Wiktionary

如何

Chinese edit

as (if); such as what
trad. (如何) 如 何
simp. #(如何) 如 何
anagram 何如
Literally: “like what?”.

Pronunciation edit

Rime
Character 如 如 何
Reading # 1/2 2/2 1/2
Initial (聲) 日 (38) 日 (38) 匣 (33)
Final (韻) 魚 (22) 魚 (22) 歌 (94)
Tone (調) Level (Ø) Departing (H) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open Open Open
Division (等) III III I
Fanqie 人諸切 人恕切 胡歌切
Baxter nyo nyoH ha
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/ȵɨʌ/ /ȵɨʌH/ /ɦɑ/
Pan
Wuyun 		/ȵiɔ/ /ȵiɔH/ /ɦɑ/
Shao
Rongfen 		/ȵʑiɔ/ /ȵʑiɔH/ /ɣɑ/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/ȵɨə̆/ /ȵɨə̆H/ /ɦa/
Li
Rong 		/ȵiɔ/ /ȵiɔH/ /ɣɑ/
Wang
Li 		/ȵʑĭo/ /ȵʑĭoH/ /ɣɑ/
Bernard
Karlgren 		/ȵʑi̯wo/ /ȵʑi̯woH/ /ɣɑ/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		rú rù hé
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		jyu4 jyu6 ho4
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 如 何
Reading # 2/2 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin) 		rú hé
Middle
Chinese 		‹ nyo › ‹ ha ›
Old
Chinese 		/*na/ /*[ɡ]ˁaj/
English as, like, if what

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 如 如 何
Reading # 1/2 2/2 1/2
No. 9623 9631 7458
Phonetic
component 		女 女 可
Rime
group 		魚 魚 歌
Rime
subdivision 		0 0 1
Corresponding
MC rime 		如 洳 何
Old
Chinese 		/*nja/ /*njas/ /*ɡaːl/

Adverb edit

如何 (formal)

  1. how; what; in what way
    如何拍攝液體流動照片 [MSC, trad.]
    如何拍摄液体流动照片 [MSC, simp.]
    rúhé pāishè yètǐ liúdòng zhàopiàn [Pinyin]
    how to take pictures of flowing liquids
    她教我如何游泳。  ―  Tā jiāo wǒ rúhé yóuyǒng.  ―  She taught me how to swim.
    你現在感覺如何？／你现在感觉如何？  ―  Nǐ xiànzài gǎnjué rúhé?  ―  How do you feel now?
    你覺得這個計劃如何？ [MSC, trad.]
    你觉得这个计划如何？ [MSC, simp.]
    Nǐ juéde zhè ge jìhuà rúhé? [Pinyin]
    What do you think of this plan?
    如何讓一個男生覺得你很特別？ [MSC, trad.]
    如何让一个男生觉得你很特别？ [MSC, simp.]
    Rúhé ràng yīge nánshēng juéde nǐ hěn tèbié? [Pinyin]
    How can you make a boy think you're special?
    在陳老師的春風化雨下，我學會了如何待人接物。 [MSC, trad.]
    在陈老师的春风化雨下，我学会了如何待人接物。 [MSC, simp.]
    Zài Chén lǎoshī de chūnfēnghuàyǔ xià, wǒ xuéhuì le rúhé dàirénjiēwù. [Pinyin]
    Under the positive influence of Teacher Chen, I've learnt to how to get along with others.
  2. how about; what about
    下週六如何？／下周六如何？  ―  Xià zhōuliù rúhé?  ―  How about next Saturday?

Synonyms edit

  • (how):
Dialectal synonyms of 怎樣 (“how”) [map]
Variety Location Words
Classical Chinese 如何, 何以, 若何
Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 如何, 怎樣
Mandarin Beijing 怎麼樣兒, 怎樣兒
Taiwan 怎麼樣, 怎樣, 如何
Jinan 怎麼樣
Xi'an 咋樣兒
Wuhan 麼樣, 麼樣子, 哪樣, 哪樣子
Chengdu 咋個樣, 咋個樣子, 啷個樣, 啷個樣子
Guilin 啷子樣
Yangzhou 怎們樣, 哪一個樣, 哪一個樣子
Hefei 怎樣
Malaysia 怎麼樣, 怎樣, 如何
Singapore 怎麼樣, 怎樣, 如何
Cantonese Guangzhou 點樣, 點
Hong Kong 點樣, 點
Macau 點
Taishan 幾何
Singapore (Guangfu) 點樣, 點
Gan Nanchang 啷樣, 啷
Hakka Meixian 仰般, 仰仔
Miaoli (N. Sixian) 仰般, 仰仔
Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) 仰仔
Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) 仰般
Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) 仰脣, 仰
Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) 仰般, 仰般形
Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) 仰子
Jin Taiyuan 咋, 咋底
Min Bei Jian'ou 何如, 何如事
Min Dong Fuzhou 將樣, 蔣樣, 蔣其
Min Nan Xiamen 按怎, 怎樣
Quanzhou 障仔, 怎樣, 按怎
Zhangzhou 按怎, 怎樣
Taipei 按怎 GT, 按怎樣 GT
Penang (Hokkien) 按怎
Singapore (Hokkien) 按怎
Manila (Hokkien) 障仔, 怎樣
Chaozhou 在生樣, 乜生樣, 做呢
Shantou 在生
Jieyang 在生, 在生樣
Haifeng 做呢, 做呢樣
Singapore (Teochew) 做呢, 在生
Zhongshan Min Shaxi (Longdu) 哪, 哪樣
Wu Shanghai 哪能, 哪能介, 哪能樣子
Suzhou 捺亨
Wenzhou 訾那, 訾那能
Xiang Changsha 何是, 何裡
Shuangfeng 麼家
Note GT - General Taiwanese (no specific region identified)

Derived terms edit

Further reading edit

Japanese edit

Etymology 1 edit

Kanji in this term
如 何
いか
Grade: S Grade: 2
jukujikun

From Old Japanese, in turn from Proto-Japonic *e-ka. Appears in the Man'yōshū completed in 759 CE.

A surface analysis suggests a compound of い (i, uncertain element, likely the same い (i) prefix found in Old Japanese as an interrogative in いずれ (izure, “which”), いつ (itsu, “when”), etc.) +‎ か (ka, the question marker particle).

The kanji spelling is an example of jukujikun (熟字訓), using the corresponding Chinese term 如何 (rúhé, literally “like what”) for the spelling and the underlying Japanese root word for the reading.

Pronunciation edit

Adjective edit

如何(いか) • (ika) -na (adnominal 如何(いか)な (ika na), adverbial 如何(いか)に (ika ni))

  1. what kind of
Usage notes edit

Some dictionaries[2] class this as a bound morpheme. In practice, it generally conjugates and behaves as a regular -na adjective. In formal writing, this is more commonly encountered using the classical attributive form 如何なる (ika naru).

Inflection edit
Inflection of 如何
Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形) 如何だろ いかだろ ika daro
Continuative (連用形) 如何で いかで ika de
Terminal (終止形) 如何だ いかだ ika da
Attributive (連体形) 如何な いかな ika na
Hypothetical (仮定形) 如何なら いかなら ika nara
Imperative (命令形) 如何であれ いかであれ ika de are
Key constructions
Informal negative 如何ではない
如何じゃない 		いかではない
いかじゃない 		ika de wa nai
ika ja nai
Informal past 如何だった いかだった ika datta
Informal negative past 如何ではなかった
如何じゃなかった 		いかではなかった
いかじゃなかった 		ika de wa nakatta
ika ja nakatta
Formal 如何です いかです ika desu
Formal negative 如何ではありません
如何じゃありません 		いかではありません
いかじゃありません 		ika de wa arimasen
ika ja arimasen
Formal past 如何でした いかでした ika deshita
Formal negative past 如何ではありませんでした
如何じゃありませんでした 		いかではありませんでした
いかじゃありませんでした 		ika de wa arimasen deshita
ika ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive 如何で いかで ika de
Conditional 如何なら（ば） いかなら（ば） ika nara (ba)
Provisional 如何だったら いかだったら ika dattara
Volitional 如何だろう いかだろう ika darō
Adverbial 如何に いかに ika ni
Degree 如何さ いかさ ikasa
Derived terms edit

Etymology 2 edit

Kanji in this term
如 何
いかが
Grade: S Grade: 2
jukujikun

/ika ni ka/ → */ikanka/ → /ikanɡa/ → /ikaɡa/

Originally a phrase consisting of 如何 (ika, “what kind”) +‎ に (ni, adverbial particle) +‎ か (ka, question marker particle).[2][1]

The uncontracted form ika ni ka appears in the Man'yōshū completed in 759 CE. The fully contracted form ikaga is first cited to the Kokin Wakashū of roughly 905 CE, with evidence of a partially contracted form ikanga in The Tale of the Heike of roughly 1330.[2]

Pronunciation edit

Adverb edit

如何(いかが) • (ikaga)  (formal, polite)

  1. in what manner, how
  2. what about... (used to make a suggestion)
    お茶(ちゃ)はいかがでしょうか。
    Ocha wa ikaga deshō ka.
    How about some tea?
Usage notes edit

The term ikaga is generally considered more formal and polite than the synonym どう (dō).

More commonly spelled in hiragana as いかが. The kanji spelling is rare.

Derived terms edit

Etymology 3 edit

Kanji in this term
如 何
いかん
Grade: S Grade: 2
jukujikun
Alternative spelling
奈何

/ika ni/ → /ikan/

Originally a phrase consisting of 如何 (ika, “what kind”) +‎ に (ni, adverbial particle),[2][1] the normal adverbial form of adjective ika above.

The uncontracted form ika ni appears as an adverb in the Man'yōshū completed in 759 CE. The contracted form ikan is first cited to the early 1100s.[2]

Pronunciation edit

Noun edit

如何(いかん) • (ikan) 

  1. the whatevers, the whys and wherefores; however [it may be]
    理(り)由(ゆう)の如何(いかん)を問(と)わず
    riyū no ikan o towazu
    without getting into the whys and wherefores of the reasons

Adverb edit

如何(いかん) • (ikan) 

  1. howsoever, however [it may be]
Usage notes edit

Generally used at the end of a sentence to express doubt.

Derived terms edit
Derived terms

Etymology 4 edit

Kanji in this term
如 何
どう
Grade: S Grade: 2
jukujikun
For pronunciation and definitions of 如何 – see the following entry.
【どう】
[adverb] in what manner, how
[adverb] what about... (used to make a suggestion)
[interjection] Casual greeting: Howdy? What's new? What's up?
[interjection] Casual question: It works? Is it OK?
[interjection] Call out to horses or cows to control/stop them: Ho! Hoy! Whoa!
Alternative spelling
怎
(This term, 如何, is an alternative spelling (rare) of the above term.)

See also edit

Japanese demonstratives
ko-
“this”
(close to speaker) 		so-
“that”
(close to listener) 		a-
“that over there”
(far from both) 		do-
“which”
(indeterminate, question)
Object これ (kore) それ (sore) あれ (are) どれ (dore)
これら (korera) それら (sorera) あれら (arera) —
Determiner この (kono) その (sono) あの (ano) どの (dono)
これらの (korera no) それらの (sorera no) あれらの (arera no) —
Kind こんな (konna) そんな (sonna) あんな (anna) どんな (donna)
こういう (kō iu) そういう (sō iu) ああいう (ā iu) どういう (dō iu)
Place ここ (koko) そこ (soko) あそこ (asoko)* どこ (doko)
こっから (kokkara) そっから (sokkara) — どっから (dokkara)
Direction / Human こちら (kochira) そちら (sochira) あちら (achira) どちら (dochira)
こなた (konata) そなた (sonata) あなた (anata) どなた (donata)
Direction こっち (kotchi) そっち (sotchi) あっち (atchi) どっち (dotchi)
Human こいつ (koitsu) そいつ (soitsu) あいつ (aitsu) どいつ (doitsu)
Manner こう (kō) そう (sō) ああ (ā)** どう (dō)
Degree これくらい (kore kurai) それくらい (sore kurai) あれくらい (are kurai) どれくらい (dore kurai)
これだけ (kore dake) それだけ (sore dake) あれだけ (are dake) どれだけ (dore dake)
これほど (kore hodo) それほど (sore hodo) あれほど (are hodo) どれほど (dore hodo)
* irregular
** regular (long vowel)
The kanji 此(こ) (ko), 其(そ) (so), 彼(あ) (a), and 何(ど) (do) can be used for determiners, but they are almost always spelled in hiragana.

References edit

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
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