細

See also: 细

Translingual

Han character

細 (Kangxi radical 120, 糸+5, 11 strokes, cangjie input 女火田 (VFW), four-corner 2690₀, composition ⿰糸田)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 919, character 36
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 27344
• Dae Jaweon: page 1351, character 7
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 3380, character 5
• Unihan data for U+7D30

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Chinese

trad.		細
simp.		细

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 細
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

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

	Old Chinese
崽	*ʔslɯːʔ, *srɯː, *srɯː
偲	*sn̥ʰɯː, *snɯ
腮	*snɯː
鰓	*snɯː
揌	*snɯː
顋	*snɯː
愢	*snɯː
毢	*snɯː
諰	*srɯː, *snɯʔ
細	*snɯːls
思	*snɯ, *snɯs
緦	*snɯ
罳	*snɯ
禗	*snɯ
楒	*snɯ
葸	*snɯʔ
恖	*snɯ
颸	*sʰrɯ
囟	*snɯns
顖	*sniŋs
毸	*snɯː

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *snɯːls) : semantic 糸 + phonetic 囟 (OC *snɯns).

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *z(j)əj (“little; small; tiny”) (STEDT); cognate with Jingpho zi (“small”), Tibetan ཟི (zi, “small”), Burmese သေး (se:, “small”).

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 細

1. (literary, Cantonese, Hakka, Min) small; tiny; little

   Template:zh-ant

   點解會咁細嘅？ [Cantonese, trad.]
   点解会咁细嘅？ [Cantonese, simp.]

   dim² gaai² wui⁵ gam³ sai³ ge²? [Jyutping]

   Why is it so small?

2. (literary, Cantonese, Hakka, Min) young; little

   Template:zh-ant

   你仲細咩！／你仲细咩！ [Cantonese]  ―  nei⁵ zung⁶ sai³ me¹! [Jyutping]  ―  [Do you think that] you're still a child?

3. (Cantonese) to be younger than

   Template:zh-ant

   細佢幾十年／细佢几十年 [Cantonese]  ―  sai³ keoi⁵ gei² sap⁶ nin⁴ [Jyutping]  ―  younger than them by a couple decades

4. fine; delicate

   Template:zh-ant

   細沙／细沙  ―  xì shā  ―  fine sand

5. thin; slender

   Template:zh-ant

   細線／细线  ―  xì xiàn  ―  thin string

6. (of one's voice) soft
7. frugal; sparing
8. slowly; carefully; thoroughly; detailedly

   細看／细看  ―  xìkàn  ―  to carefully examine

9. (Hokkien) concubine

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 小 (“small”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		小
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	小
	Taiwan	小
	Harbin	小
	Malaysia	小
	Singapore	小
Jilu Mandarin	Tianjin	小
	Jinan	小
Central Plains Mandarin	Wanrong	小
	Xi'an	小, 碎
	Xining	小, 尕
	Xuzhou	小
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	小
	Ürümqi	小, 尕
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	小
	Wuhan	小
	Guiyang	小
	Guilin	小
	Liuzhou	小
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	小
	Yangzhou	小
	Hefei	小
Cantonese	Guangzhou	細
	Hong Kong	細
	Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)	細
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)	細
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	細
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	細
	Macau	細
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	細
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	細
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	細
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	細
	Foshan	細
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	細
	Foshan (Shunde)	細
	Foshan (Sanshui)	細
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	細
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	細
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	細
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	細
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	細
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	細
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	細
	Taishan	細
	Kaiping (Chikan)	細
	Enping (Niujiang)	細
	Heshan (Yayao)	細
	Dongguan	細
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	細
	Qingyuan	細
	Fogang	細
	Yingde (Hanguang)	細
	Yangshan	細
	Lianzhou (Qingshui Sihui)	細
	Shaoguan	細
	Shaoguan (Qujiang)	細
	Renhua	細
	Lechang	細
	Zhaoqing (Gaoyao)	細
	Sihui	細
	Guangning	細
	Deqing	細
	Huaiji	細
	Yunfu	細
	Xinxing	細
	Luoding	細
	Yunan (Pingtai)	細
	Yangjiang	細
	Xinyi	細
	Maoming (Xinpo)	細
	Lianjiang	細
	Nanning	細
	Wuzhou	細, 𱒃
	Yulin	𱒃
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	𱒃
	Hepu (Shatian)	𱒃
	Guiping	細, 小
	Guiping (Mule)	𱒃
	Pingnan	細
	Mengshan (Xihe)	細
	Guigang (Gangcheng)	細
	Guigang (Nanjiang)	細
	Guigang (Pingdong)	細
	Beiliu (Tangliao)	細
	Baise	細
Bobai	細
Lingshan	細
Pubei	細
Qinzhou	細
Qinzhou (Xiniujiao)	𱒃
Beihai	細
Beihai (Nankang)	細
Beihai (Yingpan)	𱒃
Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)	細
Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)	細, 小
Ningming	細
Hengzhou	細
Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)	細
Danzhou	細
Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	細
Singapore (Guangfu)	細
Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	細
Móng Cái	細
Gan	Nanchang	細, 小
	Lichuan	細, 小
	Pingxiang	細, 小
Hakka	Meixian	細, 小
	Xingning	細
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	細
	Huiyang	細
	Huidong (Daling)	細
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	細
	Boluo (Bendihua)	細
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	細
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	小
	Heyuan (Bendihua)	細
	Longchuan (Tuocheng Bendihua)	細
	Heping (Linzhai Bendihua)	細
	Lianping (Longjie Bendihua)	細
	Shaoguan (Qujiang)	細
	Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang)	細
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	細
	Jiexi	細
	Changting	細
	Wuping	細
	Wuping (Pingyu)	細
	Liancheng	細
	Ninghua	小
	Yudu	細
	Ruijin	細
	Shicheng	細
	Shangyou (Shexi)	細
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	細
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	細
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	細
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	細
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	細
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	細
	Hong Kong	細
	Beiliu (Tang'an)	小
	Mashan (Pianlian)	細
	Senai (Huiyang)	細
Huizhou	Jixi	小
Jin	Taiyuan	小
Northern Min	Jian'ou	小
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	嫩, 細
	Fuzhou (Changle)	嫩
	Fuqing	嫩
	Yongtai	嫩
	Gutian	嫩
	Fu'an	嫩
	Ningde	嫩
	Shouning	嫩
	Zhouning	細
	Fuding	嫩, 細
	Matsu	嫩
Southern Min	Xiamen	細
	Xiamen (Tong'an)	細
	Quanzhou	細
	Jinjiang	細
	Nan'an	細
	Hui'an	細
	Anxi	細
	Yongchun	細
	Dehua	細
	Zhangzhou	細
	Zhangzhou (Longhai)	細
	Zhangzhou (Changtai)	細
	Hua'an	細
	Nanjing	細
	Pinghe	細
	Zhangpu	細
	Yunxiao	細
	Zhao'an	細
	Dongshan	細
	Taipei	小, 細
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	小, 細
	Kaohsiung	小, 細
	Yilan	小, 細
	Changhua (Lukang)	小, 細
	Taichung	小, 細
	Tainan	小, 細
	Hsinchu	小, 細
	Kinmen	小
	Penghu (Magong)	小
	Penang (Hokkien)	細
	Singapore (Hokkien)	細
	Manila (Hokkien)	細
	Zhangping (Yongfu)	細
	Pingnan (Shangdu)	小
	Chaozhou	細
	Shantou	細
	Shantou (Chenghai)	細
	Shantou (Chaoyang)	細
	Jieyang	細
	Haifeng	細
	Bangkok (Teochew)	細
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	細
	Singapore (Teochew)	細
	Batam (Teochew)	細
	Pontianak (Teochew)	細
	Leizhou	細
	Wenchang	細, 孧
	Haikou	細, 孧
	Qionghai	孧
	Singapore (Hainanese)	孧, 細
Puxian Min	Putian	細
	Xianyou	細
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	細
	Nanning (Shajing)	細
	Binyang (Xinqiao)	細
Northern Pinghua	Guilin (Chaoyang)	細
	Guilin (Zhuyuan)	細
	Lingchuan (Tanxia)	細
Wu	Shanghai	小
	Shanghai (Chongming)	小
	Suzhou	小
	Danyang	小
	Hangzhou	小
	Ningbo	小
	Wenzhou	小, 瑣
	Lishui	細
	Jinyun	巧
	Jinhua	小
Xiang	Changsha	細, 小
	Loudi	小
	Shuangfeng	細
	Quanzhou	小
	Guanyang (Wenshi)	小

Antonyms

• (small): 大 (dà, “large”)
• (young): 大 (dà, “grown up”)
• (fine): 粗 (cū, “coarse”)

Compounds

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Kanji

細

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

1. thin, fine
2. slender

Readings

• Go-on: さい (sai, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: せい (sei)
• Kun: ほそい (hosoi, 細い, Jōyō); こまかい (komakai, 細かい, Jōyō); ささやか (sasayaka, 細やか); ほそる (hosoru, 細る, Jōyō); こまか (komaka, 細か, Jōyō)

Compounds

• 細(さい)菌(きん) (saikin): bacterium, germ
• 細(さい)部(ぶ) (saibu): details, minor
• 細(さい)分(ぶん) (saibun): divide into small portions
• 細(さい)分(ぶん)化(か) (saibunka): fragmentation
• 細(さい)胞(ぼう) (saibō): cell
• 細(さい)目(もく) (saimoku): details
• 繊(せん)細(さい) (sensai): delicate, sensitive

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Korean

Hanja

細 • (se) (hangeul 세, revised se, McCune–Reischauer se, Yale sye)

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

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Vietnamese

Han character

(deprecated template usage) 細 (tế)

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