虹

虹 U+8679, 虹 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-8679 ← 虸 [U+8678] CJK Unified Ideographs 虺 → [U+867A]

Translingual

Han character

A rainbow

虹 (radical 142 虫+3, 9 strokes, cangjie input 中戈一 (LIM), four-corner 5111₀, composition ⿰虫工)

References

• KangXi: page 1076, character 40
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 32830
• Dae Jaweon: page 1545, character 23
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 4, page 2834, character 8
• Unihan data for U+8679

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Chinese

simp. and trad.		虹
alt. forms		𧈫 𧈬 𧌫 𧍺 𧊋 𧈫 𧈬 𧌫 𧍺 𧊋 蝎

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 虹
Shang	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Oracle bone script	Small seal script

Characters in the same phonetic series (工) (Zhengzhang, 2003)
	Old Chinese
缸	*kroːŋ, *ɡroːŋ
篢	*kluːmʔ, *koːŋ
贑	*kluːmʔ
涳	*ŋr'oːŋ, *kʰroːŋ, *kʰoːŋ
江	*kroːŋ
肛	*kroːŋ, *qʰroːŋ
扛	*kroːŋ
杠	*kroːŋ
豇	*kroːŋ
茳	*kroːŋ
釭	*kroːŋ, *koːŋ, *kuːŋ
矼	*kroːŋ
玒	*kroːŋ, *koːŋ
虹	*kroːŋs, *koːŋs, *ɡoːŋ
腔	*kʰroːŋ
崆	*kʰroːŋ, *kʰoːŋ
羫	*kʰroːŋ
控	*kʰroːŋ, *kʰoːŋs
椌	*kʰroːŋ, *kʰoːŋ
悾	*kʰroːŋ, *kʰoːŋ, *kʰoːŋs
跫	*kʰroːŋ, *kʰoŋ, *ɡoŋ
啌	*qʰroːŋ
谾	*qʰroːŋ, *qʰoːŋ
舡	*qʰroːŋ
缻	*ɡroːŋ
項	*ɡroːŋʔ
屸	*ɡ·roːŋ
功	*koːŋ
工	*koːŋ
疘	*koːŋ
魟	*koːŋ, *qʰoːŋ, *ɡoːŋ
攻	*koːŋ, *kuːŋ
愩	*koːŋ
碽	*koːŋ
貢	*koːŋs
羾	*koːŋs
空	*kʰoːŋ, *kʰoːŋs
箜	*kʰoːŋ
硿	*kʰoːŋ
埪	*kʰoːŋ
鵼	*kʰoːŋ
倥	*kʰoːŋ, *kʰoːŋʔ, *kʰoːŋs
鞚	*kʰoːŋs
叿	*qʰoːŋ
嗊	*qʰoːŋʔ
訌	*ɡoːŋ
紅	*ɡoːŋ
仜	*ɡoːŋ
葒	*ɡoːŋ
渱	*ɡoːŋ
鴻	*ɡoːŋ, *ɡoːŋʔ
汞	*ɡoːŋʔ
澒	*ɡoːŋʔ
鞏	*koŋʔ
巩	*koŋʔ
銎	*kʰoŋ, *qʰoŋ
恐	*kʰoŋʔ, *kʰoŋs
蛩	*ɡoŋ
筇	*ɡoŋ
桏	*ɡoŋ
邛	*ɡoŋ

Originally pictographic (象形) in the oracle bone script. The ancient Chinese regarded the rainbow as a two-headed creature.

In the seal script, it has become a phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *kroːŋs, *koːŋs, *ɡoːŋ): semantic 虫 (“insect; creature”) + phonetic 工 (OC *koːŋ).

Etymology

Probably non-Sino-Tibetan; compare Proto-Mien *kluŋᴬ (“rainbow”), Thai รุ้ง (rúng, “rainbow”), Zhuang duzdoengz (“rainbow”), saidoengz (“rainbow”) (Schuessler, 2007).

Benedict (1986) and Carr (1990) relate this to 龍 (OC *b·roŋ, *mroːŋ, “dragon”) and 紅 (OC *ɡoːŋ, “red”).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): hóng, jiàng, gàng (hong², jiang⁴, gang⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄥˊ, ㄐㄧㄤˋ, ㄍㄤˋ

  (Chengdu, SP): gang⁴ / hong²

• Cantonese (Jyutping): hung⁴
• Gan (Wiktionary): gong⁴ / fung⁴
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): fùng
• Jin (Wiktionary): jion² / hung¹
• Min Dong (BUC): kê̤ṳng / hùng
• Min Nan

  (Hokkien, POJ): khēng / khěng / hông

  (Teochew, Peng'im): kêng⁶ / hong⁵

• Wu (Wiktionary): hhon (T3)
• Xiang (Wiktionary): gan⁴ / hong²

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, literary, standard in Mainland and Taiwan)⁺
    • Pinyin: hóng
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄥˊ
    • Wade-Giles: hung²
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: hongr
    • IPA ^(key): /xʊŋ³⁵/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, colloquial, standard in Mainland)⁺
    • Pinyin: jiàng
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄤˋ
    • Wade-Giles: chiang⁴
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jianq
    • IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹/
      
  • (Beijing dialect)⁺
    • Pinyin: gàng
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄤˋ
    • Wade-Giles: kang⁴
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ganq
    • IPA ^(key): /kɑŋ⁵¹/

Note: jiàng, gàng - only used as a standalone word.

• • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: gang⁴ / hong²
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: gang / xung
    • IPA ^(key): /kaŋ²¹³/, /xoŋ²¹/

Note:

• gang4 - vernacular;
• hong2 - literary.

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: hung⁴
    • Yale: hùhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: hung⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: hung⁴
    • IPA ^(key): /hʊŋ²¹/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: gong⁴ / fung⁴
    • IPA ^(key): /kɔŋ³⁵/, /fuŋ³⁵/

Note:

• gong4 - vernacular;
• fung4 - literary.

• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fùng
    • Hakka Romanization System: fungˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: fung²
    • IPA: /fuŋ¹¹/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: jion² / hung¹
    • IPA (old-style): /t͡ɕiɒ̃⁵³/, /xũŋ¹¹/

Note:

• jion2 - vernacular;
• hung1 - literary.

• Min Dong
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: kê̤ṳng / hùng
    • IPA ^(key): /kʰøyŋ²⁴²/, /huŋ⁵³/

Note:

• kê̤ṳng - vernacular;
• hùng - literary.

• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Taichung, Hsinchu, Sanxia, Yilan, Kinmen, Magong)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khēng
    • Tâi-lô: khīng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: qeng
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kinmen): /kʰiɪŋ²²/
    • IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /kʰiɪŋ³³/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Lukang)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khěng
    • Tâi-lô: khǐng
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kʰiɪŋ²²/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, mainstream Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hông
    • Tâi-lô: hông
    • Phofsit Daibuun: hoong
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /hɔŋ²³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /hɔŋ¹³/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Quanzhou, Taipei): /hɔŋ²⁴/

Note:

• khēng/khěng - vernacular;
• hông - literary.

• (Teochew)
  • Peng'im: kêng⁶ / hong⁵
  • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: khĕng / hông
  • IPA ^(key): /kʰeŋ³⁵/, /hoŋ⁵⁵/

Note:

• kêng6 - vernacular;
• hong5 - literary.

• Wu
  • (Shanghainese)
    • Wiktionary: hhon (T3)
    • IPA ^(key): /ɦʊŋ²³/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: gan⁴ / hong²
    • IPA ^(key) (old-style): /kan⁴⁵/, /xʊŋ¹³/
    • IPA ^(key) (new-style): /kan⁴⁵/, /xən¹³/

Note:

• gan4 - vernacular;
• hong2 - literary.

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• Middle Chinese: /ɦuŋ/, /kuŋ^H/, /kˠʌŋ^H/▼

Rime
Character	虹	虹	虹
Reading #	1/3	2/3	3/3
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)	見 (28)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	東 (1)	東 (1)	江 (9)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Departing (H)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open	Open
Division (等)	I	I	II
Fanqie	戸公切	古送切	古巷切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦuŋ/	/kuŋH/	/kˠʌŋH/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦuŋ/	/kuŋH/	/kᵚɔŋH/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣuŋ/	/kuŋH/	/kɔŋH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦəwŋ/	/kəwŋH/	/kaɨwŋH/
Li Rong	/ɣuŋ/	/kuŋH/	/kɔŋH/
Wang Li	/ɣuŋ/	/kuŋH/	/kɔŋH/
Bernard Karlgren	/ɣuŋ/	/kuŋH/	/kɔŋH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	hóng	gòng	jiàng

• Old Chinese▼

  (Baxter-Sagart): /*m-kˤoŋ/, /*kˤroŋ-s/

  (Zhengzhang): /*kroːŋs/, /*koːŋs/, /*ɡoːŋ/

Baxter-Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	虹	虹
Reading #	1/2	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	hóng	jiàng
Middle Chinese	‹ huwng ›	‹ kæwngH ›
Old Chinese	/*m-kˤoŋ/	/*kˤroŋ-s/
English	rainbow	rainbow
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	虹	虹	虹
Reading #	1/3	2/3	3/3
No.	4004	4032	4056
Phonetic component	工	工	工
Rime group	東	東	東
Rime subdivision	0	0	0
Corresponding MC rime	絳	貢	洪
Old Chinese	/*kroːŋs/	/*koːŋs/	/*ɡoːŋ/
Notes		原注今音絳

Definitions

虹

1. rainbow

   彩虹  ―  cǎihóng  ―  rainbow

2. (literary, figuratively) bridge

Compounds

• 副虹
• 彩虹 (cǎihóng)
• 氣勢如虹／气势如虹
• 氣吐虹霓／气吐虹霓
• 氣貫長虹／气贯长虹
• 玉虹
• 白虹

• 白虹貫日／白虹贯日
• 虹吸作用
• 虹吸現象／虹吸现象
• 虹吸管
• 虹彩 (hóngcǎi)
• 虹彩膜
• 虹橋／虹桥

• 虹膜 (hóngmó)
• 虹蜺
• 虹霓 (hóngní)
• 虹鱒／虹鳟 (hóngzūn)
• 長虹／长虹
• 霓虹 (níhóng)
• 霓虹燈／霓虹灯 (níhóngdēng)

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Japanese

Kanji

虹

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

Readings

• Goon: ぐ (gu); ぐう (gū); こう (kō)
• Kan’on: こう (kō)^{←かう (kau, historical)}; こう (kō)
• Kun: にじ (niji, 虹, Jōyō)

Compounds

Compounds

• 朝虹 (あさにじ) (asaniji)
• 海 (え)老 (び)虹 (こう)梁 (りょう) (ebikōryō), 蝦虹梁 (えびこうりょう) (ebikōryō)
• 過剰虹 (かじょうにじ) (kajōniji)
• 霧虹 (きりにじ) (kiriniji): fogbow
• 月 (げっ)虹 (こう) (gekkō): moonbow
• 虹 (こう)橋 (きょう) (kōkyō)
• 虹 (こう)霓 (げい) (kōgei), 虹 (こう)蜺 (げい) (kōgei): rainbow
• 虹彩 (こうさい) (kōsai): iris (part of the eye)
• 虹彩炎 (こうさいえん) (kōsaien): iritis
• 虹彩毛様体炎 (こうさいもうようたいえん) (kōsaimōyōtaien)
• 虹 (こう)梁 (りょう) (kōryō)
• 虹梁鼻 (こうりょうばな) (kōryōbana)
• 彩虹 (さいこう) (saikō)
• 断 (だん)虹 (こう) (dankō)
• 虹色鍬形 (にじいろくわがた) (nijīrokuwagata)
• 虹 (にじ)の松原 (まつばら) (niji no matsubara)
• 虹鱒 (にじます) (nijimasu): rainbow trout
• 白 (はっ)虹 (こう) (hakkō)
• 白 (はっ)虹 (こう)事 (じ)件 (けん) (hakkōjiken)
• 白 (はっ)虹 (こう)日 (ひ)を貫 (つらぬ)く (hakkō hi o tsuranuku)
• 二重虹 (ふたえにじ) (futaeniji)
• 夕虹 (ゆうにじ) (yūniji)
• 夕虹百日 (ゆうにじひゃくにち)の旱 (ひでり) (yūniji hyakunichi no hideri)

Etymology 1

虹 (niji, nuji, noji): a rainbow.

Kanji in this term
虹
にじ Grade: S
kun’yomi

From Old Japanese. Shift from earlier nuji or noji reading.

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) にじ [nìjí] (Heiban – [0])
  • IPA^(key): [ɲ̟iʑi]

Alternative forms

• 霓

Noun

虹 (hiragana にじ, rōmaji niji)

1. a rainbow

   春雨 (はるさめ)がやんだ途 (と)端 (たん)に、美 (うつく)しい虹 (にじ)が現 (あらわ)れた。

   Harusame ga yanda totan ni, utsukushii niji ga arawareta.

   Just as the spring shower passed, a beautiful rainbow appeared.

Synonyms

• 虹 (こう)霓 (げい) (kōgei)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
虹
ぬじ Grade: S
kun’yomi

From Old Japanese. Shift from earlier noji reading.

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) ぬじ [nùjí] (Heiban – [0])
  • IPA^(key): [nɯ̟ᵝʑi]

Noun

虹 (hiragana ぬじ, rōmaji nuji)

1. (dialect, possibly obsolete) a rainbow

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
虹
のじ Grade: S
kun’yomi

From Old Japanese. Appears in the Man'yōshū of 720 CE as an eastern dialectal variant.

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
  • (Tokyo) のじ [nòjí] (Heiban – [0])
  • IPA^(key): [no̞ʑi]

Noun

虹 (hiragana のじ, rōmaji noji)

1. (obsolete) a rainbow

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Korean

Hanja

虹 • (hong, gang)

• Eumhun:
  • Sound (hangeul): 홍, 강
  • Name (hangeul): 무지개

1. rainbow

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Vietnamese

Han character

虹 (hồng, vồng, nhật)

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