吾

Translingual

Phonosemantic interpretation

Old Chinese Initial /*k-/ lends semantic value Frame. Phono-semantic indicator 五 (cross) + semantic indicator 口 mouth → crossing of words in conversation. Present-day meanings are via borrowing. Source: Howell & Morimoto

Han character

吾 (radical 30 口+4, 7 strokes, cangjie input 一一口 (MMR), four-corner 1060₁, composition ⿱五口)

1. I, my, our
2. resist, impede

References

• KangXi: page 180, character 3
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 3379
• Dae Jaweon: page 398, character 2
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 1, page 585, character 13
• Unihan data for U+543E

---

Cantonese

Hanzi

吾 (jyutping ng4, Yale ng4)

---

Japanese

Kanji

吾

Readings

• On: ご (go), ぐ (gu)
• Kun: われ (ware), わが (waga), あ (a)

---

Korean

Hanja

吾 (hangeul 오, revised o, McCune-Reischauer o)

---

Mandarin

Hanzi

吾 (pinyin wú (wu2), ya (ya5), Wade-Giles wu², ya⁵)

---

Vietnamese

Han character

吾 (ngô, ngo)

Readings

• Nôm: ngo, ngô

References

• Thiều Chửu : Hán Việt Tự Điển Hà Nội 1942
• Trần Văn Chánh: Từ Điển Hán Việt NXB Trẻ, Ho Chi Minh Ville, 1999
• Vũ Văn Kính: Đại Tự Điển Chữ Nôm , NXB Văn Nghệ, Ho Chi Minh Ville, 1999