偉

See also: 伟

偉 U+5049, 偉 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5049 ← 偈 [U+5048] CJK Unified Ideographs 偊 → [U+504A]

Translingual

Japanese	偉
Simplified	伟
Traditional	偉

Alternative forms

In Japanese kanji, the bottom component of 韋 is written ヰ with four strokes. In Traditional Chinese, the bottom component is written 㐄 with three strokes.

Han character

偉 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+9 in Chinese, 人+10 in Japanese, 11 strokes in Chinese, 12 strokes in Japanese, cangjie input 人木一手 (ODMQ), four-corner 2425₆, composition ⿰亻韋)

Derived characters

• 𬎉, 𬿭, 𫉔

Related characters

• 伟 (Simplified Chinese)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 110, character 5
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 837
• Dae Jaweon: page 234, character 2
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 198, character 4
• Unihan data for U+5049

Chinese

trad.		偉
simp.		伟

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 偉
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts
Small seal script s05691 Transcribed ancient scripts L34579 L34580 L34581 L34582 L15287 L15288 L15289 L15290
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

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

	Old Chinese
禕	*qral
郼	*qʷɯl
褘	*qʰʷɯl
諱	*qʰʷɯls
媁	*qʷɯl, *ɢʷɯlʔ
幃	*ɢʷɯl
違	*ɢʷɯl
圍	*ɢʷɯl, *ɢʷɯls
韋	*ɢʷɯl
闈	*ɢʷɯl
湋	*ɢʷɯl
鍏	*ɢʷɯl, *ɢʷɯlʔ
潿	*ɢɯl
韙	*ɢʷɯlʔ
煒	*ɢʷɯlʔ
暐	*ɢʷɯlʔ
偉	*ɢʷɯlʔ
瑋	*ɢʷɯlʔ
葦	*ɢʷɯlʔ
椲	*ɢʷɯlʔ
韡	*ɢʷɯlʔ
愇	*ɢʷɯlʔ
緯	*ɢʷɯls

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *ɢʷɯlʔ): semantic 亻 + phonetic 韋 (OC *ɢʷɯl).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): wěi (wei³)

  (Zhuyin): ㄨㄟˇ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): wai⁵

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): vei²

• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): vî

  (Meixian, Guangdong): vi³

• Northern Min (KCR): ṳ̌
• Eastern Min (BUC): ūi
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): úi

  (Teochew, Peng'im): ui²

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: wěi
    • Zhuyin: ㄨㄟˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: wěi
    • Wade–Giles: wei³
    • Yale: wěi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: woei
    • Palladius: вэй (vɛj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /weɪ̯²¹⁴/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: wai⁵
    • Yale: wáih
    • Cantonese Pinyin: wai⁵
    • Guangdong Romanization: wei⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɐi̯¹³/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: vei²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /vei⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: vî
    • Hakka Romanization System: vi^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: vi¹
    • Sinological IPA: /vi²⁴/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: vi³
    • Sinological IPA: /ʋi³¹/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: ṳ̌
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /y²¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: ūi
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ui³³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: úi
    • Tâi-lô: uí
    • Phofsit Daibuun: uie
    • IPA (Xiamen): /ui⁵³/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /ui⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /ui⁵³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /ui⁵³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /ui⁴¹/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: ui²
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: úi
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ui⁵²/

---

• Middle Chinese: hjw+jX

Rime
Character	偉
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	云 (35)
Final (韻)	微 (21)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	于鬼切
Baxter	hjw+jX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦʉiX/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦʷɨiX/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣiuəiX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦujX/
Li Rong	/ɣiuəiX/
Wang Li	/ɣĭwəiX/
Bernhard Karlgren	/we̯iX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	wěi
Expected Cantonese Reflex	wai5

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɢʷɯlʔ/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	偉
Reading #	1/1
No.	12825
Phonetic component	韋
Rime group	微
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	韙
Old Chinese	/*ɢʷɯlʔ/

Definitions

偉

1. extraordinary; magnificent; great; robust

Antonyms

• 庸 (yōng), 凡 (fán)

Compounds

• 俊偉 / 俊伟 (jùnwěi)
• 偉丈夫 / 伟丈夫
• 偉人 / 伟人 (wěirén)
• 偉器 / 伟器 (wěiqì)
• 偉大 / 伟大 (wěidà)
• 偉岸 / 伟岸 (wěi'àn)
• 偉懋 / 伟懋 (wěimào)
• 偉晶岩 / 伟晶岩
• 偉服 / 伟服
• 偉業 / 伟业 (wěiyè)
• 偉績 / 伟绩 (wěijì)
• 偉麗 / 伟丽
• 傀偉 / 傀伟
• 厥功甚偉 / 厥功甚伟 (juégōngshènwěi)
• 厥功至偉 / 厥功至伟 (juégōngzhìwěi)
• 壯偉 / 壮伟 (zhuàngwěi)
• 奇偉 / 奇伟
• 宏偉 / 宏伟 (hóngwěi)
• 宏偉壯觀 / 宏伟壮观
• 恢偉 / 恢伟
• 氣勢雄偉 / 气势雄伟
• 英才俊偉 / 英才俊伟
• 英風偉烈 / 英风伟烈
• 衣冠甚偉 / 衣冠甚伟
• 豐偉 / 丰伟
• 豐功偉業 / 丰功伟业 (fēnggōngwěiyè)
• 豐功偉績 / 丰功伟绩 (fēnggōngwěijì)
• 鉅卿偉公 / 巨卿伟公
• 雄偉 / 雄伟 (xióngwěi)
• 雄偉壯麗 / 雄伟壮丽
• 雄材偉略 / 雄材伟略
• 魁偉 / 魁伟 (kuíwěi)
• 魁梧奇偉 / 魁梧奇伟

Japanese

Shinjitai	偉
Kyūjitai	偉󠄃 偉+󠄃? (Hanyo-Denshi) (Moji_Joho)
The displayed kanji may be different from the image due to your environment. See here for details.

Kanji

偉

(Jōyō kanji)

1. admirable

Readings

• Go-on: い (i, Jōyō)^{←ゐ (wi, historical)}
• Kan-on: い (i, Jōyō)^{←ゐ (wi, historical)}
• Kun: えらい (erai, 偉い, Jōyō)、すぐれる (sugureru, 偉れる)、えらぶる (eraburu, 偉ぶる)、ひいでる (hīderu)
• Nanori: いさむ (isamu)、えら (era)、おおい (ōi)、たけ (take)、より (yori)

Etymology

Kanji in this term
偉
い Grade: S
on'yomi

/wi/ → /i/

From Middle Chinese 偉 (MC hjw+jX).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) い [íꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [i]

Noun

偉(い) • (i) ^{←ゐ (wi)?}

1. (literary) greatness

Adjective

偉(い) • (i) ^{←ゐ (wi)?}-na (adnominal 偉(い)な (i na), adverbial 偉(い)に (i ni))

1. (literary) great

Inflection

Inflection of 偉

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

Affix

偉(い) • (i) ^{←ゐ (wi)?}

1. great, excellent, magnificent, extraordinary

Derived terms

• 偉(い)業(ぎょう) (igyō)
• 偉(い)才(さい) (isai)
• 偉(い)人(じん) (ijin)
• 偉(い)大(だい) (idai)

Korean

Hanja

偉 (eumhun 훌륭할 위 (hullyunghal wi))

1. hanja form^? of 위 (“to be extraordinary”)

Compounds

• 위대 (偉大, widae, “greatness”)

Vietnamese

Han character

偉: Hán Nôm readings: vĩ, vỉ

Noun

1. chữ Hán form of vĩ (“(only in compounds) great, grand”).

Proper noun

1. chữ Hán form of Vĩ (“a male given name”).

Derived terms

• 偉人 (vĩ nhân)
• 偉大 (vĩ đại)
• 偉才 (vĩ tài)
• 偉業 (vĩ nghiệp)
• 偉模 (vĩ mô)
• 偉氣 (vĩ khí)
• 偉觀 (vĩ quan)
• 奇偉 (kì vĩ)
• 雄偉 (hùng vĩ)