幸

See also: 倖, 㚔, 羍, and 辛

Translingual

Etymology

Pictogram (象形) of a picture of handcuffs.

幸 is used to represent handcuffs in 報.

Another theory considers it as a picture of two men, one being upside down, thus dead. The surviving one being lucky to be still alive.

Han character

幸 (Kangxi radical 51, 干+5, 8 strokes, cangjie input 土廿十 (GTJ), four-corner 4040₁, composition ⿱土𢆉)

Derived characters

• 倖 執 婞 睪

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 341, character 1
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 9176
• Dae Jaweon: page 649, character 9
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 434, character 8
• Unihan data for U+5E78

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Chinese

Etymology 1

simp. and trad.		幸

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): xìng (xing⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄥˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): hang⁶
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): hēng

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: xìng
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄥˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: sìng
    • Wade–Giles: hsing⁴
    • Yale: syìng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shinq
    • Palladius: син (sin)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕiŋ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: hang⁶
    • Yale: hahng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: hang⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: heng⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɐŋ²²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hēng
    • Tâi-lô: hīng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: heng
    • IPA (Xiamen): /hiɪŋ²²/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /hiɪŋ⁴¹/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /hiɪŋ²²/
    • IPA (Taipei): /hiɪŋ³³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /hiɪŋ³³/

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• Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 幸
Mandarin	Beijing	/ɕiŋ⁵¹/
	Harbin	/ɕiŋ⁵³/
	Tianjin	/ɕiŋ⁵³/
	Jinan	/ɕiŋ²¹/
	Qingdao	/ɕiŋ⁴²/
	Zhengzhou	/ɕiŋ³¹²/
	Xi'an	/ɕiŋ⁴⁴/
	Xining	/ɕiə̃²¹³/
	Yinchuan	/ɕiŋ¹³/
	Lanzhou	/ɕĩn¹³/
	Ürümqi	/ɕiŋ²¹³/
	Wuhan	/ɕin³⁵/
	Chengdu	/ɕin¹³/
	Guiyang	/ɕin²¹³/
	Kunming	/ɕĩ¹/
	Nanjing	/ɕin⁴⁴/
	Hefei	/ɕin⁵³/
Jin	Taiyuan	/ɕiəŋ⁴⁵/
	Pingyao	/ɕiŋ³⁵/
	Hohhot	/ɕĩŋ⁵⁵/
Wu	Shanghai	/ɦiŋ²³/
	Suzhou	/ɦin³¹/
	Hangzhou	/ɦin¹³/
	Wenzhou	/ɦɛ³⁵/
Hui	Shexian	/ɕiʌ̃²²/
	Tunxi	/xɛ²⁴/
Xiang	Changsha	/ɕin⁵⁵/
	Xiangtan	/ɕin⁵⁵/
Gan	Nanchang	/ɕin²¹/
Hakka	Meixian	/hen⁵³/
	Taoyuan
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/hɐŋ²²/
	Nanning	/hɐŋ²²/
	Hong Kong	/hɐŋ²²/
Min	Xiamen (Hokkien)	/hiŋ²²/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/hɛiŋ²⁴²/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/xaiŋ⁴⁴/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/heŋ³⁵/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/heŋ³³/

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• Middle Chinese: heangX

Rime
Character	幸
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)
Final (韻)	耕 (117)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	II
Fanqie	胡耿切
Baxter	heangX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦˠɛŋX/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦᵚæŋX/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣɐŋX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦəɨjŋX/
Li Rong	/ɣɛŋX/
Wang Li	/ɣæŋX/
Bernard Karlgren	/ɣæŋX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	hèng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	hang6

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[ɡ]ˤreŋʔ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɡreːŋʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	幸
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	xìng
Middle Chinese	‹ hɛngX ›
Old Chinese	/*[ɡ]ˁreŋʔ/
English	fortunate
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	幸
Reading #	1/1
No.	13881
Phonetic component	幸
Rime group	耕
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	幸
Old Chinese	/*ɡreːŋʔ/

Noun

(deprecated template usage) 幸

1. luck
2. favor, favour

Adjective

(deprecated template usage) 幸

1. fortunate; lucky

Adverb

(deprecated template usage) 幸

1. luckily; fortunately

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of 幸 – see 倖 (“to favor; to dote on; by fluke or chance; etc.”). (This character is the simplified form of 倖).

Notes: Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

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Japanese

Kanji

幸

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: ぎょう (gyō), (historical) ぎやう (gyau)
• Kan-on: こう (kō), (historical) かう
• Kun: しあわせ (shiawase) > しあはせ (shiahase), さいわい (saiwai) > さいはひ (saihahi), さきわい (sakiwai) > さきはひ (sakihahi), さき (saki), さちわい (sachiwai) > さちはひ (sachihahi), さち (sachi), さつ (satsu)
• Nanori: ゆき (yuki), よし (yoshi)

Compounds

• 射幸心
• 薄幸

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
幸
こう Grade: 3
on'yomi

/kau/ → /kɔː/ → /koː/

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle Chinese 幸 (hɛng^X, literally “lucky, fortunate, auspicious”). The kan'on, so a later borrowing.

Noun

幸(こう) • (kō) 

1. good luck, good fortune; happiness
2. an appearance by the emperor or a retired emperor

Usage notes

The good fortune and happiness senses are generally considered as overlapping.

Synonyms

• (good fortune): 幸福(こうふく) (kōfuku); 幸(さいわ)い (saiwai); 幸(さち) (sachi)
• (happiness): 仕合せ, 幸せ (しあわせ, ​shiawase)
• (imperial appearance): 行幸, 御行, 御幸 (みゆき, ​miyuki); 御幸(ごこう) (gokō)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
幸
しあわせ Grade: 3
kun'yomi

The 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 為合わす, 仕合わす (shiawasu, “to put together well; to work together well”, lower bigrade, with continuative form ending in -e), itself a compound of (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Japanese verbs 為 (su, “to do, to make something be a certain way”) + 合わす (awasu, “to join together, to fit together”).

Often spelled 幸せ with the final せ to indicate the reading.

Alternative forms

• 幸せ, 仕合せ, 仕合わせ, 倖せ

Adjective

幸(しあわせ) • (shiawase) ^{←しあはせ (siafase)?}-na (adnominal 幸(しあわせ)な (shiawase na), adverbial 幸(しあわせ)に (shiawase ni))

1. happy
2. fortunate, lucky

Conjugation

Inflection of 幸

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	幸だろ	しあわせだろ	shiawase daro
Continuative (連用形)	幸で	しあわせで	shiawase de
Terminal (終止形)	幸だ	しあわせだ	shiawase da
Attributive (連体形)	幸な	しあわせな	shiawase na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	幸なら	しあわせなら	shiawase nara
Imperative (命令形)	幸であれ	しあわせであれ	shiawase de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	幸ではない 幸じゃない	しあわせではない しあわせじゃない	shiawase de wa nai shiawase ja nai
Informal past	幸だった	しあわせだった	shiawase datta
Informal negative past	幸ではなかった 幸じゃなかった	しあわせではなかった しあわせじゃなかった	shiawase de wa nakatta shiawase ja nakatta
Formal	幸です	しあわせです	shiawase desu
Formal negative	幸ではありません 幸じゃありません	しあわせではありません しあわせじゃありません	shiawase de wa arimasen shiawase ja arimasen
Formal past	幸でした	しあわせでした	shiawase deshita
Formal negative past	幸ではありませんでした 幸じゃありませんでした	しあわせではありませんでした しあわせじゃありませんでした	shiawase de wa arimasen deshita shiawase ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	幸で	しあわせで	shiawase de
Conditional	幸なら（ば）	しあわせなら（ば）	shiawase nara (ba)
Provisional	幸だったら	しあわせだったら	shiawase dattara
Volitional	幸だろう	しあわせだろう	shiawase darō
Adverbial	幸に	しあわせに	shiawase ni
Degree	幸さ	しあわせさ	shiawasesa

Noun

幸(しあわせ) • (shiawase) ^{←しあはせ (siafase)?}

1. a moment when circumstances come together: fate, opportunity (used to indicate both good and bad instances)
2. happiness
3. good fortune, good luck
4. circumstances, the flow of events

Synonyms

• (fate): 運命(うんめい) (unmei)
• (opportunity): 機会(きかい) (kikai)
• (happiness): 幸福(こうふく) (kōfuku)
• (good fortune): 幸(さいわ)い (saiwai), 幸運(こううん) (kōun)
• (circumstances): 経緯(いきさつ) (ikisatsu)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
幸
さいわい Grade: 3
kun'yomi

/sakipapi/ → /sakiɸaɸi/ → /sakiwahi/ → /sakiwai/ → /saiwai/

Derived from sakiwai below.

More often spelled as 幸い with the final い to indicate the reading.

Alternative forms

• 幸い

Adjective

幸(さいわい) • (saiwai) ^{←さいはひ (saifafi)?}-na (adnominal 幸(さいわい)な (saiwai na), adverbial 幸(さいわい)に (saiwai ni))

1. very fortunate and happy, especially as bestowed by gods, spirits, buddhas, or other entities
2. favorable, ideal (often used in polite constructions)

   お返事(へんじ)をいただければ幸(さいわ)いです。

   Ohenji o itadakereba saiwai desu.

   It would be favorable if I could have your reply. → I would greatly appreciate your reply.

Conjugation

Inflection of 幸

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	幸だろ	さいわいだろ	saiwai daro
Continuative (連用形)	幸で	さいわいで	saiwai de
Terminal (終止形)	幸だ	さいわいだ	saiwai da
Attributive (連体形)	幸な	さいわいな	saiwai na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	幸なら	さいわいなら	saiwai nara
Imperative (命令形)	幸であれ	さいわいであれ	saiwai de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	幸ではない 幸じゃない	さいわいではない さいわいじゃない	saiwai de wa nai saiwai ja nai
Informal past	幸だった	さいわいだった	saiwai datta
Informal negative past	幸ではなかった 幸じゃなかった	さいわいではなかった さいわいじゃなかった	saiwai de wa nakatta saiwai ja nakatta
Formal	幸です	さいわいです	saiwai desu
Formal negative	幸ではありません 幸じゃありません	さいわいではありません さいわいじゃありません	saiwai de wa arimasen saiwai ja arimasen
Formal past	幸でした	さいわいでした	saiwai deshita
Formal negative past	幸ではありませんでした 幸じゃありませんでした	さいわいではありませんでした さいわいじゃありませんでした	saiwai de wa arimasen deshita saiwai ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	幸で	さいわいで	saiwai de
Conditional	幸なら（ば）	さいわいなら（ば）	saiwai nara (ba)
Provisional	幸だったら	さいわいだったら	saiwai dattara
Volitional	幸だろう	さいわいだろう	saiwai darō
Adverbial	幸に	さいわいに	saiwai ni
Degree	幸さ	さいわいさ	saiwaisa

Adverb

幸(さいわい) • (saiwai) ^{←さいはひ (saifafi)?}

1. fortunately, luckily, happily

   幸(さいわい)、怪我(けが)はなかった。

   Saiwai, kega wa nakatta.

   Luckily, no one was hurt.

Usage notes

When used as an adverb without a particle, this term usually comes at the start of the sentence. It also appears used with advervial particles に (ni) and と (to), or, perhaps more commonly, in an adverbial construction as 幸なことに.

Noun

幸(さいわい) • (saiwai) ^{←さいはひ (saifafi)?}

1. very good fortune and happiness, especially as bestowed by gods, spirits, buddhas, or other entities
2. an occurrence of good luck or good fortune
3. (derivation unknown) the tail and back fins of a carp or other fish, as used in cooking

Synonyms

• (favorable occurrence): 幸(しあわ)せ (shiawase)
• (happiness): 幸(しあわ)せ (shiawase), 幸福(こうふく) (kōfuku)
• (fish tail and back fins): 尾鰭(おひれ) (ohire)

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
幸
さきわい Grade: 3
kun'yomi

/sakipapi/ → /sakiɸaɸi/ → /sakiwahi/ → /sakiwai/

The 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 幸う (sakiwau, “to meet with good fortune; to prosper”), itself a compound of 幸 (saki below, “good fortune, happiness”) + 這う, 延う (hau, “to spread out widely”).

Alternative forms

• 幸い

Noun

幸(さきわい) • (sakiwai) ^{←さきはひ (sakifafi)?}

1. (obsolete) an occurrence of good luck or good fortune
2. (obsolete) good luck or good fortune itself

Usage notes

Obsolete in modern Japanese, replaced by saiwai above.

Synonyms

• (good fortune): 幸福(こうふく) (kōfuku); 幸(さいわ)い (saiwai); 幸(さち) (sachi)

Etymology 5

Kanji in this term
幸
さき Grade: 3
kun'yomi

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Japanese. Possibly cognate with 先 (saki, “tip, point; future, ahead”) from the idea of [favorable] future. Possibly also related to sachi / satsu below.

Noun

幸(さき) • (saki) 

1. (obsolete) good luck, good fortune; happiness

   c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 18, poem 4095:

   大夫能 許己呂於毛保由 於保伎美能 美許登佐吉乎 聞者多布刀美

   大夫の 心思ほゆ 大君の 御言の幸を 聞けば貴み

   ますらをの こころおもほゆ おほきみの みことのさきを きけばたふとみ

   Masurawo no | kokoro omohoyu | Ohokimi no | mikoto no saki wo | kikeba tafutomi

   “Such manliness of spirit is brought to mind. How noble to hear of the happiness / good fortune of the words of the emperor...”

Usage notes

The good fortune and happiness senses are generally considered as overlapping.

Saki in this sense appears to be obsolete in modern Japanese.

Synonyms

• (good fortune): 幸福(こうふく) (kōfuku); 幸(さいわ)い (saiwai); 幸(さち) (sachi)

Etymology 6

Kanji in this term
幸
さちわい Grade: 3
kun'yomi

/sat͡ɕipapi/ → /sat͡ɕiɸaɸi/ → /sat͡ɕiwahi/ → /sat͡ɕiwai/

The 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 幸う (sachiwau, “to meet with good fortune; to prosper”), itself a compound of 幸 (sachi below, “good fortune, happiness”) + 這う, 延う (hau, “to spread out widely”).

Alternative forms

• 幸い

Noun

幸(さちわい) • (sachiwai) ^{←さちはひ (satifafi)?}

1. (obsolete, rare) an occurrence of good luck or good fortune
2. (obsolete, rare) good luck or good fortune itself

Usage notes

Obsolete in modern Japanese, replaced by saiwai above. In historical Japanese, sachiwai appears to be a rarer variant of sakiwai above.

Synonyms

• (good fortune): 幸福(こうふく) (kōfuku); 幸(さいわ)い (saiwai); 幸(さち) (sachi)

Etymology 7

Kanji in this term
幸
さち Grade: 3
kun'yomi

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Japanese. Possibly cognate with (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Korean 살 (sal, “arrow”). Possibly also related with saki above.

The kanji may have originally been applied to this word for the source Chinese term's associations with good fortune.

This is the standalone form of satsu below. Possibly derived as the fusion of satsu and (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Japanese emphatic nominalizing particle い: */satu i/ → /sati/ → /sat͡ɕi/

Adjective

幸(さち) • (sachi) -na (adnominal 幸(さち)な (sachi na), adverbial 幸(さち)に (sachi ni))

1. very fortunate and happy

Conjugation

Inflection of 幸

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	幸だろ	さちだろ	sachi daro
Continuative (連用形)	幸で	さちで	sachi de
Terminal (終止形)	幸だ	さちだ	sachi da
Attributive (連体形)	幸な	さちな	sachi na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	幸なら	さちなら	sachi nara
Imperative (命令形)	幸であれ	さちであれ	sachi de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	幸ではない 幸じゃない	さちではない さちじゃない	sachi de wa nai sachi ja nai
Informal past	幸だった	さちだった	sachi datta
Informal negative past	幸ではなかった 幸じゃなかった	さちではなかった さちじゃなかった	sachi de wa nakatta sachi ja nakatta
Formal	幸です	さちです	sachi desu
Formal negative	幸ではありません 幸じゃありません	さちではありません さちじゃありません	sachi de wa arimasen sachi ja arimasen
Formal past	幸でした	さちでした	sachi deshita
Formal negative past	幸ではありませんでした 幸じゃありませんでした	さちではありませんでした さちじゃありませんでした	sachi de wa arimasen deshita sachi ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	幸で	さちで	sachi de
Conditional	幸なら（ば）	さちなら（ば）	sachi nara (ba)
Provisional	幸だったら	さちだったら	sachi dattara
Volitional	幸だろう	さちだろう	sachi darō
Adverbial	幸に	さちに	sachi ni
Degree	幸さ	さちさ	sachisa

Noun

幸(さち) • (sachi) 

1. (archaic) a hunting implement; the spirit of a hunting implement
2. a bounteous catch (for fishing), amply caught game (for hunting); food (specifically animal protein caught in the wild: fish or game)
3. good fortune, good luck; happiness

Etymology 8

Kanji in this term
幸
さつ Grade: 3
kun'yomi

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Old Japanese. Possibly cognate with (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Korean 살 (sal, “arrow”). Possibly also related with saki above.

The kanji may have originally been applied to this word for the source Chinese term's associations with good fortune.

This is the bound form of sachi above. This form is only ever used in compounds. Possibly the original form.

Alternative forms

• 猟

Prefix

幸(さつ) • (satsu-) 

1. (obsolete) hunting, for hunting

   幸(さつ)矢(や)、幸(さつ)弓(ゆみ)、幸(さつ)人(ひと)

   satsuya, satsuyumi, satsuhito

   a hunting arrow, a hunting bow, a hunter

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Korean

Hanja

幸 • (haeng) (hangeul 행, revised haeng, McCune–Reischauer haeng)

1. (deprecated template usage) (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) 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) 幸 (hạnh, may)

1. (deprecated template usage) (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.