自

See also: 白, 目, and 且

自 U+81EA, 自 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-81EA ← 臩 [U+81E9] CJK Unified Ideographs 臫 → [U+81EB]

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

Han character

自 (Kangxi radical 132, 自+0, 6 strokes, cangjie input 竹月山 (HBU), four-corner 2600₀, composition ⿱丿目)

1. Kangxi radical #132, ⾃.

Derived characters

• Index:Chinese radical/自
• 息

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1000, character 7
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 30095
• Dae Jaweon: page 1452, character 1
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 3046, character 1
• Unihan data for U+81EA

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Chinese

simp. and trad.		自

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 自
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)		Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Ancient script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

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

	Old Chinese
郋	*ɡiːl
自	*ɦljids
洎	*krids, *ɡrids
臮	*ɡrids
垍	*ɡrids
詯	*qʰʷlɯːls, *ɡʷlɯːls

Originally a pictogram (象形) of a nose; in China (and East Asia) one points at one’s nose to indicate oneself, hence an ideogram (指事) of “self”.

The original meaning of “nose” has been replaced by 鼻.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zì (zi⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄗˋ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): zi⁶

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): du⁵

• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): chhṳ

  (Meixian, Guangdong): ci⁴

• Northern Min (KCR): cù
• Eastern Min (BUC): cê̤ṳ / cê

• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): chū / chīr / chǐr

  (Teochew, Peng'im): ze⁷

• Wu (Wugniu)
  • (Northern): ⁶zy

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zì
    • Zhuyin: ㄗˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: zìh
    • Wade–Giles: tzŭ⁴
    • Yale: dz̀
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzyh
    • Palladius: цзы (czy)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sz̩⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: zi⁶
    • Yale: jih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzi⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: ji⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siː²²/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: du⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tu³²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chhṳ
    • Hakka Romanization System: cii
    • Hagfa Pinyim: ci⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰɨ⁵⁵/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: ci⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰz̩⁵³/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: cù
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡su⁴²/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: cê̤ṳ / cê
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡søy²⁴²/, /t͡sɛi²⁴²/

Note:

• cê - colloquial;
• cê̤ṳ - literary.

• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Yilan, Magong, Taichung)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chū
    • Tâi-lô: tsū
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zu
    • IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Yilan): /t͡su³³/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /t͡su²²/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Sanxia, Kinmen, Hsinchu)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chīr
    • Tâi-lô: tsīr
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sɯ⁴¹/
    • IPA (Kinmen): /t͡sɯ²²/
  • (Hokkien: Lukang)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chǐr
    • Tâi-lô: tsǐr
    • IPA (Lukang): /t͡sɨ³³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: ze⁷
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tsṳ̄
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɯ¹¹/
• Wu
  • (Shanghai):
    • Wugniu: ⁶zy
    • MiniDict: zy^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³zr
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /zz̩²³/

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• Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 自
Mandarin	Beijing	/t͡sz̩⁵¹/
	Harbin	/t͡sz̩⁵³/
	Tianjin	/t͡sz̩⁵³/
	Jinan	/t͡sz̩⁴²/ ～己 /t͡sz̩²¹/ ～來水
	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/ /sz̩⁵/
Xiang	Changsha	/t͡sz̩⁵⁵/ /t͡sz̩¹¹/
	Xiangtan	/d͡zz̩²¹/
Gan	Nanchang	/t͡sʰz̩²¹/
Hakka	Meixian	/t͡sʰz̩⁵³/
	Taoyuan	/t͡sʰï⁵⁵/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/t͡si²²/
	Nanning	/t͡sz̩²²/
	Hong Kong	/t͡si²²/
Min	Xiamen (Hokkien)	/t͡su²²/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/t͡sɛi²⁴²/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/t͡su⁴²/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/t͡sɯ³¹/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/t͡si³³/ ～己 /t͡si³⁵/ ～從

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• Middle Chinese: dzijH

Rime
Character	自
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	從 (15)
Final (韻)	脂 (15)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	疾二切
Baxter	dzijH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/d͡ziɪH/
Pan Wuyun	/d͡ziH/
Shao Rongfen	/d͡zjɪH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/d͡ziH/
Li Rong	/d͡ziH/
Wang Li	/d͡ziH/
Bernard Karlgren	/d͡zʱiH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	zì
Expected Cantonese Reflex	zi6

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*s.[b]i[t]-s/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɦljids/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	自	自
Reading #	1/2	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	zì	zì
Middle Chinese	‹ dzijH ›	‹ dzijH ›
Old Chinese	/*s.[b]i[t]-s/	/*s.[b]i[t]-s/
English	self (adv.)	to follow; from
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	自
Reading #	1/1
No.	17879
Phonetic component	自
Rime group	至
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	自
Old Chinese	/*ɦljids/

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 自

1. self, oneself; one's own

   自顧自／自顾自  ―  zìgùzì  ―  each minding his own business; each for himself

2. certainly, of course
3. personally
4. since; from

   自左而右  ―  zì zuǒ ér yòu  ―  from left to right

Compounds

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Kanji

自

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. self, oneself

Readings

• Go-on: じ (ji, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: し (shi, Jōyō)
• Tō-on: つ (tsu)
• Kun: みずから (mizukara, 自ら, Jōyō)^{←みづから (midukara, 自ら, historical)}; おのずから (onozukara, 自ずから)^{←おのづから (onodukara, 自づから, historical)}; おのずと (onozuto, 自ずと)^{←おのづと (onoduto, 自づと, historical)}
• Nanori: より (yori)

Compounds

Compounds

• 各(かく)自(じ) (kakuji)
• 自(じ)演(えん) (jien)
• 自(じ)我(が) (jiga)
• 自(じ)戒(かい) (jikai)
• 自(じ)覚(かく) (jikaku)
• 自(じ)画(が) (jiga)
• 自(じ)棄(き) (jiki)
• 自(じ)己(こ) (jiko)
• 自(じ)在(ざい) (jizai)
• 自(じ)作(さく) (jisaku)
• 自(じ)殺(さつ) (jisatsu): suicide

• 自(じ)賛(さん) (jisan)
• 自(じ)主(しゅ) (jishu)
• 自(じ)信(しん) (jishin)
• 自(じ)身(しん) (jishin)
• 自(じ)責(せき) (jiseki)
• 自(し)然(ぜん) (shizen)
• 自(じ)尊(そん) (jison)
• 自(じ)体(たい) (jitai)
• 自(じ)治(ち) (jichi)
• 自(じ)答(とう) (jitō)

• 自(じ)動(どう) (jidō)
• 自(じ)働(どう) (jidō)
• 自(じ)分(ぶん) (jibun)
• 自(じ)暴(ぼう) (jibō)
• 自(じ)問(もん) (jimon)
• 自(じ)由(ゆう) (jiyū)
• 自(じ)力(りき) (jiriki)
• 自(じ)立(りつ) (jiritsu)
• 独(どく)自(じ) (dokuji)
• 自(じ)慰(い) (jī)

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Korean

Hanja

自 • (ja)

• Eumhun:
  • Sound (hangeul): 자 (McCune–Reischauer: cha, Yale: ca)
  • Name (hangeul): 스스로
    

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

Compounds

Derived terms

• 自主
• 自註
• 自動車 (자동차)

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Vietnamese

Han character

(deprecated template usage) 自 (tự, từ, tợ)

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