幽

See also: 豳 and 凼

幽 U+5E7D, 幽 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5E7D ← 幼 [U+5E7C] CJK Unified Ideographs 幾 → [U+5E7E]

Translingual

Han character

幽 (Kangxi radical 52, 幺+6, 9 strokes, cangjie input 山女戈戈 (UVII), four-corner 2277₀, composition ⿻山𢆶)

Derived characters

• 㗀, 䫜

Additional Derived Characters

• 𱗎, 𡺖, 𢰠, 𭱒, 𥠃, 𦂣, 𧍘, 𩘈, 𩡎, 𮠀, 𬱮, 𪃨, 𫲪, 𫶹, 𢇑, 𢇕, 𦇵, 𠋔, 𢉾, 𪋎, 𪴉

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 342, character 12
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 9205
• Dae Jaweon: page 651, character 10
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1094, character 8
• Unihan data for U+5E7D

Chinese

trad.		幽
simp. #		幽
2nd round simp.		⿶凵又

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 幽
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Small seal script

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *qɯw): phonetic 𢆶 (yōu) + semantic 山 (originally 火 in oracle bone).

Etymology

Sino-Tibetan. Cognate with Mru [script needed] (iu ~ ʔiu, “dark”) (Löffler, 1966); possibly also related to Tibetan གཡོག (g.yog, “to cover”) and གཡོགས (g.yogs, “lid”) (Schuessler, 2007).

Related to 黝 (yǒu), 窅 (yǎo), 杳 (yǎo), 穾 (yào), 窔 (yào).

Allofam is probably 窈窕 (OC *qiːwʔ l'eːwʔ) (ibid.).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): yōu (you¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄧㄡ

  (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): you¹

  (Xi'an, Guanzhong Pinyin): yǒu

  (Nanjing, Nanjing Pinyin): yòu

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): jau¹

  (Dongguan, Jyutping++): jaau¹

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): yiu¹

• Gan (Wiktionary): iu¹
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): iû

  (Hailu, HRS): rhiu^ˋ

  (Meixian, Guangdong): yu²

• Jin (Wiktionary): iou¹
• Northern Min (KCR): iú
• Eastern Min (BUC): hiŭ
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): iu¹
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): iu

  (Teochew, Peng'im): hiun¹ / hiu¹

  (Leizhou, Leizhou Pinyin): hiu¹

• Southern Pinghua (Nanning, Jyutping++): jau¹
• Wu (Wugniu)
  • (Northern): ¹ieu / ¹iu / ¹iou / ⁵ieu
  • (Jinhua): ¹ieu
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): iou¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: yōu
    • Zhuyin: ㄧㄡ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: you
    • Wade–Giles: yu¹
    • Yale: yōu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: iou
    • Palladius: ю (ju)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /joʊ̯⁵⁵/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: you¹
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: iu
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /iəu⁵⁵/
  • (Xi'an)
    • Guanzhong Pinyin: yǒu
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /iɤu²¹/
  • (Nanjing)
    • Nanjing Pinyin: yòu
    • Nanjing Pinyin (numbered): you¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /iəɯ³¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: jau¹
    • Yale: yāu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jau¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: yeo¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɐu̯⁵⁵/
  • (Dongguan, Guancheng)
    • Jyutping++: jaau¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /zau²¹³/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: yiu¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jiu³³/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: iu¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /iu⁴²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: iû
    • Hakka Romanization System: iu^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: iu¹
    • Sinological IPA: /i̯u²⁴/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: rhiu^ˋ
    • Sinological IPA: /ʒiu⁵³/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: yu²
    • Sinological IPA: /iu¹¹/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: iou¹
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /iəu¹¹/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: iú
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /iu⁵⁴/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: hiŭ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hieu⁵⁵/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian, Jiangkou, Nanri, Donghai)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: iu¹
    • Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: iu
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /iu⁵³³/
  • (Xianyou, Youyang, Fengting)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: iu¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /iu⁵⁴⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: iu
    • Tâi-lô: iu
    • Phofsit Daibuun: iw
    • Sinological IPA (Xiamen): /iu⁴⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Quanzhou): /iu³³/
    • Sinological IPA (Zhangzhou): /iu⁴⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Taipei): /iu⁴⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Kaohsiung): /iu⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: hiun¹ / hiu¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: hiuⁿ / hiu
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hĩũ³³/, /hiu³³/
  • (Leizhou)
    • Leizhou Pinyin: hiu¹
    • Sinological IPA: /hiu³⁵/
• Southern Pinghua
  • (Nanning Pinghua, Tingzi)
    • Jyutping++: jau¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jəu⁵³/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai, Songjiang, Chongming, Suzhou, Jiaxing, Hangzhou, Shaoxing, Ningbo, Zhoushan)
    • Wugniu: ¹ieu
    • MiniDict: ieu^平
    • MiniDict: iu^平
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹ieu
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /iɤ⁵³/
    • Sinological IPA (Songjiang): /iɯ⁵³/
    • Sinological IPA (Chongming): /ʔiɵ⁵⁵/
    • Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /ʏ⁴⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Jiaxing): /iəu⁵³/
    • Sinological IPA (Hangzhou): /iø³³⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Shaoxing): /iɤ⁵²/
    • Sinological IPA (Ningbo): /iʏ⁵²/
    • Sinological IPA (Zhoushan): /iu⁵³/
  • (Northern: Jiading)
    • Wugniu: ¹iu
    • MiniDict: iu^平
    • Sinological IPA (Jiading): /y⁵³/
  • (Northern: Changzhou)
    • Wugniu: ¹iou
    • MiniDict: iou^平
    • Sinological IPA (Changzhou): /iɤɯ⁵⁵/
  • (Northern: Ningbo)
    • Wugniu: ⁵ieu
    • MiniDict: ieu^去
    • Sinological IPA (Ningbo): /iʏ⁵⁵/
  • (Jinhua)
    • Wugniu: ¹ieu
    • Sinological IPA (Jinhua): /iu³³⁴/

Note: ⁵ieu - (Ningbonese) verb, to hide (oneself).

• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: iou¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /i̯əu̯³³/

---

• Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 幽
Mandarin	Beijing	/iou⁵⁵/
	Harbin	/iou⁴⁴/
	Tianjin	/iou²¹/
	Jinan	/iou²¹³/
	Qingdao	/iou²¹³/
	Zhengzhou	/iou²⁴/
	Xi'an	/iou²¹/
	Xining	/iɯ⁴⁴/
	Yinchuan	/iəu⁴⁴/
	Lanzhou	/iou³¹/
	Ürümqi	/iɤu⁴⁴/
	Wuhan	/iəu⁵⁵/
	Chengdu	/iəu⁵⁵/
	Guiyang	/iəu⁵⁵/
	Kunming	/iəu⁴⁴/
	Nanjing	/iəɯ³¹/
	Hefei	/iɯ²¹/
Jin	Taiyuan	/iəu¹¹/
	Pingyao	/iəu¹³/
	Hohhot	/iəu³¹/
Wu	Shanghai	/iɤ⁵³/
	Suzhou	/iɤ⁵⁵/
	Hangzhou	/ʔiø³³/
	Wenzhou	/j̠au³³/
Hui	Shexian	/iu³¹/
	Tunxi	/iu¹¹/
Xiang	Changsha	/iəu³³/
	Xiangtan	/iəɯ³³/
Gan	Nanchang	/iu⁴²/
Hakka	Meixian	/iu¹¹/
	Taoyuan
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/jɐu⁵³/
	Nanning	/jɐu⁵⁵/
	Hong Kong	/jɐu⁵⁵/
Min	Xiamen (Hokkien)	/iu⁵⁵/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/hieu⁴⁴/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/iu⁵⁴/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/hĩu³³/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/iu²³/

---

• Middle Chinese: 'jiw

Rime
Character	幽
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	影 (34)
Final (韻)	幽 (138)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	於虯切
Baxter	'jiw
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ʔiɪu/
Pan Wuyun	/ʔɨu/
Shao Rongfen	/ʔieu/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ʔjiw/
Li Rong	/ʔiĕu/
Wang Li	/iəu/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ʔieu/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	yōu
Expected Cantonese Reflex	jau1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[ʔ](r)iw/

  (Zhengzhang): /*qɯw/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	幽
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	yōu
Middle Chinese	‹ ʔjiw ›
Old Chinese	/*[ʔ](r)iw/
English	dark; secluded
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	幽
Reading #	1/1
No.	14620
Phonetic component	幽
Rime group	幽
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	幽
Old Chinese	/*qɯw/
Notes	甲金文從火從二幺會意火微

Definitions

幽

1. dim; dark
2. deep and remote
3. hidden; concealed
4. bottled up
5. quiet; tranquil
6. to confine; to imprison
7. netherworld; nether; nether-
8. a surname
9. (Yongjiang Wu, Linshao Wu) to hide oneself; to conceal oneself
   • 2022, 4:28 from the start, in 假如《阿Q正传》里都说绍兴话... [If Shaoxingnese was spoken during the entirety of "The True Story of Ah Q"...]‎^[1], fandub of 阿Q正传:

     偌豪稍出來，𫸻幽得自個房間裏頭亂想啦！ [Shaoxing Wu, trad.]
     偌豪稍出来，𫸻幽得自个房间里头乱想啦！ [Shaoxing Wu, simp.]

     Just come outside for a while now; you mustn't hide anymore in your room with all these dreadful thoughts in your mind!

Synonyms

• (to hide):

Dialectal synonyms of 躲 (“to hide”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		躲藏, 藏躲, 躲
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	藏, 貓
	Taiwan	躲, 藏
	Singapore	躲
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	藏
Central Plains Mandarin	Xi'an	藏, 卻
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	藏, 躲
	Wuhan	躲
Jianghuai Mandarin	Yangzhou	躲
	Hefei	藏
Cantonese	Guangzhou	匿, 匿埋
	Hong Kong	匿, 匿埋
	Hong Kong (San Tin; Weitou)	摒
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin; Weitou)	摒埋
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	摒
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	摒
	Macau	匿埋
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	匿埋
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	摒埋
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	匿埋
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	揞埋
	Foshan	匿埋
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	匿埋
	Foshan (Shunde)	匿埋
	Foshan (Sanshui)	匿埋
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	匿埋
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	匿埋
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	揞埋
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	匿埋
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	匿埋
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	摒埋
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	匿埋, 摒埋
	Taishan	匿
	Kaiping (Chikan)	匿
	Enping (Niujiang)	匿
	Heshan (Yayao)	匿埋
	Dongguan	求埋
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	匿埋
	Yangjiang	餌, 伏
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	匿埋
Gan	Nanchang	躲
Hakka	Meixian	摒
	Hong Kong	摒
	Senai (Huiyang)	摒
Jin	Taiyuan	躲
Northern Min	Jian'ou	儲
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	屈, 覭
Southern Min	Xiamen	覕, 囥
	Quanzhou	覕, 囥
	Zhangzhou	覕, 踮
	Taipei	覕
	Kaohsiung	覕
	Yilan	覕
	Changhua (Lukang)	覕
	Taichung	覕
	Tainan	覕
	Kinmen	覕
	Penghu (Magong)	覕
	Singapore (Hokkien)	覕
	Manila (Hokkien)	覕
	Datian	逃
	Chaozhou	踮, 覕
	Shantou	踮, 覕
	Jieyang	踮, 覕
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	踮
	Wenchang	逃
	Haikou	逃
Wu	Shanghai	囥, 𨒃, 迓
	Suzhou	𨒃, 匽, 迓
	Wuxi	迓
	Ningbo	幽
	Wenzhou	埋, 縮, 躲
	Jinhua	幽
	Jinhua (Tangxi)	幽
Xiang	Changsha	躲
	Shuangfeng	躲

Compounds

• 下喬入幽 / 下乔入幽
• 九幽
• 俯遂幽眇
• 八幽
• 周幽王
• 尋幽 / 寻幽
• 尋幽訪勝 / 寻幽访胜
• 幽人
• 幽冥 (yōumíng)
• 幽冥地府
• 幽冥戒 (Yōumíng jiè)
• 幽厲 / 幽厉
• 幽叢 / 幽丛
• 幽咽
• 幽囚
• 幽囚受辱
• 幽夢影 / 幽梦影
• 幽天
• 幽婚
• 幽婉
• 幽嫻 / 幽娴
• 幽客
• 幽宮 / 幽宫
• 幽寂
• 幽居 (yōujū)
• 幽巖 / 幽岩
• 幽州 (Yōuzhōu)
• 幽幽 (yōuyōu)
• 幽庸
• 幽微
• 幽怨 (yōuyuàn)
• 幽思 (yōusī)
• 幽情 (yōuqíng)
• 幽憂 / 幽忧
• 幽憤 / 幽愤 (yōufèn)
• 幽房
• 幽敞
• 幽敻
• 幽明
• 幽昌 (yōuchāng)
• 幽明異路 / 幽明异路
• 幽明錄 / 幽明录
• 幽昧
• 幽暗 (yōu'àn)
• 幽會 / 幽会 (yōuhuì)
• 幽期 (yōuqī)
• 幽期密約 / 幽期密约
• 幽棲巖谷 / 幽栖岩谷
• 幽殺 / 幽杀
• 幽流
• 幽浮 (yōufú)
• 幽深 (yōushēn)
• 幽特貝 / 幽特贝
• 幽獨 / 幽独
• 幽眇
• 幽真
• 幽禁 (yōujìn)
• 幽篁
• 幽絕 / 幽绝
• 幽美 (yōuměi)
• 幽若
• 幽蔽
• 幽蘭 / 幽兰
• 幽襟
• 幽谷 (yōugǔ)
• 幽趣
• 幽軋 / 幽轧
• 幽途
• 幽遠 / 幽远
• 幽邃 (yōusuì)
• 幽都 (yōudū)
• 幽門 / 幽门 (yōumén)
• 幽閉 / 幽闭 (yōubì)
• 幽閒 / 幽闲
• 幽闥 / 幽闼
• 幽險 / 幽险
• 幽雅 (yōuyǎ)
• 幽靈 / 幽灵 (yōulíng)
• 幽靈人口 / 幽灵人口
• 幽靈車 / 幽灵车
• 幽靜 / 幽静 (yōujìng)
• 幽顯異途 / 幽显异途
• 幽香 (yōuxiāng)
• 幽魂 (yōuhún)
• 幽默 (yōumò)
• 幽默感 (yōumògǎn)
• 弔古尋幽 / 吊古寻幽
• 思古幽情
• 懷古幽情 / 怀古幽情
• 探幽窮賾 / 探幽穷赜
• 探幽索隱 / 探幽索隐
• 曲徑通幽 / 曲径通幽
• 清幽 (qīngyōu)
• 無幽不燭 / 无幽不烛
• 空谷幽蘭 / 空谷幽兰
• 窮幽極微 / 穷幽极微
• 考績幽明 / 考绩幽明
• 藪幽 / 薮幽
• 訪古尋幽 / 访古寻幽
• 通幽洞微
• 闡幽 / 阐幽
• 黑色幽默 (hēisè yōumò)
• 黜陟幽明

References

• “幽”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[2], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
• 李如龙 [Li, Ru-long]; 刘福铸 [Liu, Fu-zhu]; 吴华英 [Wu, Hua-ying]; 黄国城 [Huang, Guo-cheng] (2019), “幽”, in 莆仙方言调查报告 [Investigation Report on Puxian Dialect] (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), Xiamen University Press, →ISBN, page 192.

Japanese

Kanji

幽

(Jōyō kanji)

1. dark
2. netherworld
3. hidden
4. confine, imprison

Readings

• Go-on: ゆう (yū, Jōyō)^{←いう (iu, historical)}
• Kan-on: ゆう (yū, Jōyō)^{←いう (iu, historical)}
• Kun: くらい (kurai, 幽い)、かすか (kasuka, 幽か)、かすか (kasuka, 幽)、かそけし (kasokeshi, 幽し)

Compounds

• 幽(ゆう)顕(けん) (yūken): dark and bright; the world of dead and living
• 幽(ゆう)閉(へい) (yūhei): to confine
• 幽(ゆう)霊(れい) (yūrei): a ghost
• 幽(ゆう)体(たい)離(り)脱(だつ) (yūtai ridatsu): out-of-body experience

Etymology

Kanji in this term
幽
かすか Grade: S
kun'yomi

For pronunciation and definitions of 幽 – see the following entry.

【かすか】 [adjective] faint; (of a sight) dim Alternative spellings 微か, 幽か

(This term, 幽, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

Korean

Hanja

幽 • (yu) (hangeul 유, revised yu, McCune–Reischauer yu)

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

Vietnamese

Han character

幽: Hán Nôm readings: u, ù

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