春

See also: 萅

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

Alternative forms

There are minor differences in where the last stroke of the top component (top-left to bottom-right diagonal) starts – on the second horizontal stroke or on the third.

Han character

春 (Kangxi radical 72, 日+5, 9 strokes, cangjie input 手大日 (QKA), four-corner 5060₃, composition ⿱𡗗日)

Derived characters

• 偆, 㖺, 堾, 媋, 𢝣, 湷, 𬌸, 𬯌, 暙, 䐏, 椿, 瑃, 𨕌, 㿤, 睶, 𬓉, 𮄵, 蝽, 賰(䞐), 踳, 𨩃, 䮞(𩨁), 鰆(䲠), 𪂹, 𠝩, 萶, 箺, 䦮, 𩄄, 鬊, 惷, 𣕮, 𭾇, 𪃣, 蠢, 𩯥

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 493, character 6
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 13844
• Dae Jaweon: page 856, character 7
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1496, character 10
• Unihan data for U+6625

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Chinese

Glyph origin

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

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

	Old Chinese
躉	*tuːnʔ
窀	*rduːn, *duːn, *tun
沌	*donʔ, *duːn, *duːnʔ
盹	*tuːnʔ, *tjuns
頓	*tuːns
扽	*tuːns
黗	*tʰuːn, *tʰuːnʔ
吨	*tʰuːnʔ
屯	*duːn, *tun
飩	*duːn
豘	*duːn
軘	*duːn
坉	*duːn
邨	*duːn, *stʰuːn
忳	*duːn
芚	*duːn
庉	*duːn, *duːnʔ
囤	*duːnʔ
迍	*tun
杶	*tʰun
瑃	*tʰun
椿	*tʰun
偆	*tʰunʔ, *tʰjunʔ
肫	*tjun
訰	*tjun, *tjuns
純	*tjunʔ, *djun
春	*tʰjun
蠢	*tʰjunʔ
踳	*tʰjunʔ
惷	*tʰjunʔ
蒓	*djun
賰	*hljunʔ
鬊	*hljuns

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *tʰjun) : semantic 艸 (“grass”) + phonetic 屯 (OC *duːn, *tun, “sprout”) + semantic 日 (“sun”).

The character 春 itself is probably a variant of 屯 (OC *duːn, *tun) as they are equivalent for the meaning “spring” in Old Chinese literature.

Etymology 1

simp. and trad.		春
alternative forms		萅 旾

Related to 芚 (OC *duːn, “(of plants) to begin to grow”) (Schuessler, 2007). Also compare Khmer ដុះ (doh, “to grow; to germinate; to sprout”), as well as 穿 (OC *kʰljon, *kʰljons, “to bore through”) (ibid.).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): chūn (chun¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄔㄨㄣ

  (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): cun¹

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): ceon¹

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): cun¹

• Gan (Wiktionary): cun¹
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): chhûn

  (Meixian, Guangdong): cun¹

• Jin (Wiktionary): cung¹
• Northern Min (KCR): ché̤ng
• Eastern Min (BUC): chŭng
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): chhun

  (Teochew, Peng'im): cung¹

• Wu (Wugniu)
  • (Northern): ¹tshen
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): qyn¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: chūn
    • Zhuyin: ㄔㄨㄣ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: chun
    • Wade–Giles: chʻun¹
    • Yale: chwūn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chuen
    • Palladius: чунь (čunʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂʰu̯ən⁵⁵/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: cun¹
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: cun
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰuən⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: ceon¹
    • Yale: chēun
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsoen¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: cên¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɵn⁵⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: cun¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰun³³/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: cun¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰun⁴²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chhûn
    • Hakka Romanization System: cun´
    • Hagfa Pinyim: cun¹
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰun²⁴/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: cun¹
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰun⁴⁴/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: cung¹
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /t͡sʰũŋ¹¹/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: ché̤ng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰœyŋ⁵⁴/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: chŭng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰuŋ⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhun
    • Tâi-lô: tshun
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zhwn
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡sʰun⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sʰun³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡sʰun⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡sʰun⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰun⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: cung¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tshung
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰuŋ³³/
• Wu
  • (Shanghai):
    • Wugniu: ¹tshen
    • MiniDict: tshen^平
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹tshen
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /t͡sʰən⁵³/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: qyn¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕʰyn³³/

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• Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 春
Mandarin	Beijing	/ʈ͡ʂʰuən⁵⁵/
	Harbin	/ʈ͡ʂʰuən⁴⁴/
	Tianjin	/ʈ͡ʂʰuən²¹/ /t͡sʰuən²¹/
	Jinan	/ʈ͡ʂʰuẽ²¹³/
	Qingdao	/ʈ͡ʂʰuə̃²¹³/
	Zhengzhou	/ʈ͡ʂʰuən²⁴/
	Xi'an	/p͡fʰẽ²¹/
	Xining	/ʈ͡ʂʰuə̃⁴⁴/
	Yinchuan	/ʈ͡ʂʰuŋ⁴⁴/
	Lanzhou	/p͡fʰə̃n³¹/
	Ürümqi	/ʈ͡ʂʰuŋ⁴⁴/
	Wuhan	/t͡ɕʰyn⁵⁵/
	Chengdu	/t͡sʰuən⁵⁵/
	Guiyang	/t͡sʰuen⁵⁵/
	Kunming	/ʈ͡ʂʰuə̃⁴⁴/
	Nanjing	/ʈ͡ʂʰun³¹/
	Hefei	/ʈ͡ʂʰuən²¹/
Jin	Taiyuan	/t͡sʰuəŋ¹¹/
	Pingyao	/t͡sʰuŋ¹³/
	Hohhot	/t͡sʰũŋ³¹/
Wu	Shanghai	/t͡sʰəŋ⁵³/
	Suzhou	/t͡sʰən⁵⁵/
	Hangzhou	/t͡sʰz̩ʷen³³/
	Wenzhou	/t͡ɕʰoŋ³³/
Hui	Shexian	/t͡ɕʰyʌ̃³¹/
	Tunxi	/t͡ɕʰyan¹¹/
Xiang	Changsha	/t͡ɕʰyn³³/
	Xiangtan	/t͡ɕʰyn³³/
Gan	Nanchang	/t͡sʰun⁴²/
Hakka	Meixian	/t͡sʰun⁴⁴/
	Taoyuan	/tʃʰun²⁴/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/t͡sʰøn⁵³/
	Nanning	/t͡sʰɐn⁵⁵/ /t͡sʰyn⁵⁵/
	Hong Kong	/t͡sʰøn⁵⁵/
Min	Xiamen (Hokkien)	/t͡sʰun⁵⁵/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/t͡sʰuŋ⁴⁴/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/t͡sʰœyŋ⁵⁴/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/t͡sʰuŋ³³/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/sun²³/

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• Middle Chinese: tsyhwin

Rime
Character	春
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	昌 (24)
Final (韻)	諄 (47)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	昌脣切
Baxter	tsyhwin
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/t͡ɕʰiuɪn/
Pan Wuyun	/t͡ɕʰʷin/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡ɕʰjuen/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/cʰwin/
Li Rong	/t͡ɕʰiuĕn/
Wang Li	/t͡ɕʰĭuĕn/
Bernard Karlgren	/t͡ɕʰi̯uĕn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	chūn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	ceon1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*tʰun/

  (Zhengzhang): /*tʰjun/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	春
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	chūn
Middle Chinese	‹ tsyhwin ›
Old Chinese	/*tʰun/
English	springtime
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	春
Reading #	1/1
No.	12573
Phonetic component	屯
Rime group	文
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	春
Old Chinese	/*tʰjun/
Notes	說文從艸從日屯聲， 實屯繁化轉註字

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 春

1. spring (season)

   春天  ―  chūntiān  ―  spring

2. year; age
3. spring scenery
4. vitality; liveliness; energy; life
5. lust; lustfulness; passion; sexual desire

   思春期  ―  sīchūnqī  ―  puberty

6. a type of alcoholic drink which is fermented from spring to winter

See also

Seasons in Mandarin · 四季 (sìjì, “four seasons”) (layout · text) · category
春 (chūn, “spring”)	夏 (xià, “summer”)	秋 (qiū, “fall; autumn”)	冬 (dōng, “winter”)

Etymology 2

simp. and trad.		春
alternative forms		膥

Possibly from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *d(w)əj (“egg; testicle”) (Baxter and Sagart, 2014).

Pronunciation

• Cantonese (Jyutping): ceon¹
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): chhûn

  (Meixian, Guangdong): cun¹

• Southern Min (Teochew, Peng'im): cung¹

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• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: ceon¹
    • Yale: chēun
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsoen¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: cên¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɵn⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chhûn
    • Hakka Romanization System: cun´
    • Hagfa Pinyim: cun¹
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰun²⁴/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: cun¹
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰun⁴⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: cung¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tshung
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰuŋ³³/

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 春

1. (Cantonese, Hakka, Teochew) egg; roe
2. (Cantonese, vulgar) testicle
3. (Cantonese, vulgar) goddamn, the hell

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 睪丸 (“testicle”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		外腎, 腎
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		睪丸, 精巢
Mandarin	Beijing	卵子兒, 卵包子, 小蛋兒
	Taiwan	蛋蛋
	Harbin	卵子兒
	Jinan	球蛋
	Luoyang	蛋子兒, 蛋
	Wanrong	子
	Xi'an	蛋子兒
	Yinchuan	卵子
	Lanzhou	脬子兒, 腎
	Ürümqi	脬卵子, 卵子
	Wuhan	卵子, 卵蛋, 卵坨
	Chengdu	卵, 卵蛋, 蛋蛋, 卵子, 敲敲兒
	Guiyang	卵蛋
	Liuzhou	卵考子, 考子
	Yangzhou	卵蛋, 卵子子
	Nanjing	卵子
	Singapore	球
Cantonese	Guangzhou	春子
	Hong Kong	春, 春子, 春核, 波子
	Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)	核
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	核春
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	核仁
	Kaiping (Chikan)	春牯
	Dongguan	春核
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	卵子
	Hepu (Shatian)	卵脬仁
	Guiping	核子
	Guiping (Mule)	𨳍卵
	Pingnan	核卵
	Guigang (Gangcheng)	核仔
	Guigang (Pingdong)	核仁
	Beihai	卵仁
	Beihai (Nankang)	卵仁
	Beihai (Yingpan)	卵仁
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)	卵仁
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)	卵核
	Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)	卵核
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	春仔
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	卵
	Móng Cái	卵核
Gan	Lichuan	順子
	Pingxiang	卵坨子
Hakka	Meixian	核卵
	Xingning	核卵
	Dabu (Xihe)	核卵仁
	Zengcheng (Zhengguo)	核卵
	Zhongshan (Wuguishan)	核卵
	Wuhua (Shuizhai)	核卵
	Wuhua (Huacheng)	核卵
	Wuhua (Changbu)	核卵
	Wuhua (Mianyang)	核卵
	Jiexi	核卵
	Changting	卵子
	Yongding	核卵
	Yongding (Xiayang)	核卵仁
	Yongding (Gaobei)	核卵
	Yongding (Hukeng)	核卵
	Wuping (Zhongshan)	核卵
	Liancheng (Peitian)	卵子
	Liancheng (Juxi)	核卵
	Liancheng (Zhongbao)	核卵
	Liancheng (Laiyuan)	核卵
	Yudu	卵子
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	核卵
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	核卵
	Pingtung (Wuluo, Ligang; S. Sixian)	核卵
	Kaohsiung (Meinong; S. Sixian)	核卵仁
	Kaohsiung (Shanlin; S. Sixian)	核卵仔
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	核卵
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	核卵
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	核卵
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	核卵
	Hong Kong	核卵
	Sabah (Longchuan)	核卵
	Kuala Lumpur (Dabu)	核卵仁
	Senai (Huiyang)	核
	Singkawang	核卵
	Bangkok (Meixian)	核卵
	Bangkok (Fengshun)	核卵
Huizhou	Jixi	卵子
Jin	Pingyao	堆兒, 蛋
	Xinzhou	蛋籽子
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	𡳞核子, 𡳞核
	Changle	𡳞核子
	Fuqing	𡳞核子
	Yongtai	𡳞脬子
	Gutian	𡳞核子
	Fu'an	𡳞脬子
	Ningde	𡳞脬子
	Shouning	𡳞脬子
	Zhouning	尿脬子
	Fuding	卵脬子
Southern Min	Xiamen	𡳞核, 腎子
	Quanzhou	𡳞核, 腎子
	Jinjiang	𡳞核
	Yongchun	𡳞核, 𡳞核子
	Zhangzhou	𡳞核, 腎子
	Zhao'an	𡳞核
	Taipei	𡳞核
	Taipei (Wanhua)	𡳞脬核仔
	New Taipei (Tamsui)	𡳞核
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	𡳞核
	New Taipei (Pingxi)	𡳞核
	Kaohsiung	𡳞核, 𡳞核仔
	Kaohsiung (Cijin)	𡳞核仔, 𡳞核
	Kaohsiung (Hongmaogang, Siaogang)	𡳞核
	Kaohsiung (Dalinpu, Siaogang)	𡳞核
	Kaohsiung (Tianliao)	𡳞核
	Yilan	𡳞核
	Yilan (Toucheng)	𡳞核仔
	Changhua (Lukang)	𡳞核, 𡳞核仔
	Taichung	𡳞核仔
	Taichung (Wuqi)	𡳞核
	Tainan	𡳞核, 𡳞核仔, 腎子
	Tainan (Anping)	𡳞核
	Taitung	𡳞核仔
	Hsinchu	𡳞核, 𡳞核仔
	Kinmen	𡳞核
	Penghu (Magong)	𡳞核
	Penghu (Xiyu)	𡳞核
	Penang (Hokkien)	𡳞核, 核, 𡳞脬子
	Singapore (Hokkien)	𡳞核, 腎子, 𡳞脬子
	Manila (Hokkien)	𡳞核
	Chaozhou	核
	Shantou	𡳞核
	Shantou (Chenghai)	𡳞核
	Nan'ao (Houzhai)	𡳞核
	Nan'ao (Yun'ao)	𡳞核
	Jieyang	𡳞核, 𡳞仁
	Haifeng	𡳞脬核
	Bangkok (Teochew)	𡳞核
	Leizhou	𡳞脬子, 𡳞脬核, 核子
	Wenchang	𡳞仁
	Haikou	𡳞脬仁
Puxian Min	Putian (Donghai)	𡳞核
Central Min	Sanyuan	石核
	Shaxian	尿脬核
Shaojiang Min	Mingxi	腎肚子
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	卵子
Wu	Shanghai	卵子
	Suzhou	卵子
	Danyang	卵脬黃, 卵子黃
	Hangzhou	卵子
	Ningbo	卵黃, 卵袋黃
	Wenzhou	卵子, 卵袋子, 陰袋子
	Jinhua	老核子
Xiang	Loudi	考子, 卵子

Compounds

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Kanji

春

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. spring (season)

Readings

• Go-on: しゅん (shun, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: しゅん (shun, Jōyō)
• Kun: はる (haru, 春, Jōyō)

Compounds

• 小(こ)春(はる) (koharu, “early autumn, Indian summer”)
• 小(こ)春(はる)日(び)和(より) (koharubiyori, “early autumn, Indian summer”)
• 常春(とこはる) (tokoharu, “everlasting spring”)
• 初春(はつはる) (hatsuharu), 初(しょ)春(しゅん) (shoshun, “early spring, New Year”)
• 春(しゅん)菊(ぎく) (shungiku, “garland chrysanthemum”)
• 春秋(しゅんじゅう) (shunjū, “spring and autumn, months and years, Chronicles of Lu”)
• 春(しゅん)秋(じゅう)戦(せん)国(ごく) (shunjūsengoku, “Spring and Autumn Period and Warring States Period in China”)
• 春(はる)一番(いちばん) (haruichiban, “first storm of spring”)
• 春(はる)風(かぜ) (harukaze, “spring breeze”)
• 春(はる)霞(がすみ) (harugasumi) springtime haze}}
• 春(はる)着(ぎ) (harugi, “springwear, New Year's clothes”)
• 春(はる)蚕(ご) (harugo, “spring breed of silkworms”)
• 春(はる)先(さき) (harusaki, “beginning of spring”)
• 春(はる)雨(さめ) (harusame, “spring rain, cellophane noodles”)
• 春(はる)場(ば)所(しょ) (harubasho, “the spring sumo tournament in Osaka”)
• 春(はる)繭(まゆ) (harumayu, “the spring cocoon crop”)
• 春(はる)休(やす)み (haruyasumi, “spring break”)
• 来(らい)春(しゅん) (raishun, “next spring”)
• 翌(よく)春(しゅん) (yokushun, “next spring”)
• 春(しゅん)分(ぶん) (shunbun, “spring equinox, vernal equinox”)

Pronunciation

Kanji in this term
春
はる Grade: 2
kun’yomi

Noun

春(はる) • (haru) 

1. spring (season)

Synonyms

• 春季(しゅんき) (shunki): spring
• 春期(しゅんき) (shunki): spring

Derived terms

• 春(はる)めく (harumeku)

See also

Seasons in Japanese · 四(し)季(き) (shiki, “four seasons”) (layout · text) · category
春(はる) (haru, “spring”) 春(しゅん)季(き) (shunki, “spring”) 春(しゅん)期(き) (shunki, “spring period”)	夏(なつ) (natsu, “summer”) 夏(か)季(き) (kaki, “summer”) 夏(か)期(き) (kaki, “summer period”)	秋(あき) (aki, “fall; autumn”) 秋(しゅう)季(き) (shūki, “fall; autumn”) 秋(しゅう)期(き) (shūki, “fall period”)	冬(ふゆ) (fuyu, “winter”) 冬(とう)季(き) (tōki, “winter”) 冬(とう)期(き) (tōki, “winter period”)

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Korean

Hanja

春 (eumhun 봄 춘 (bom chun))

1. spring (season)

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Vietnamese

Han character

春: Hán Việt readings: xuân (樞(xu)倫(luân)切(thiết))
春: Nôm readings: xuân, xoan

1. Template:han tu form of

Compounds

• 春分 (xuân phân)
• 春夏秋冬 (xuân hạ thu đông)
• 立春 (lập xuân)