甲斐

Chinese

		phonetic
trad. (甲斐)		甲	斐
simp. #(甲斐)		甲	斐

Etymology

Orthographic borrowing from Japanese 甲斐(かい) (Kai).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Jiǎfěi

  (Zhuyin): ㄐㄧㄚˇ ㄈㄟˇ

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Jiǎfěi [Phonetic: jiáfěi]
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄚˇ ㄈㄟˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Jiǎfěi
    • Wade–Giles: Chia³-fei³
    • Yale: Jyǎ-fěi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Jeafeei
    • Palladius: Цзяфэй (Czjafɛj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕi̯ä²¹⁴⁻³⁵ feɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/

Proper noun

甲斐

1. (～市) Kai (a city in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan)
2. an orthographic borrowing of the Japanese surname 甲斐, Kai

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
甲	斐
かっ > か Grade: S (ateji)	ひ > い Jinmeiyō (ateji)
kan'yōon	on'yomi

Alternative spellings
詮 効

From Old Japanese. First attested in the Man'yōshū of 759.

Derived from the 連(れん)用(よう)形(けい) (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of the verb 代(か)う (kau, “to exchange or replace one thing with another”), with the basic sense being "that which should be the result, outcome, or replacement".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ka̠i]
• (Tokyo) かい [kàí] (Heiban – [0])

Noun

甲(か)斐(い) • (kai) ^{←かひ (kafi)?}

1. value, reward, avail, being fruitful or worth doing

Derived terms

• 甲(が)斐(い) (-gai, suffix)
• 不(ふ)甲(が)斐(い)ない (fugainai)

Proper noun

甲(か)斐(い) • (Kai) ^{←かひ (Kafi)?}

1. Kai (a city in Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan)
2. Kai (a historical province of Japan, roughly corresponding to present-day Yamanashi Prefecture)

   Synonyms: 甲斐国 (Kai no kuni), 甲州 (Kōshu)

3. a surname
4. a male given name

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
甲	斐
かっ > が Grade: S (ateji)	ひ > い Jinmeiyō (ateji)
kan'yōon	on'yomi

Shift from 甲(か)斐(い) (kai). The kai changes to gai as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

First attested in a text from 1797.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɡa̠i]

• The pitch accent depends on the entire suffixed term.

Suffix

甲(が)斐(い) • (-gai) ^{←がひ (-gafi)?}

1. value, reward, avail, being fruitful or worth doing

   生(い)きがいのある人生(じんせい)を送(おく)る

   ikigai no aru jinsei o okuru

   to live a life worth living

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
甲	斐
かっ > か Grade: S	ひ Jinmeiyō
kan'yōon	on'yomi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ka̠çi]

Proper noun

甲(か)斐(ひ) • (Kahi) 

1. a surname

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
甲	斐
こう Grade: S	ひ Jinmeiyō
kan'on	on'yomi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ko̞ːçi]

Proper noun

甲(こう)斐(ひ) • (Kōhi) 

1. a surname

References

• “〈甲^▲斐〉”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[4] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026