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		蝎

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 虹
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

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): hóng (hong²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄥˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): hung⁴
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): fùng
• Min Dong (BUC): kê̤ṳng / hùng
• Min Nan (POJ): hông / khēng
• Wu (Wiktionary): hhon (T3)

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, Beijing)⁺
    • Pinyin: hóng
    • Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄥˊ
    • Wade-Giles: hung²
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: hongr
    • IPA ^(key): /xʊŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: hung⁴
    • Yale: hùhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: hung⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: hung⁴
    • IPA ^(key): /hʊŋ²¹/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fùng
    • Hakka Romanization System: fungˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: fung²
    • IPA: /fuŋ¹¹/
• Min Dong
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: kê̤ṳng / hùng
    • IPA ^(key): /kʰøyŋ²⁴²/, /huŋ⁵³/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hông / khēng
    • Tâi-lô: hông / khīng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: hoong, qeng
    • IPA (Xiamen): /hɔŋ²⁴/, /kʰiɪŋ²²/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /hɔŋ²⁴/, /kʰiɪŋ⁴¹/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /hɔŋ¹³/, /kʰiɪŋ²²/
    • IPA (Taipei): /hɔŋ²⁴/, /kʰiɪŋ³³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /hɔŋ²³/, /kʰiɪŋ³³/

Note:

• hông - literary;
• khēng - vernacular (俗).

• Wu
  • (Shanghainese)
    • Wiktionary: hhon (T3)
    • IPA ^(key): /ɦʊŋ²³/

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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

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Japanese

Kanji

虹

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

Readings

• Goon: ぐ (gu) (non-Jōyō reading)
• Kan’on: こう (kō)
• Kun: にじ (niji)

Compounds

Compounds

• 朝虹 (あさにじ) (asaniji)
• 海老虹梁 (えびこうりょう) (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
• 月虹 (げっこう) (gekkō): moonbow
• 虹橋 (こうきょう) (kōkyō)
• 虹霓 (こうげい) (kōgei), 虹蜺 (こうげい) (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)
• 虹梁 (こうりょう) (kōryō)
• 虹梁鼻 (こうりょうばな) (kōryōbana)
• 彩虹 (さいこう) (saikō)
• 断虹 (だんこう) (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
• 白虹 (はっこう) (hakkō)
• 白虹事件 (はっこうじけん) (hakkōjiken)
• 白虹日 (はっこうひ)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)がやんだ途端 (とたん)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

• 虹霓 (こうげい) (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): [nɨᵝʑi]

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)

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