塔

See also: 墖

塔 U+5854, 塔 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5854 ← 塓 [U+5853] CJK Unified Ideographs 塕 → [U+5855]

Translingual

Stroke order

Japanese

Han character

塔 (Kangxi radical 32, 土+10 in Chinese, 土+9 in Japanese, 13 strokes in Chinese, 12 strokes in Japanese, cangjie input 土廿人口 (GTOR), four-corner 4416₁, composition ⿰土荅)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 235, character 14
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 5332
• Dae Jaweon: page 473, character 7
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 460, character 6
• Unihan data for U+5854

Chinese

trad.		塔
simp. #		塔
alternative forms		㙮 墖 𩫊

Glyph origin

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

	Old Chinese
龕	*kʰuːm
媕	*quːm, *qromʔ, *qɯːm, *qramʔ, *qɯːb
頜	*ɡuːmʔ, *kuːb
答	*tkuːb
畣	*tkuːb
荅	*tkuːb
嗒	*tuːb, *tʰoːb
褡	*tuːb, *toːb
撘	*tuːb
搭	*tuːb, *tʰoːb
榙	*tkuːb, *ɡuːb
佮	*tkʰuːb, *kuːb, *quːb, *quːb
蛤	*kuːb
鴿	*kuːb
合	*kuːb, *ɡuːb
郃	*kuːb, *ɡuːb
匌	*kuːb, *kʰuːb
鉿	*kuːb
閤	*kuːb
鞈	*kuːb, *kruːb
韐	*kuːb, *kruːb
鮯	*kuːb
哈	*ŋɡuːb
姶	*quːb, *quːb
欱	*qʰuːb, *qʰruːb
盒	*ɡuːb
耠	*ɡuːb
詥	*ɡuːb
塔	*tʰuːb
鞳	*tʰoːb
劄	*rtuːb
跲	*kruːb, *kob, *ɡob
袷	*kruːb, *ŋkob
餄	*kruːb
恰	*kʰruːb
帢	*kʰruːb
洽	*ɡruːb
祫	*ɡruːb
珨	*ɡruːb
烚	*ɡruːb
歙	*qʰjob, *qʰrub
湁	*tkʰub
拾	*ɡjub
給	*krub
翕	*qʰrub
噏	*qʰrub
潝	*qʰrub
熻	*qʰrub
嬆	*qʰrub
翖	*qʰrub
闟	*qʰrub

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *tʰuːb) : semantic 土 + phonetic 荅 (OC *tkuːb).

Etymology

Borrowed from a Prakrit language into the late Old Chinese of Eastern Han (alternatively considered an early form of Middle Chinese), for example in the translations attributed to Lokakṣema. Cf. Ashokan Prakrit 𑀣𑀼𑀩𑁂 (thube), Gandhari 𐨠𐨂𐨬 (thuva) and other forms, Pali thūpa, vs. Sanskrit स्तूप (stūpa).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): tǎ (ta³)

  (Zhuyin): ㄊㄚˇ

  (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): та (ta, I)

• Cantonese (Jyutping): taap³

• Gan (Wiktionary): ta³
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): thap

  (Meixian, Guangdong): tab⁵

• Jin (Wiktionary): tah⁴
• Northern Min (KCR): tă
• Eastern Min (BUC): ták
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): thap / thah

  (Teochew, Peng'im): tah⁴

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁷thaq
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): ta⁶

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: tǎ
    • Zhuyin: ㄊㄚˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: tǎ
    • Wade–Giles: tʻa³
    • Yale: tǎ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: taa
    • Palladius: та (ta)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰä²¹⁴/
  • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic and Wiktionary: та (ta, I)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰa²⁴/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: taap³
    • Yale: taap
    • Cantonese Pinyin: taap⁸
    • Guangdong Romanization: tab³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰaːp̚³/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: ta³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰa²¹³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: thap
    • Hakka Romanization System: tab`
    • Hagfa Pinyim: tab⁵
    • Sinological IPA: /tʰap̚²/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: tab⁵
    • Sinological IPA: /tʰap̚¹/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: tah⁴
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /tʰxaʔ²/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: tă
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰa²⁴/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: ták
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰɑʔ²⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: thap
    • Tâi-lô: thap
    • Phofsit Daibuun: tab
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /tʰap̚⁵/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /tʰap̚³²/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: thah
    • Tâi-lô: thah
    • Phofsit Daibuun: taq
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /tʰaʔ³²/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /tʰaʔ⁵/

Note:

• thap - literary;
• thah - vernacular.

• (Teochew)
  • Peng'im: tah⁴
  • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: thah
  • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰaʔ²/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁷thaq
    • MiniDict: thah^入
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ⁴thaq
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /tʰaʔ⁵⁵/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: ta⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰa̠²⁴/

---

• Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 塔
Mandarin	Beijing	/tʰa²¹⁴/
	Harbin	/tʰa²¹³/
	Tianjin	/tʰɑ¹³/
	Jinan	/tʰa²¹³/
	Qingdao	/tʰa⁵⁵/
	Zhengzhou	/tʰa²⁴/
	Xi'an	/tʰa²¹/
	Xining	/tʰa⁴⁴/
	Yinchuan	/tʰa¹³/
	Lanzhou	/tʰa¹³/
	Ürümqi	/tʰa²¹³/
	Wuhan	/tʰa²¹³/
	Chengdu	/tʰa³¹/
	Guiyang	/tʰa²¹/
	Kunming	/tʰa̠³¹/
	Nanjing	/tʰɑʔ⁵/
	Hefei	/tʰɐʔ⁵/
Jin	Taiyuan	/tʰaʔ²/
	Pingyao	/tʰʌʔ⁵³/
	Hohhot	/tʰaʔ⁴³/
Wu	Shanghai	/tʰaʔ⁵/
	Suzhou	/tʰaʔ⁵/
	Hangzhou	/tʰɑʔ⁵/
	Wenzhou	/tʰa²¹³/
Hui	Shexian	/tʰaʔ²¹/
	Tunxi	/tʰɔ⁵/
Xiang	Changsha	/tʰa²⁴/
	Xiangtan	/tʰɒ²⁴/
Gan	Nanchang	/tʰaʔ⁵/
Hakka	Meixian	/tʰap̚¹/
	Taoyuan	/tʰɑp̚²²/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/tʰap̚³/
	Nanning	/tʰap̚³³/
	Hong Kong	/tʰap̚³/
Min	Xiamen (Hokkien)	/tʰap̚³²/ /tʰaʔ³²/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/tʰɑʔ²³/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/tʰa²⁴/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/tʰaʔ²/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/ha⁵⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: thap

Rime
Character	塔
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	透 (6)
Final (韻)	盍 (144)
Tone (調)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	吐盍切
Baxter	thap
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/tʰɑp̚/
Pan Wuyun	/tʰɑp̚/
Shao Rongfen	/tʰɑp̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/tʰap̚/
Li Rong	/tʰɑp̚/
Wang Li	/tʰɑp̚/
Bernard Karlgren	/tʰɑp̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	ta
Expected Cantonese Reflex	taap3

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*tʰuːb/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	塔
Reading #	1/1
No.	4979
Phonetic component	合
Rime group	盍
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	榻
Old Chinese	/*tʰuːb/
Notes	巴利thupa

Definitions

塔

1. tower
2. pagoda
3. spire
4. tall building
5. (tarot) the Tower
6. (Taiwan) tart
7. a surname: Ta

Synonyms

• (pagoda): 寶塔／宝塔 (bǎotǎ), 佛塔 (fótǎ)
• (tart): 撻／挞 (tà)

Compounds

• 七里塔 (Qīlǐtǎ)
• 九層塔／九层塔 (jiǔcéngtǎ)
• 仁塔
• 保俶塔
• 保叔塔
• 倫敦鐵塔／伦敦铁塔
• 僧塔 (sēngtǎ)
• 冷水塔
• 北塔山 (Běitǎshān)
• 千佛塔
• 半截塔
• 卡塔爾／卡塔尔 (Kǎtǎ'ěr)
• 吐曼塔勒 (Tǔmàntǎlè)
• 名標雁塔／名标雁塔
• 吾塔木 (Wútǎmù)
• 哈尼喀塔木 (Hāníkātǎmù)
• 喀勒塔吐格曼 (Kālètǎtùgémàn)
• 堂塔
• 塔中 (Tǎzhōng)
• 塔什庫爾干／塔什库尔干 (Tǎshíkù'ěrgān)
• 塔克拉瑪干 (Tǎkèlāmǎgān)
• 塔吊
• 塔吉克 (Tǎjíkè)
• 塔吉克族 (Tǎjíkèzú)
• 塔城 (Tǎchéng)
• 塔塔爾／塔塔尔
• 塔塔爾族／塔塔尔族 (Tǎtǎ'ěrzú)
• 塔墩
• 塔布
• 塔手綢／塔手绸
• 塔提讓／塔提让 (Tǎtíràng)
• 塔斯社 (Tǎsīshè)
• 塔灰
• 塔爾巴哈臺／塔尔巴哈台 (Tǎ'ěrbāhātái)
• 塔畈 (Tǎfàn)
• 塔納赫／塔纳赫 (Tǎnàhè)
• 塔臺／塔台 (tǎtái)
• 塔路 (Tǎlù)
• 塔里木河 (Tǎlǐmù Hé)
• 塔非亞酒／塔非亚酒
• 塔頭／塔头
• 多寶塔／多宝塔
• 大雁塔
• 央塔克 (Yāngtǎkè)
• 寶塔／宝塔 (bǎotǎ)
• 寶塔河／宝塔河 (Bǎotǎhé)
• 寶塔糖／宝塔糖
• 寶塔線／宝塔线
• 寶塔菜／宝塔菜
• 寶塔詩／宝塔诗 (bǎotǎshī)
• 小溪塔 (Xiǎoxītǎ)
• 庫穆塔格／库穆塔格
• 打塔墩
• 托塔天王
• 方尖塔
• 東塔宗／东塔宗
• 比薩斜塔／比萨斜塔 (Bǐsà Xiétǎ)
• 毛里塔尼亞 (Máolǐtǎníyà)
• 水塔 (shuǐtǎ)
• 水晶塔
• 炮塔 (pàotǎ)
• 燈塔／灯塔 (dēngtǎ)
• 爪塔
• 玄祕塔碑／玄秘塔碑
• 珍珠塔
• 祁曼塔格 (Qímàntǎgé)
• 祭塔
• 管制塔臺／管制塔台
• 紅塔／红塔 (Hóngtǎ)
• 紀念塔／纪念塔 (jìniàntǎ)
• 納骨塔／纳骨塔
• 聚沙成塔 (jùshāchéngtǎ)
• 肯塔基州
• 腦塔／脑塔
• 舍利塔 (shèlìtǎ)
• 茅塔 (Máotǎ)
• 薩塔爾／萨塔尔 (sàtǎ'ěr)
• 衣缽塔／衣钵塔
• 西塔琴
• 象牙塔 (xiàngyátǎ)
• 赤塔 (Chìtǎ)
• 跳傘塔／跳伞塔
• 跳塔輪鍘／跳塔轮铡
• 通天塔
• 金塔 (jīntǎ)
• 金字塔 (jīnzìtǎ)
• 鋪塔／铺塔
• 鐘塔／钟塔 (zhōngtǎ)
• 鐵塔／铁塔 (tiětǎ)
• 闊什塔格／阔什塔格 (Kuòshítǎgé)
• 阿恰塔格 (Āqiàtǎgé)
• 雁塔
• 雁塔題名／雁塔题名
• 雙峰塔／双峰塔 (Shuāngfēngtǎ)
• 雷峰塔
• 靈骨塔／灵骨塔
• 青貯塔／青贮塔
• 骨灰塔
• 麻扎塔格 (Mázhātǎgé)

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (塔):

• → Japanese: 塔(とう) (tō)
• → Korean: 탑(塔) (tap)
• → Vietnamese: tháp (塔)

Others:

• → Thai: ถะ (tà, “pagoda”)

References

• “塔”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[2], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Japanese

Kanji

塔

(common “Jōyō” kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 墖)

1. pagoda, tower, steeple

Readings

• Go-on: とう (tō, Jōyō)^{←たふ (tafu, historical)}
• Kan-on: とう (tō, Jōyō)^{←たふ (tafu, historical)}
• Kun: てら (tera); おか (oka); あららぎ (araragi, 塔)

Compounds

Compounds

• 五(ご)輪(りん)の石(せき)塔(とう) (gorin no sekitō), 五(ご)輪(りん)の塔(とう) (gorin no tō): a five-ring or five-level stone stupa
• 仏塔(ぶっとう) (buttō): a Buddhist reliquary stupa; a Buddhist temple pagoda or stupa
• 五(ご)重(じゅう)塔(のとう) (gojū no tō), 五(ご)重(じゅう)の塔(とう) (gojū no tō): a five-storey pagoda
• 石塔(せきとう) (sekitō): a stone pagoda or stupa; a Buddhist tombstone
• 三(さん)重(じゅう)塔(のとう) (sanjū no tō), 三(さん)重(じゅう)の塔(とう) (sanjū no tō): a three-storey pagoda
• 塔(とう)屋(や) (tōya): a penthouse; a structure on top of a building, possibly the top of the elevator shaft, the stairs, ventilation equipment, or a water tower
• 塔(とう)花(ばな) (tōbana): genus Clinopodium, including wild mints and basils; slender wild basil (Clinopodium gracile)
• 塔(とう)型(がた)クレーン (tōgata kurēn): a tower crane
• 塔克拉瑪(タクラマ)干(カン)砂(さ)漠(ばく) (Takuramakan sabaku): the Taklamakan Desert
• 塔主(たっす) (tassu), 塔司(たっす) (tassu): job title for the caretaker of a Buddhist cemetery
• 塔(たっ)頭(ちゅう) (tatchū), 塔(たっ)中(ちゅう) (tatchū): in Zen Buddhism, the location of a stupa for a past master or founder; the title of the monk in charge of that stupa; a small chapel within a larger temple
• 塔頭(たっちょう) (tatchō): an old grave; a graveyard, a cemetery
• 塔(とう)婆(ば) (tōba): a stupa: short for 卒塔婆 (sotōba)
• 塔(とう)廟(びょう) (tōbyō): a Buddhist reliquary stupa
• 塔望(とうぼう)遠鏡(えんきょう) (tōbōenkyō): a tower telescope, a tower observatory
• 塔里木(タリム) (Tarimu): the Tarim Basin

Etymology 1

塔 (tō): a pagoda.

Kanji in this term
塔
とう Grade: S
on’yomi

/tapu/ → /taɸu/ → */tawu/ → /tau/ → /tɔː/ → /toː/

From Middle Chinese 塔 (MC thap, “tower, pagoda, spire”).

An abbreviation for 卒塔婆 (sotoba, sotōba), a transliteration of Sanskrit स्तूप (stūpa, “heap”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) と​ー [tóꜜò] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [to̞ː]

Noun

塔(とう) • (tō) ^{←たふ (tafu)?}

1. tower (structure)

   二(ふた)つの塔(とう)

   Futatsu no Tō

   The Two Towers

2. (Buddhism) pagoda, stupa
3. (Christianity) steeple, spire
4. turret (of a castle or fortification)

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 塔(とう)の層(こし) (tō no koshi): the stacked floors of a pagoda
• 塔(とう)ノ沢(さわ)温(おん)泉(せん) (Tō no Sawa onsen): an onsen (hot spring) in Hakone, Kanagawa Prefecture

Idioms

Idioms

• 塔(とう)は下(した)から組(く)め (tō wa shita kara kume, “no good building without a good foundation”, literally “build a tower from the bottom up”)

Suffix

塔(とう) • (-tō) ^{←たふ (tafu)?}

1. (in general) tower
2. (Buddhist) pagoda, stupa
3. (Christianity) steeple, spire
4. turret (of a castle or fortification)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
塔
あららぎ Grade: S
kun’yomi

First appears in the Engishiki compilation of laws created in the early 900s, spelled phonetically in kanji as 阿良良伎. Spelled as 蘭, araragi literally means “wild onion” and refers to the wild rocambole, possibly hardneck garlic, notable for its tall green stalk sticking straight up. Used as a euphemism for 塔 (tafu at the time), as that word's Buddhist connotations were viewed as taboo in contexts having to do with the religious center of Itsuki no Miya (斎宮, also known as Saikū).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [a̠ɾa̠ɾa̠ɡʲi]

Noun

塔(あららぎ) • (araragi) 

1. (obsolete, euphemistic) tower

Derived terms

• 塔(あららぎ)舞(まい) (Araragimai): the title of a piece of bugaku Japanese court dance

Proper noun

塔(あららぎ) • (Araragi) 

1. (tarot) The Tower, the sixteenth trump or major arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks
2. Short for 塔舞 (Araragimai): the title of a piece of bugaku Japanese court dance

Related terms

• 蘭(あららぎ) (araragi): the wild rocambole

Korean

Hanja

塔 (eumhun 탑 탑 (tap tap))

1. Hanja form^? of 탑 (“tower”).

Compounds

Compounds

• 기념탑 (紀念塔, ginyeomtap)
• 냉각탑 (冷却塔, naenggaktap)
• 보탑 (寶塔, botap)
• 시계탑 (時計塔, sigyetap)
• 탑림 (塔林, tamnim)
• 탑파 (塔婆, tap'pa)

Vietnamese

Han character

塔: Hán Việt readings: tháp, đáp
塔: Nôm readings: tháp, thạp, thóp, đắp

1. chữ Hán form of tháp (“tower”).
2. Nôm form of đắp (“to cover”).