口

See also: 囗 [U+56D7 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-56D7], ロ [U+30ED KATAKANA LETTER RO], and ㅁ [U+3141 HANGUL LETTER MIEUM]
口 U+53E3, 口
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-53E3
← 叢
[U+53E2] 		CJK Unified Ideographs 古 →
[U+53E4]
⼝ U+2F1D, ⼝
KANGXI RADICAL MOUTH
← ⼜
[U+2F1C] 		Kangxi Radicals ⼞ →
[U+2F1E]

TranslingualEdit

Stroke order
 
Stroke order
 

Han characterEdit

See images of
Radical 30 口

口 (radical 30, 口+0, 3 strokes, cangjie input 口 (R), four-corner 60000, composition ⿰匚丨)

  1. Kangxi radical #30, ⼝.
  2. Shuowen Jiezi radical №22

Usage notesEdit

This character (口) is used within characters. If a square is used as an enclosure around another character, then the character 囗 (U+56D7) is used instead.

Derived charactersEdit

Further readingEdit

  • KangXi: page 171, character 1
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 3227
  • Dae Jaweon: page 379, character 17
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 566, character 14
  • Unihan data for U+53E3

ChineseEdit

simp. and trad.
 口
alternative forms 𠙵
𠮚
 
Wikipedia has articles on:
  • 口 (Written Standard Chinese?)
  • 口 (Cantonese)

Glyph originEdit

Historical forms of the character 口
Shang Western Zhou Warring States Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Chu Slip and silk script Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts
           
Characters in the same phonetic series (口) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
口 *kʰoːʔ
叩 *kʰoːʔ
扣 *kʰoːʔ, *kʰoːs
釦 *kʰoːʔ
筘 *kʰoːs

Pictogram (象形) – resembles an open mouth.

In the oracle bone script, radical 口 is used for characters having abstract meanings. Such a character can have a figurative meaning derived from the phonetic part, e.g. 右 (OC *ɢʷɯʔ, *ɢʷɯs, “right”) = 又 (OC *ɢʷɯs, “right hand”) + 口 and 𪪺 (“strong; powerful”) = 弓 (OC *kʷɯŋ, “bow”) + 口, or be an unrelated borrowing, e.g. 否 (OC *brɯʔ, *pɯʔ, “no”) = 不 (OC *pɯ, *pɯʔ, *pɯ', “calyx”) + 口.

Etymology 1Edit

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ku(w) (“mouth”). Cognate with Garo ku·sik (“mouth”), Tangut 𗋈 (ngu², “mouth”).

PronunciationEdit

Note:
  • Sixian:
    • khiéu - literary;
    • héu - vernacular.
  • Meixian:
    • kêu3 - literary;
    • hêu3 - vernacular.
  • Jin
  • Min Bei
  • Min Dong
    • Note:
    • kāu - vernacular;
    • kēu - literary.
  • Min Nan
    • Note:
    • kháu - vernacular;
    • káu - vernacular (limited, e.g. 啞口);
    • khó͘/khió - literary.
  • Wu
  • Xiang
    • Dialectal data
    Variety Location 口
    Mandarin Beijing /kʰou²¹⁴/
    Harbin /kʰou²¹³/
    Tianjin /kʰou¹³/
    Jinan /kʰou⁵⁵/
    Qingdao /kʰou⁵⁵/
    Zhengzhou /kʰou⁵³/
    Xi'an /kʰou⁵³/
    Xining /kʰɯ⁵³/
    Yinchuan /kʰəu⁵³/
    Lanzhou /kʰou⁴⁴²/
    Ürümqi /kʰɤu⁵¹/
    Wuhan /kʰəu⁴²/
    Chengdu /kʰəu⁵³/
    Guiyang /kʰəu⁴²/
    Kunming /kʰəu⁵³/
    Nanjing /kʰəɯ²¹²/
    Hefei /kʰɯ²⁴/
    Jin Taiyuan /kʰəu⁵³/
    Pingyao /kʰəu¹³/
    Hohhot /kʰəu⁵³/
    Wu Shanghai /kʰɤ³⁵/
    Suzhou /kʰɤ⁵¹/
    Hangzhou /kʰø⁵³/
    Wenzhou /kʰau³⁵/
    Hui Shexian /kʰiu³⁵/
    Tunxi /t͡ɕʰiu³¹/
    Xiang Changsha /kʰəu⁴¹/
    Xiangtan /kʰəɯ⁴²/
    Gan Nanchang /kʰiɛu²¹³/
    Hakka Meixian /kʰeu³¹/
    Taoyuan /kʰeu³¹/
    Cantonese Guangzhou /hɐu³⁵/
    Nanning /hɐu³⁵/
    Hong Kong /hɐu³⁵/
    Min Xiamen (Min Nan) /kʰɔ⁵³/
    /kʰau⁵³/
    Fuzhou (Min Dong) /kʰau³²/
    Jian'ou (Min Bei) /kʰe²¹/
    Shantou (Min Nan) /kʰau⁵³/
    Haikou (Min Nan) /xɔu²¹³/
    /xau²¹³/
    Rime
    Character 口
    Reading # 1/1
    Initial (聲) 溪 (29)
    Final (韻) 侯 (137)
    Tone (調) Rising (X)
    Openness (開合) Open
    Division (等) I
    Fanqie 苦后切
    Reconstructions
    Zhengzhang
    Shangfang         		/kʰəuX/
    Pan
    Wuyun         		/kʰəuX/
    Shao
    Rongfen         		/kʰəuX/
    Edwin
    Pulleyblank         		/kʰəwX/
    Li
    Rong         		/kʰuX/
    Wang
    Li         		/kʰəuX/
    Bernard
    Karlgren         		/kʰə̯uX/
    Expected
    Mandarin
    Reflex         		kǒu
    Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
    Character 口
    Reading # 1/1
    Modern
    Beijing
    (Pinyin)         		kǒu
    Middle
    Chinese         		‹ khuwX ›
    Old
    Chinese         		/*kʰˁ(r)oʔ/
    English mouth

    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 口
    Reading # 1/1
    No. 7490
    Phonetic
    component         		口
    Rime
    group         		侯
    Rime
    subdivision         		0
    Corresponding
    MC rime         		口
    Old
    Chinese         		/*kʰoːʔ/

    DefinitionsEdit

    口

    1. (anatomy) mouth, especially the lips and internal mouth cavity (Classifier: 把 c)
      See also: 嘴, 口腔
      漱漱你的口。  ―  Shù shù nǐ de kǒu.  ―  Rinse your mouth out.
      這話出自你的口，聽來令人奇怪。 [MSC, trad.]
      这话出自你的口，听来令人奇怪。 [MSC, simp.]
      Zhè huà chūzì nǐ de kǒu, tīnglái lìngrén qíguài. [Pinyin]
      This sounds strange in your mouth.
    2. entrance; opening; mouth (of an object)
      入口  ―  rùkǒu  ―  entrance
      出口  ―  chūkǒu  ―  exit
      門口 / 门口  ―  ménkǒu  ―  doorway
    3. gateway
      張家口 / 张家口  ―  Zhāngjiākǒu  ―  Zhangjiakou
      口北  ―  Kǒuběi  ―  the area beyond the Great Wall
      口蘑  ―  kǒumó  ―  St. George's mushroom (Calocybe gambosa)
    4. hole; cut
      口子  ―  kǒuzi  ―  hole
      傷口 / 伤口  ―  shāngkǒu  ―  wound
    5. port
      電腦端口 / 电脑端口  ―  diànnǎo duānkǒu  ―  computer port
      C口  ―  sēikǒu  ―  USB-C port
    6. perimeter
      人口  ―  rénkǒu  ―  population
      戶口 / 户口  ―  hùkǒu  ―  hukou
    7. government organ; department
    8. Classifier for family members, populations and guns.
      三口之家  ―  sān kǒu zhī jiā  ―  a family of three
    9. Classifier for bites or mouthfuls.
      我可以吃一口嗎？ / 我可以吃一口吗？  ―  Wǒ kěyǐ chī yī kǒu ma?  ―  Can I have a bite?
    10. (neologism, slang) to have oral sex
    11. A surname​.

    SynonymsEdit

    CompoundsEdit

    DescendantsEdit

    Etymology 2Edit

    For pronunciation and definitions of 口 – see 名 (“name; given name; etc.”).
    (This character, 口, is an ancient form of 名.)

    ReferencesEdit

    JapaneseEdit

    KanjiEdit

    口

    (grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

    ReadingsEdit

    CompoundsEdit

    Etymology 1Edit

    Kanji in this term
    口
    くつ
    Grade: 1
    kun’yomi

    /kutu/ → /kut͡su/

    From Old Japanese. Appears in compound terms listed in the Wamyō Ruijushō of 938 CE.

    The ancient combining form of modern reading kuchi.[1] Likely the original form.

    No longer productive in modern Japanese. Only found in older compounds.

    There are interesting potential phonetic and semantic overlaps with Middle Chinese 窟 (MC kʰuət̚, “hole; cave”), 口 (MC kʰəuX, “mouth; opening; hole”); Korean 굳 (gut), 굿 (gut, “hole; hollow; cavity”); possibly even Ainu クㇳ (kut), クッチ (kutchi, “throat”). One possibility is that these represent prehistoric nativized borrowings from Chinese. However, there is yet no clear evidence of relatedness.

    PronunciationEdit

    • The pitch accent is derived from the entire compound word.

    NounEdit

    口(くつ) • (kutsu) 

    1. mouth
    Derived termsEdit
    Derived terms

    Etymology 2Edit

    Kanji in this term
    口
    くち
    Grade: 1
    kun’yomi

    */kutu i/ → /kuti/ → /kut͡ɕi/

    From Old Japanese, ultimately from Proto-Japonic *kutuy. Appears in the Man'yōshū, completed some time after 759 CE.[2]

    Shift from kutu above, probably by fusion with ancient nominal particle い (i). Compare the phonetic development of 神 (kami, “spirit, god”) from kamu + i, 木 (ki, “tree”) from ko + i, 目 (me, “eye”) from ma + i.

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    口(くち) • (kuchi) 

    1. mouth
      • 1999 July 22, “グレード・ビル [Great Bill]”, in Vol.4, Konami:
        どんなものでも丸(まる)飲(の)みできる大(おお)きな口(くち)を持(も)っている。
        Donna mono de mo marunomi dekiru ōkina kuchi o motteiru.
        Its massive mouth can swallow whole anything whole.
    2. opening
    3. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
      書(か)き口(くち)
      kakikuchi
      (please add an English translation of this example)
    Derived termsEdit
    Derived terms

    Etymology 3Edit

    Kanji in this term
    口
    く
    Grade: 1
    on’yomi

    From Middle Chinese 口 (MC kʰəuX). The 呉音 (goon), so likely the initial borrowing.

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    口(く) • (ku) 

    1. (Buddhism) the mouth
    2. (Buddhism) (by extension) one's speech, one's words
    3. the mouthpiece of a flute

    CounterEdit

    口(く) • (-ku) 

    1. used to count people
    2. used to count per-person portions
    3. used to count open-mouthed containers
    4. used to count bladed weapons or tools

    Etymology 4Edit

    Kanji in this term
    口
    こう
    Grade: 1
    on’yomi

    From Middle Chinese 口 (MC kʰəuX). The 漢音 (kan'on), so likely a later borrowing.

    PronunciationEdit

    CounterEdit

    口(こう) • (-kō) 

    1. used to count people
    2. used to count bladed weapons or tools

    ReferencesEdit

    1. ^ 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
    2. ^ c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 14, poem 3532), text here
    3. ^ 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
    4. ^ 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

    EtymologyEdit

    From Middle Chinese 口 (MC kʰəuX).

    Historical readings

    PronunciationEdit

    HanjaEdit

    Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

    Wikisource

    口 (eumhun 입 구 (ip gu))

    1. Hanja form? of 구 (“mouth”).
    2. Hanja form? of 구 (“entrance; opening”).
    3. Hanja form? of 구 (“hole”).

    CompoundsEdit

    Compounds

    ReferencesEdit

    • 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [2]

    KunigamiEdit

    KanjiEdit

    口

    ReadingsEdit

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    口 (hiragana くちー, rōmaji khuchī)

    1. mouth
    2. language
    3. dialect
    4. speech

    MiyakoEdit

    KanjiEdit

    口

    ReadingsEdit

    PronunciationEdit

    • (Tarama): IPA(key): [ɸɨtˢɨ], [ɸs̩.tˢɨ]
    • (Ōgami): IPA(key): [ɸkɨ], [ɸks̩ ~ ɸkɯ]

    NounEdit

    口 (hiragana ふつ, rōmaji futsu, alternative reading ふィちィ, rōmaji fïchï)

    1. mouth
    2. language
    3. dialect
    4. speech

    ReferencesEdit

    • “ふィちィ【口】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
    • “フツ” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Miyako Dialect Dictionary.
    • “ふつ” in Celik Kenan Thibault, Online Miyako Dictionary, 2016.

    OkinawanEdit

    KanjiEdit

    口

    (grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

    ReadingsEdit

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    口 (hiragana くち, rōmaji kuchi)

    1. mouth
    2. language
    3. dialect
    4. speech

    CompoundsEdit

    Derived terms

    ReferencesEdit

    • “ぐち【口】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
    • “クチ” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary.

    VietnameseEdit

    Han characterEdit

    口: Hán Việt readings: khẩu[1][2]
    口: Nôm readings: khẩu[1][2]

    1. Hán tự form of khẩu (“mouth; opening”).

    ReferencesEdit

    1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Nguyễn et al. (2009).
    2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Trần (2004).

    YaeyamaEdit

    KanjiEdit

    口

    ReadingsEdit

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    口 (hiragana ふつぃ, rōmaji futsï)

    1. mouth
    2. language
    3. dialect
    4. speech

    YonaguniEdit

    KanjiEdit

    口

    ReadingsEdit

    PronunciationEdit

    NounEdit

    口 (hiragana ってぃ, rōmaji tti)

    1. mouth
    2. language
    3. dialect
    4. speech
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