Wiktionary

北

See also: 业, 比, 非, and 兆
北 U+5317, 北
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5317
← 化
[U+5316] 		CJK Unified Ideographs 匘 →
[U+5318]
北 U+F963, 北
CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-F963
← 異
[U+F962] 		CJK Compatibility Ideographs 磻 →
[U+F964]

北 U+2F82B, 北
CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-2F82B
← 匆
[U+2F82A] 		CJK Compatibility Ideographs Supplement 卉 →
[U+2F82C]
Commons:Category
Commons:Category
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TranslingualEdit

Stroke order (Japan)
 

Han characterEdit

北 (Kangxi radical 21, 匕+3, 5 strokes, cangjie input 中一心 (LMP), four-corner 11110, composition ⿲⿱一㇀丨匕(GJKV) or ⿰⿱⿰一丨㇀匕(HT))

Derived charactersEdit

ReferencesEdit

  • KangXi: page 152, character 25
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 2574
  • Dae Jaweon: page 342, character 6
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 262, character 4
  • Unihan data for U+5317

Further readingEdit

ChineseEdit

trad. 北
simp. # 北
alternative forms 业
𧉥
 
Wikipedia has articles on:
  • 北 (Written Standard Chinese?)
  • 北 (Cantonese)
  • 北 (Wu)

Glyph originEdit

Historical forms of the character 北
Shang Western Zhou Warring States Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Chu slip and silk script Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts
         
Characters in the same phonetic series (北) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
背 *pɯːɡs, *bɯːɡs
鄁 *bɯːɡs
偝 *bɯːɡs
邶 *bɯːɡs
苝 *bɯːɡs
北 *pɯːɡ

Ideogrammic compound (會意) – two men back to back. Originally meaning “back”; the character 背 (OC *pɯːɡs, *bɯːɡs) refers to the original word.

EtymologyEdit

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ba (“to carry (on back), shoulder”).

The sense of “north” is derived from “back (of body)”: “back” → “to turn the back to; to retreat” → “north”.

The ancient Chinese value the southern direction and houses are traditionally oriented along a north-south axis, as evident in the fengshui theory and in the orientation of buildings in Chinese Neolithic sites. North is the direction the back is oriented to when the person is facing south.

Compare the graphical origin of 南 (OC *nuːm, “south”) (Sagart, 1988).

Pronunciation 1Edit

Note:
  • pak - vernacular;
  • pok - literary.
  • Wu
  • Xiang
    • Dialectal data
    Variety Location 北
    Mandarin Beijing /pei²¹⁴/
    Harbin /pei²¹³/
    Tianjin /pei¹³/
    Jinan /pei²¹³/
    Qingdao /pe⁵⁵/
    Zhengzhou /pei²⁴/
    Xi'an /pei²¹/
    Xining /pɨ⁴⁴/
    Yinchuan /pia¹³/
    /pɛ¹³/
    Lanzhou /pə¹³/
    Ürümqi /pei²¹³/
    Wuhan /pɤ²¹³/
    Chengdu /pe³¹/
    Guiyang /pɛ²¹/
    Kunming /pə³¹/
    Nanjing /pəʔ⁵/
    Hefei /pɐʔ⁵/
    Jin Taiyuan /pei⁵³/
    Pingyao /pʌʔ¹³/ ～城
    /piʌʔ¹³/ ～面面
    Hohhot /piəʔ⁴³/
    Wu Shanghai /poʔ⁵/
    Suzhou /poʔ⁵/
    Hangzhou /poʔ⁵/
    Wenzhou /pai²¹³/
    Hui Shexian /peʔ²¹/
    Tunxi /pi⁵/
    Xiang Changsha /pə²⁴/
    Xiangtan /pæ²⁴/
    Gan Nanchang /pɛt̚⁵/
    Hakka Meixian /pet̚¹/
    Taoyuan /pet̚²²/
    Cantonese Guangzhou /pɐk̚⁵/
    Nanning /pɐk̚⁵⁵/
    Hong Kong /pɐk̚⁵/
    Min Xiamen (Min Nan) /pɔk̚³²/
    /pak̚³²/
    Fuzhou (Min Dong) /pɔyʔ²³/
    Jian'ou (Min Bei) /pɛ²⁴/
    Shantou (Min Nan) /pak̚²/
    Haikou (Min Nan) /ʔbak̚⁵/
    Rime
    Character 北
    Reading # 1/1
    Initial (聲) 幫 (1)
    Final (韻) 登 (131)
    Tone (調) Checked (Ø)
    Openness (開合) Open
    Division (等) I
    Fanqie 博墨切
    Baxter pok
    Reconstructions
    Zhengzhang
    Shangfang         		/pək̚/
    Pan
    Wuyun         		/pək̚/
    Shao
    Rongfen         		/pək̚/
    Edwin
    Pulleyblank         		/pək̚/
    Li
    Rong         		/pək̚/
    Wang
    Li         		/pək̚/
    Bernard
    Karlgren         		/pək̚/
    Expected
    Mandarin
    Reflex         		bo
    Expected
    Cantonese
    Reflex         		bak1
    Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
    Character 北
    Reading # 1/1
    Modern
    Beijing
    (Pinyin)         		běi
    Middle
    Chinese         		‹ pok ›
    Old
    Chinese         		/*pˁək/
    English north

    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 北
    Reading # 1/1
    No. 414
    Phonetic
    component         		北
    Rime
    group         		職
    Rime
    subdivision         		0
    Corresponding
    MC rime         		北
    Old
    Chinese         		/*pɯːɡ/

    DefinitionsEdit

    北

    1. north; northern
      北移  ―  běi yí  ―  to move north
      北京  ―  Běijīng  ―  Beijing (literally, “northern capital”)
    2. to be defeated; to fail
      敗北／败北  ―  bàiběi  ―  to suffer defeat

    Coordinate termsEdit

    西北 (xīběi) 北 東北／东北 (dōngběi)
    西 (xī)   東／东 (dōng)
    西南 (xīnán) 南 東南／东南 (dōngnán)


    CompoundsEdit

    DescendantsEdit

    Sino-Xenic (北):
    • → Japanese: 北(ほく) (hoku)
    • → Korean: 북(北) (buk)
    • → Vietnamese: bắc (北)

    Others:

    • → Japanese: 北(ペー) (pē, “north wind (mahjong tile)”)

    Pronunciation 2Edit

    DefinitionsEdit

    北

    1. † Original form of 背 (bèi, “back; to betray”).

    ReferencesEdit

    JapaneseEdit

    KanjiEdit

    北

    (grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

    1. north
    2. escape, run away

    ReadingsEdit

    CompoundsEdit

    Compounds

    Etymology 1Edit

    Kanji in this term
    北
    きた
    Grade: 2
    kun’yomi

    Attributed to Old Japanese,[1] although the exact phonetics are not clear, as the term is not cited in phonetic man'yōgana.

    Ultimate derivation unknown.

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    北(きた) • (kita) 

    1. north (cardinal point)
      • 905, Kokin Wakashū (book 9, poem 412)
        北(きた)へ行(ゆ)く雁(かり)ぞ鳴(な)くなるつれてこし数(かず)はたらでぞかへるべらなる
        kita e yuku kari zo nakunaru tsurete koshi kazu wa tarade zo kaeruberanaru
        (please add an English translation of this example)
      Antonym: 南 (minami)
    2. the North (northern part of a region)
    3. a northerly, north wind
      Synonym: 北風 (kitakaze, hokufū)
      Antonym: 南 (minami)
    4. Short for 北の方 (kita no kata): northward
    5. a developed country
      from the many countries in the Northern Hemisphere are considered developed
    Coordinate termsEdit
    西北(せいほく) (seihoku)
    北西(ほくせい) (hokusei)     		北(きた) (kita) 東北(とうほく) (tōhoku)
    北東(ほくとう) (hokutō)
    西(にし) (nishi)   東(ひがし) (higashi)
    西南(せいなん) (seinan)
    南西(なんせい) (nansei)     		南(みなみ) (minami) 東南(とうなん) (tōnan)
    南東(なんとう) (nantō)


    Derived termsEdit
    Derived terms

    Proper nounEdit

    北(きた) • (Kita) 

    1. Kita (one of 23 special wards in Tokyo prefecture, Japan)
    2. (historical) the red-light district north of Edo Castle
      Synonyms: 北郭 (Hokkaku), 北国 (Hokkoku)
    3. a surname
    4. a female given name

    VerbEdit

    北(きた)する • (kita suru) suru (stem 北(きた)し (kita shi), past 北(きた)した (kita shita))

    1. to go northwards
      Synonym: 北進する (hokushin suru)
    ConjugationEdit
    Conjugation of "北する" (See Appendix:Japanese verbs.)
    Katsuyōkei ("stem forms")
    Mizenkei ("imperfective") 北し きたし kita shi
    Ren’yōkei ("continuative") 北し きたし kita shi
    Shūshikei ("terminal") 北する きたする kita suru
    Rentaikei ("attributive") 北する きたする kita suru
    Kateikei ("hypothetical") 北すれ きたすれ kita sure
    Meireikei ("imperative") 北せよ¹
    北しろ²         		きたせよ¹
    きたしろ²         		kita seyo¹
    kita shiro²
    Key constructions
    Passive 北される きたされる kita sareru
    Causative 北させる
    北さす         		きたさせる
    きたさす         		kita saseru
    kita sasu
    Potential 北できる きたできる kita dekiru
    Volitional 北しよう きたしよう kita shiyō
    Negative 北しない きたしない kita shinai
    Negative continuative 北せず きたせず kita sezu
    Formal 北します きたします kita shimasu
    Perfective 北した きたした kita shita
    Conjunctive 北して きたして kita shite
    Hypothetical conditional 北すれば きたすれば kita sureba
    ¹ Written imperative

    ² Spoken imperative

    Etymology 2Edit

    Kanji in this term
    北
    ペー
    Grade: 2
    irregular

    From Mandarin 北 (běi).

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    北(ペー) • (pē) 

    1. (mahjong) north wind (mahjong tile)
      Hypernym: 風牌 (kazehai, fanpai)
    2. (mahjong) a 役 (yaku, “winning hand”) with a triplet or quad of north wind tiles; depending on wind round and player's seat wind, it is worth either 1 or 2 翻 (han, “doubles”)
      Hypernym: 役牌 (yakuhai, yaku-pai)
    Coordinate termsEdit

    Etymology 3Edit

    Kanji in this term
    北
    はい
    Grade: 2
    kun’yomi
    For pronunciation and definitions of 北 – see the following entry.
    【背】6
    [kanji] Grade 6 kanji
    [kanji] back, stature
    (This term, 北, is a variant kanji form of the above term.)

    ReferencesEdit

    1. ^ “北”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎[1] (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000, →ISBN
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
    3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN

    KoreanEdit

    Etymology 1Edit

    From Middle Chinese 北 (MC pək̚).

    Historical Readings
    Dongguk Jeongun Reading
    Dongguk Jeongun, 1448 븍〮 (Yale: púk)
    Middle Korean
    Text Eumhun
    Gloss (hun) Reading
    Hunmong Jahoe, 1527[2] 뒤〮 (Yale: twúy) 븍〮 (Yale: púk)
    Sinjeung Yuhap, 1576 븍녁 (Yale: puknyek)
    뒤 (Yale: twuy)    		 븍 (Yale: puk)

    PronunciationEdit

    HanjaEdit

    Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

    Wikisource

    北 (eumhun 북녘 북 (bungnyeok buk))

    1. Hanja form? of 북 (“north”).

    CompoundsEdit

    Compounds

    Etymology 2Edit

    From Middle Chinese 北 (MC buʌiH).

    Historical Readings
    Dongguk Jeongun Reading
    Dongguk Jeongun, 1448 ᄈᆡᆼ〮 (Yale: ppóy)

    PronunciationEdit

    HanjaEdit

    北 (eumhun 달아날 배 (daranal bae))

    1. Hanja form? of 배 (“to escape; to flee”).

    CompoundsEdit

    Compounds

    Proper nounEdit

    Hanja in this term
    北

    北 • (Buk) (hangeul 북)

    1. (in headlines) Short for 北(북)韓(한) (Bukhan, “(South Korea) North Korea”).
    Usage notesEdit

    A common convention in news headlines, this is almost always written solely in the Hanja form, even in contemporary Korean text otherwise devoid of any Hanja.

    See alsoEdit

    ReferencesEdit

    • 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [3]

    OkinawanEdit

    KanjiEdit

    北

    (grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

    ReadingsEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    Kanji in this term
    北
    にし
    Grade: 2
    kun’yomi

    Cognate with mainland Japanese 西 (nishi, “west”).

    NounEdit

    北(にし) (nishi) 

    1. north; northern; northwards

    Derived termsEdit

    ReferencesEdit

    • “ニシ” in Haisai Okinawan Dialect.
    • “にし【北】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
    • “ニシ（にし）” in Okinawan Dialect Dictionary - Ajima.
    • “にし” in Okinawan Dictionary - KozaWeb.

    Southern Amami-OshimaEdit

    KanjiEdit

    北

    ReadingsEdit

    EtymologyEdit

    Cognate with mainland Japanese 西 (nishi, “west”).

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    北 (hiragana にし, rōmaji nishi)

    1. north; northern; northwards

    ReferencesEdit

    • “にし【北】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.

    VietnameseEdit

    Han characterEdit

    北: Hán Nôm readings: bắc, bác, bấc, bậc, bước

    1. chữ Hán form of bắc (“north”).

    ZhuangEdit

    NounEdit

    北

    1. Sawndip form of byaek (“vegetable”)
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