/
Suzhou /zz̩³¹/
Hangzhou /zz̩¹³/
Wenzhou /zz̩²²/
Hui Shexian /t͡sʰz̩²²/
Tunxi /t͡sʰz̩¹¹/
Xiang Changsha /t͡sz̩⁵⁵/
/t͡sz̩¹¹/
Xiangtan /d͡zz̩²¹/
Gan Nanchang /t͡sʰz̩²¹/
Hakka Meixian /sz̩⁵³/
Taoyuan /sï⁵⁵/
Cantonese Guangzhou /t͡si²²/
Nanning /t͡sz̩²²/
Hong Kong /t͡si²²/
Min Xiamen (Min Nan) /t͡su²²/
/li²²/
Fuzhou (Min Dong) /t͡sɛi²⁴²/
Jian'ou (Min Bei) /t͡si⁴⁴/
Shantou (Min Nan) /zi³¹/
Haikou (Min Nan) /t͡si³³/
/tu²³/ 訓書
Rime
Character 字
Reading # 1/1
Initial (聲) 從 (15)
Final (韻) 之 (19)
Tone (調) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) III
Fanqie 疾置切
Baxter dziH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/d͡zɨH/
Pan
Wuyun 		/d͡zɨH/
Shao
Rongfen 		/d͡zieH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/d͡zɨH/
Li
Rong 		/d͡ziəH/
Wang
Li 		/d͡zĭəH/
Bernard
Karlgren 		/d͡zʱiH/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		zì
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		zi6
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 字
Reading # 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin) 		zì
Middle
Chinese 		‹ dziH ›
Old
Chinese 		/*mə-dzə(ʔ)-s/
English breed, love (v.); character

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 字
Reading # 1/1
No. 17864
Phonetic
component 		子
Rime
group 		之
Rime
subdivision 		0
Corresponding
MC rime 		字
Old
Chinese 		/*zlɯs/
Notes 子分化字

Definitions[edit]

字

  1. letter; symbol; character, especially a Chinese character (Classifier: 個／个 m c; 隻／只 c)
    這個字怎麼唸？／这个字怎么念？  ―  Zhège zì zěnme niàn?  ―  How do you read this character?
    字母  ―  zìmǔ  ―  letter
    字串  ―  zìchuàn  ―  character string
  2. word; term; wording; diction
    這字拼錯了。／这字拼错了。  ―  Zhè zì pīn cuò le.  ―  This word is wrongly spelt; you've left out a letter.
  3. (computing) word
  4. handwriting; writing
    他的字很差。  ―  Tā de zì hěn chà.  ―  His handwriting is very bad.
  5. (historical) courtesy name; Chinese-style name (a name traditionally given to Chinese males at the age of 20 and females at the age of 15)
  6. (historical) to style; to give someone a courtesy name
  7. (calligraphy) style of handwriting; printing type
  8. (calligraphy) (a calligrapher's) calligraphy work
  9. written letter; message; correspondence
  10. receipt; contract; slip
  11. pronunciation of a character; pronunciation
  12. (colloquial) side of a coin with written characters; tails
    Antonym: 鏝／镘 (màn)
  13. (Cantonese, Min, Malaysia, Singapore) five minutes (derived from the locations of 1 to 12 on a clock face) (Classifier: 個／个 m c)
    三個字／三个字 [Cantonese]  ―  saam1 go3 zi6 [Jyutping]  ―  fifteen minutes [i.e. when the minute hand points to 3]
    七點兩字／七点两字 [Hokkien]  ―  chhit tiám nn̄g jī [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  ten past seven
    一個字／一个字 [Teochew]  ―  zêg8 gai5 ri7 [Peng'im]  ―  five minutes [i.e. when the minute hand points to 1]
    而家係一點十一個字。 [Guangzhou Cantonese, trad.]
    而家系一点十一个字。 [Guangzhou Cantonese, simp.]
    ji4 gaa1 hai6 jat1 dim2 sap6 jat1 go3 zi6. [Jyutping]
    It's five to two now. (Literally: It's one o'clock [and] eleven five-minutes.)
    爭三個字到六點 [Guangzhou Cantonese, trad.]
    争三个字到六点 [Guangzhou Cantonese, simp.]
    zaang1 saam1 go3 zi6 dou3 luk6 dim2 [Jyutping]
    a quarter to six (Literally: Missing three five-minutes to six o'clock)
  14. † to give birth to; to deliver a baby; to bring into the world
  15. † to be pregnant; to be carrying a baby
  16. † (historical, of a girl) to be betrothed; to be allowed to marry
    待字閨中／待字闺中  ―  dàizìguīzhōng  ―  to stay in the boudoir waiting to be betrothed
  17. † to bring up; to raise; to rear (a child)
  18. (obsolete or Guzhang Waxiang) to love; to cherish; to care very much for
  19. (Luxi Waxiang) to envy; to be jealous of; to admire
  20. † to educate; to teach; to instruct
  21. † to govern; to administer
  22. a surname

Synonyms[edit]

Dialectal synonyms of 字 (“written character”) [map]
Variety Location Words
Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 字
Mandarin Beijing 字兒
Taiwan 字
Yantai (Muping) 字
Wanrong 字
Xi'an 字
Lanzhou 字兒
Singapore 字
Cantonese Guangzhou 字
Hong Kong 字
Singapore (Guangfu) 字
Gan Lichuan 字
Hakka Meixian 字
Min Bei Jian'ou 字
Min Dong Fuzhou 字
Min Nan Xiamen 字
Singapore (Hokkien) 字
Chaozhou 字
Singapore (Teochew) 字
Leizhou 字
Haikou 字
Wu Shanghai 字
Ningbo 字
Wenzhou 字
Dialectal synonyms of 字 (“side of a coin with written characters”) [map]
Variety Location Words
Mandarin Beijing 字兒
Jinan 字兒
Xi'an 字兒
Lanzhou 字兒
Xining 字兒
Ürümqi 字兒
Wuhan 麻
Xuzhou 字兒
Cantonese Hong Kong 字
Gan Nanchang 字
Lichuan 碼兒, 字兒
Pingxiang 麻子, 字仔
Jin Taiyuan 字兒
Xinzhou 字兒
Shenmu 字兒
Min Dong Fuzhou 字
Wu Ningbo 字
Wenzhou 字
Xiang Changsha 麻子
Dialectal synonyms of 喜歡 (“to like”) [map]
Variety Location Words
Classical Chinese 好, 喜好, 愛好, 字
Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 喜歡, 喜愛, 喜好, 愛好
Mandarin Beijing 喜歡, 好希, 稀罕, 愛
Taiwan 喜歡, 愛
Jinan 喜歡
Xi'an 喜歡, 愛
Wuhan 喜歡, 愛
Chengdu 喜歡, 歡喜, 愛
Chongqing 喜歡, 歡喜
Guilin 喜歡
Yangzhou 歡喜
Hefei 喜歡
Malaysia 喜歡
Singapore 喜歡
Cantonese Guangzhou 中意, 歡喜
Hong Kong 中意, 好
Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou) 中意
Macau 中意
Guangzhou (Panyu) 中意
Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu) 中意
Guangzhou (Conghua) 中意
Guangzhou (Zengcheng) 中意
Foshan 中意
Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai) 中意
Foshan (Shunde) 中意
Foshan (Sanshui) 中意
Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming) 中意
Zhongshan (Shiqi) 歡喜, 中意
Zhuhai (Qianshan) 中意
Zhuhai (Doumen, Shangheng Tanka) 中意
Zhuhai (Doumen) 中意
Jiangmen (Baisha) 中意
Jiangmen (Xinhui) 中意
Taishan 中意
Kaiping (Chikan) 爽心, 中意
Enping (Niujiang) 中意
Heshan (Yayao) 中意
Dongguan 中意
Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an) 中意
Yangjiang 中意, 歡喜
Beihai 中意
Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô) 中意
Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà) 中意, 喜歡
Fangchenggang (Fangcheng) 中意
Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) 中意, 蘇格
Singapore (Guangfu) 中意
Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu) 中意
Móng Cái 中意
Gan Nanchang 歡喜
Hakka Meixian 中意, 好
Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua) 中意
Dongguan (Qingxi) 中意
Shenzhen (Shatoujiao) 中意
Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui) 中意
Conghua (Lütian) 歡喜
Miaoli (N. Sixian) 中意, 好
Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) 中意, 好
Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) 中意, 好
Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) 中意, 合意, 好
Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) 中意, 好
Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) 佮意, 愛
Senai (Huiyang) 中意
Kuching (Hepo) 蘇格
Jin Taiyuan 喜歡, 待見
Min Bei Jian'ou 愛, 喜歡
Min Dong Fuzhou 歡喜, 中意, 愛
Min Nan Xiamen 歡喜, 意愛, 愛, 佮意, 舒合
Xiamen (Tong'an) 佮意
Quanzhou 歡喜, 意愛, 愛, 佮意
Shishi 佮意
Zhangzhou 歡喜, 愛, 佮意
Tainan 佮意, 意愛, 愛
Penang (Hokkien) 舒合, 愛
Singapore (Hokkien) 舒合, 愛
Manila (Hokkien) 愛, 佮意
Chaozhou 歡喜, 愛, 喜歡
Shantou 歡喜
Shantou (Chaoyang) 好, 尚, 喜歡
Jieyang 歡喜, 愛, 好, 尚, 喜歡
Johor Bahru (Teochew) 喜歡
Singapore (Teochew) 舒合
Wenchang 歡喜
Zhongshan Min Shaxi (Longdu) 中意
Waxiang Guzhang (Gaofeng) 字
Wu Shanghai 歡喜
Suzhou 歡喜
Ningbo 歡喜, 看相, 中意 dated
Wenzhou 喜歡
Xiang Changsha 喜歡
Shuangfeng 喜歡

Compounds[edit]

Derived terms from 字

Descendants[edit]

Sino-Xenic (字):
  • → Japanese: 字(じ) (ji)
  • → Korean: 자(字) (ja)
  • → Vietnamese: tự (字)

Others:

  • → Proto-Tai: *ɟɤ:ᴮ (“name”)
  • → Vietnamese: chữ (“script; letter; writing; word”), chửa (“to be pregnant”)

References[edit]

Japanese[edit]

Kanji[edit]

字

(grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings[edit]

Etymology 1[edit]

Kanji in this term
字
じ
Grade: 1
on’yomi

Borrowed from Middle Chinese 字 with the southern pronunciation (kango, go-on).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

字(じ) • (ji) 

  1. letter, character
    この字(じ)は何(なん)と読(よ)みますか？
    Kono ji wa nan to yomimasu ka?
    How do you pronounce this character?
  2. handwriting, penmanship
    彼(かの)女(じょ)は字(じ)が上手(うま)い（汚(きたな)い）。
    Kanojo wa ji ga umai (kitanai).
    She has good (bad) handwriting.
Derived terms[edit]
Derived terms

Counter[edit]

字(じ) • (-ji) 

  1. letters, characters
    ４０(よんじゅう)字(じ)以(い)内(ない)で書(か)いてください。
    Yonjū-ji inai de kaite kudasai.
    Please write it down in 40 characters or fewer.

Etymology 2[edit]

Kanji in this term
字
あざ
Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Shortened form of あざな (azana, “a section of a village”) of ancient Japanese origin (wago).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

字(あざ) • (aza) 

  1. a section of a village
Derived terms[edit]

Etymology 3[edit]

Kanji in this term
字
あざな
Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Of ancient Japanese origin (wago).

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

字(あざな) • (azana) 

  1. courtesy name
    たく郡(ぐん)（河北(かほく)省(しょう)）の人(ひと)。字(あざな)は玄徳(げんとく)。[2]
    Taku-gun (Kahoku-shō) no hito. Azana wa Gentoku.
    Of Zhuo Commandery. Courtesy name Xuande.
  2. nickname
  3. a section of a village

References[edit]

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN

Korean[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle Chinese 字 (MC d͡zɨH).

Historical readings

Pronunciation[edit]

Hanja[edit]

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

Wikisource

字 (eumhun 글자 자 (geulja ja))

  1. Hanja form? of 자 (“letter; character”).

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. [3]

Vietnamese[edit]

Han character[edit]

字: Hán Nôm readings: tự, chữ

  1. character, letter
  2. word

Compounds[edit]

References[edit]

  • Thiều Chửu : Hán Việt Tự Điển, Hà Nội, 1942
  • Trần Văn Chánh: Từ Điển Hán Việt NXB Trẻ, Ho Chi Minh Ville, 1999
  • Vũ Văn Kính: Đại Tự Điển Chữ Nôm, NXB Văn Nghệ, Ho Chi Minh Ville, 1999
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