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TranslingualEdit
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Han characterEdit
子 (Kangxi radical 39, 子+0, 3 strokes, cangjie input 弓木 (ND), four-corner 17407, composition ⿻了一)
- Kangxi radical #39, ⼦.
Derived charactersEdit
- Appendix:Chinese radical/子
- 仔, 存, 𫥱, 吇, 好, 㞨, 汓, 𤜭, 䦻, 杍, 𣬥, 𤘅, 㺭, 䢊, 𭾝, 矷, 秄, 籽, 耔, 虸, 覎(觃), 𧴯, 𧺙, 屘, 釨(𫓦), 𧆰, 𩲇, 䰵, 𪐣, 𫜠, 𬛧
- 𮬪, 𧏄, 𣏍, 𣫮, 𠯂, 𡕕, 𡵇, 芓, 𢻯, 斈, 㫗, 李, 𪞐, 𥤪, 享, 𥫞, 𡱬, 𩇫, 箰, 𦽆, 𧃯, 𪭋, 𠨯, 㞌, 𭙒, 𤴳, 𨳕(𨸀), 囝, 斿, 㳺, 逰, 𨘋
ReferencesEdit
- KangXi: page 277, character 1
- Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6930
- Dae Jaweon: page 543, character 15
- Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1006, character 6
- Unihan data for U+5B50
Further readingEdit
ChineseEdit
| simp. and trad. |
子 | |
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| alternative forms | ||
Glyph originEdit
| Historical forms of the character 子 | |||||
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| Shang | Western Zhou | Warring States | Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) | Liushutong (compiled in Ming) | |
| Oracle bone script | Bronze inscriptions | Oracle bone script | Chu slip and silk script | Small seal script | Transcribed ancient scripts |
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Pictogram (象形) – an image of a baby, with a large head and spread arms. The legs are wrapped in a blanket. Compare with 了, where the arms are wrapped.
The big seal script form is much more elaborate, showing a baby with hair on a head (囟) and arms on the two sides of the body, sitting on a stool (几).
EtymologyEdit
- child
- From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *tsa ~ za (“child, offspring, relatives; to come forth (as child at birth); to love; loving”).
- Cognate with 字 (OC *zlɯs, “character; letter”), 慈 (OC *zɯ, “loving; kind”), 滋 (OC *ʔsɯ, “to grow, to breed, to propagate, to bring about, to increase”), 孳 (OC *ʔsɯ, *zɯs, “to breed, to propagate”).
- Additionally, Smith (2011) proposes that 子 (OC tsəʔ), which originated from a Sino-Tibetan root meaning "to come forth", intially represented the sixth earthly branch - which denoted the moon's "coming forth" stage (i.e. early waning-gibbous phase) - before being displaced by 巳 (OC *s-ləʔ), "due to phonological closeness (combined with the semantic opacity of the Branch terms at later eras)".
- first earthly branch
- Observing that this branch had been represented by ancestral forms of the graph 甾 in oracle bones and bronze inscriptions and that 甾 is closely linked with 緇 "dark, stained", 淄 "murky (water)", 菑 "field cleared by burning" (all pronounced *tsrə), Smith (2011) proposes that initially the first earthly branch 甾 (OC *ts[r]əʔ) denoted the new moon phase and meant "darkened, voided, the darkened stage". Later on 甾 (OC *ts[r]əʔ) was confused with and displaced by 子 (OC tsəʔ).
- Association with the rat was possibly arbitrary, analogous to how 辰, the fifth earthly branch, was arbitrarily associated with the dragon (Ferlus, 2013).
Pronunciation 1Edit
DefinitionsEdit
子
- (literary) child; offspring
- 不康禋祀，居然生子。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]
- From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11th – 7th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
- Bù kāng yīn sì, jū rán shēng zǐ. [Pinyin]
- Had He not accepted her pure offering and sacrifice, So that thus easily she brought forth her son?
- son
- 獨生子／独生子 ― dúshēngzǐ ― only son
- 愛子／爱子 ― àizǐ ― beloved son
- 一子一女 ― yī zǐ yī nǚ ― one son and one daughter
- 你舉目向四方觀看；眾人都聚集來到你這裏。你的眾子從遠方而來；你的眾女也被懷抱而來。 [MSC, trad.]
- From: 新標點和合本 (Chinese Union Version with New Punctuation), 以賽亞書 (Isaiah) 60:4
- Nǐ jǔmù xiàng sìfāng guānkàn; zhòngrén dōu jùjí lái dào nǐ zhèlǐ. Nǐ de zhòng zǐ cóng yuǎnfāng ér lái; nǐ de zhòng nǚ yě bèi huáibào ér lái. [Pinyin]
- Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side.
你举目向四方观看；众人都聚集来到你这里。你的众子从远方而来；你的众女也被怀抱而来。 [MSC, simp.]
- (literary) descendant; posterity
- (Christianity) the Son
- 所以，你們要去，使萬民作我的門徒，奉父、子、聖靈的名給他們施洗。 [MSC, trad.]
- From: 新標點和合本 (Chinese Union Version with New Punctuation), 馬太福音 (Matthew) 28:19
- Suǒyǐ, nǐmen yào qù, shǐ wànmín zuò wǒ de méntú, fèng Fù, Zǐ, Shènglíng de míng gěi tāmen shīxǐ. [Pinyin]
- Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost
所以，你们要去，使万民作我的门徒，奉父、子、圣灵的名给他们施洗。 [MSC, simp.]
- (in compounds) person
- 女子 ― nǚzǐ ― female; woman
- (literary) master; teacher
- 子曰：「學而時習之，不亦說乎？有朋自遠方來，不亦樂乎？人不知而不慍，不亦君子乎？」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
- From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE
- Zǐ yuē: “Xué ér shí xí zhī, bù yì yuè hū? Yǒu péng zì yuǎnfāng lái, bù yì lè hū? Rén bù zhī ér bù yùn, bù yì jūnzǐ hū?” [Pinyin]
- The Master said, "Is it not pleasant to learn with a constant perseverance and application? Is it not delightful to have friends coming from distant quarters? Is he not a man of complete virtue, who feels no discomposure though men may take no note of him?"
子曰：“学而时习之，不亦说乎？有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？人不知而不愠，不亦君子乎？” [Classical Chinese, simp.]
- (literary) A respectful title for teachers, usually attached after their surnames.
- (literary, polite) you
- Alternative form of 籽 (zǐ, “seed”); also its second-round simplified form.
- 葵花子 ― kuíhuāzǐ ― sunflower seed
- egg
- young; tender; small
- Prefix attached to nouns, denoting "a part of", "belonging to" or "individual". sub-
- (astrology) First earthly branch: rat in the Chinese zodiac, 11th solar month, midnight (11:00 pm to 1:00 am)
- (historical) viscount (fourth of five ranks of Chinese aristocracy under the Zhou dynasty)
- (physics, biology) -on
- a surname
- (Min Nan) grain-like object; particle; granule
- (Min Nan, music) rhythm
- (Min Nan) Classifier for small, round objects: granule, grain, particle, piece
SynonymsEdit
Coordinate termsEdit
- (earthly branches) 地支 (dìzhī); 子, 丑 (chǒu), 寅 (yín), 卯 (mǎo), 辰 (chén), 巳 (sì), 午 (wǔ), 未 (wèi), 申 (shēn), 酉 (yǒu), 戌, 亥 (hài)
CompoundsEdit
Derived terms from 子
Pronunciation 2Edit
DefinitionsEdit
子
- Suffix:
- Used to nominalize.
- (colloquial) Used in some classifiers.
- 一下子 ― yīxiàzi ― all of a sudden
SynonymsEdit
Dialectal synonyms of 子 (“general diminutive suffix”) [map]
| Variety | Location | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 子 | |
| Mandarin | Beijing | 子 |
| Taiwan | 子 | |
| Singapore | 子 | |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 仔1 |
| Hong Kong | 仔1 | |
| Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) | 仔1 | |
| Singapore (Guangfu) | 仔1 | |
| Hakka | Meixian | 仔6 |
| Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 仔6 | |
| Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 仔6 | |
| Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 仔6 | |
| Senai (Huiyang) | 仔1 | |
| Min Dong | Fuzhou | 囝 |
| Min Nan | Xiamen | 仔2 |
| Quanzhou | 仔2 | |
| Jinjiang | 仔2 | |
| Zhangzhou | 仔2 | |
| Zhangpu | 仔2 | |
| Tainan | 仔2 | |
| Penang (Hokkien) | 囝 | |
| Singapore (Hokkien) | 囝, 仔2 | |
| Manila (Hokkien) | 仔2 | |
| Shantou | 囝 | |
| Shantou (Chenghai) | 囝 | |
| Jieyang | 囝 | |
| Haifeng | 仔2 | |
| Bangkok (Teochew) | 囝 | |
| Johor Bahru (Teochew) | 囝 | |
| Singapore (Teochew) | 囝 | |
| Wenchang | 囝 | |
| Singapore (Hainanese) | 囝 | |
CompoundsEdit
Derived terms from 子
Pronunciation 3Edit
DefinitionsEdit
子 (Hokkien)
- small, round object
- 算盤子／算盘子 [Hokkien] ― sǹg-pôaⁿ-jí [Pe̍h-ōe-jī] ― abacus bead
- (Xiamen, Quanzhou) Classifier for small objects.
- (Zhangzhou, Taiwan) Classifier for bananas.
DescendantsEdit
Others:
- → Vietnamese: tí (“a little bit”)
JapaneseEdit
KanjiEdit
子
- child
- honorific for an adult man
- honorific for a learned man, master
- man (in general)
- fourth rank of nobility in Meiji-postwar Japan, viscount
- egg, fruit, seed
- small object
- interest
- diminutive suffix
- Rat (earthly branch)
- midnight
- north
- (midnight, north): Antonyms : 午
ReadingsEdit
- Go-on: し (shi, Jōyō)
- Kan-on: し (shi, Jōyō)
- Tō-on: す (su, Jōyō)
- Sō-on: つ (tsu)
- Kan’yō-on: ず (zu)
- Kun: こ (ko, 子, Jōyō); ね (ne, 子); み (mi, 子)
- Nanori: このえ (konoe); さね (sane); しげ (shige); しげる (shigeru); たか (taka); ただ (tada); たね (tane); ちか (chika); つぐ (tsugu); とし (toshi); みる (miru); やす (yasu)
CompoundsEdit
Compounds
- 諸子 (shoshi)
- 老子 (Rōshi)
- 柚餅子 (yubeshi)
- 浮子, 泛子 (uki)
- 浮塵子 (unka)
- 御虎子 (omaru)
- 帷子 (katabira)
- 硝子 (garasu, “glass”)
- 芥子, 辛子 (karashi, “mustard”)
- 鱲子 (karasumi)
- 餃子 (gyōza)
- 胡頽子 (gumi)
- 甲子 (Kōshi)
- 庚子 (Kōshi)
- 賽子., 骰子 (saikoro)
- 壬子 (Jinshi)
- 七対子 (chītoitsu)
- 餃子 (chaozu)
- 刷子 (hake)
- 黒子 (hahakuso), 黒子 (hahakuro)
- 丙子 (Heishi)
- 黒子 (hokuro)
- 戊子 (Boshi)
- 子規 (hototogisu)
- 角子 (mizura)
- 郁子 (mube), 郁子 (ube)
- 刷子 (burashi)
- 没法子 (mēfāzu)
- 面子 (mentsu)
Usage notesEdit
子 is also an obsolete variant form of the katakana ネ (ne).
Etymology 1Edit
| Kanji in this term |
|---|
| 子 |
| こ Grade: 1 |
| kun’yomi |
⟨ko1⟩ → */kʷo/ → /ko/
From Old Japanese,[1] attested in the Kojiki (712 CE) and the Man'yōshū (c. 759 CE), two of the oldest examples of written Japanese.
Cognate with 蚕 (ko, “silkworm”) and possibly 小 (ko, “little”, diminutive prefix).
Alternative formsEdit
PronunciationEdit
NounEdit
- a child
- 2007 October 20, Izawa, Hiroshi; Yamada, Kotaro, “第39話 竜の咆哮 [Chapter 39: Dragon’s Roar]”, in ファイアーエムブレム 覇者の剣 [Fire Emblem: Sword of Champions], volume 5 (fiction), Jump Remix edition, Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN, page 113:
- ここまで戦ってきたのに…まんまと封印されちまって手も足も出ないなんて…何が…ハルトムートの子だ…何が竜の子だ‼
- Koko made tatakatte kita no ni… manmato fūin sarechimatte te mo ashi mo denai nan te… Nani ga… Harutomūto no ko da… Nani ga ryū no ko da‼
- I’ve fought my way to this point… only to end up being sealed, unable to move at all… So what… if I’m Hartmut’s son… So what if I’m a dragon child!?
- ここまで戦ってきたのに…まんまと封印されちまって手も足も出ないなんて…何が…ハルトムートの子だ…何が竜の子だ‼
- 2007 October 20, Izawa, Hiroshi; Yamada, Kotaro, “最終話 それぞれの道へ [Final Chapter: Epilog]”, in ファイアーエムブレム 覇者の剣 [Fire Emblem: Sword of Champions], volume 5 (fiction), Jump Remix edition, Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN, page 355:
- 後にラグナのセルディアと結ばれ８人の子を儲けた
- Nochi ni Raguna no Serudia to musubare hachi-nin no ko o mōketa
- He later had 8 children with Celdia of Ragna
- 後にラグナのセルディアと結ばれ８人の子を儲けた
- (figuratively) a girl, especially a dear or desired one (compare use of English baby, babe)
- c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 7, poem 1266), text here
- 大舟乎荒海尓榜出八船多氣吾見之兒等之目見者知之母 [Man'yōgana]
- 大船を荒海に漕ぎ出や船たけ我が見し子らがまみはしるしも [Modern spelling]
- ōbune o arumi ni kogi de ya fune take waga mishi kora ga mami wa shirushi mo
- Rowing the big boat into the rough seas, putting our backs into it, the looks of those girls I saw are clear [in my mind]
- c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 7, poem 1266), text here
- a smaller or younger version of a bigger object
- (hanafuda, card games, by extension, board games, gambling) person who is dealt cards
- Coordinate term: 親 (oya)
Derived termsEdit
Derived terms
- お子さん (okosan): child (when addressing or referring to someone else's)
- 子供 (kodomo, “child, children”)
- 子守 (komori, “babysitter, nurse; babysitting”)
- 間の子, 合いの子 (ai no ko, “child of racially different parents; hybrid organism; something with the qualities of two other things, combination”)
- 豕, 猪子, 猪の子 (inoko, “wild pig or piglet”)
- 芋の子 (imo no ko, “a smaller tuber branching from another potato”)
- 男 (otoko, “man”)
- 茸, 蕈, 菌 (kinoko, “mushroom”)
- 筍 (takenoko, “bamboo shoot”)
- 彦 (hiko, “prince; boy”)
- 蛭子 (Hiruko)
- 息子 (musuko, “son”)
- 諸子 (moroko, “gudgeon”)
PrefixEdit
- an object which has a subservient or derivative role relative to another object
Derived termsEdit
Derived terms
- 子犬 (koinu, “puppy”)
- 子会社 (kogaisha, “subsidiary”)
SuffixEdit
- suffix used in female given names, such as 智子 (Tomoko), 英子 (Eiko), 秀子 (Hideko), 美奈子 (Minako)
- (rare) suffix used in male given names
- an object having a particular state or property (sometimes diminutive)
- roe (only when preceded by a fish name, or fish-related prefix)
- 明太子 (mentaiko, “pollock roe”)
- 飛子 (tobiko, “flying fish roe”)
Derived termsEdit
Derived terms
- 穴子 (anago, “conger eel”)
- 団子 (dango, “dango”, a kind of dumpling)
- 糠子 (nukago, “biting midge”)
- 愛子 (manago, “beloved child”)
Proper nounEdit
- a surname
Etymology 2Edit
| Kanji in this term |
|---|
| 子 |
| す Grade: 1 |
| on’yomi |
| Kanji in this term |
|---|
| 子 |
| し Grade: 1 |
| on’yomi |
From Middle Chinese 子 (MC t͡sɨX), also used in the Man'yōshū (c. 759 CE) as 借音 (shakuon) kana for ⟨si⟩. Compare modern Mandarin 子 (zǐ).
The goon reading of shi is likely the original borrowing:
- /t͡sɨ/ → /sɨ/ → */ɕɨ/ → /ɕi/
The tōon reading su appears later, and only shows up in certain set terms borrowed from Chinese, where it seems to serve as a kind of nominalizing suffix:
- /t͡sɨ/ → /sɨ/ → */sʉ/ → /su/
PronunciationEdit
AffixEdit
- a child
- Short for 子爵 (shishaku): the fourth rank of nobility in Meiji-postwar Japan, equivalent to a viscount
- an honorific for a learned man, such as teacher or master
- a philosophy branch of Chinese literature, either derived from or outside of the Hundred Schools of Thought
- an object which has a subservient or derivative role relative to another object
- an object having a particular state or property (sometimes diminutive)
Usage notesEdit
- This affix is never used in isolation. It is only used in on'yomi compounds.
- In some kanji compounds, 子 is part of the word but does not carry much meaning in Japanese, as in 椅子 (isu, “chair”). Possibly because of this erosion of meaning, spelling out 子 in some compounds has become optional, as in 椰子 vs. 椰 (yashi, “a palm tree”), or 柚子 vs. 柚 (yuzu, “an aromatic citron”).
- In some compounds, the shi or su reading becomes voiced as ji or zu due to rendaku.
Derived termsEdit
Derived terms
- 子院 (shiin, “a branch temple”)
- 子音 (shiin, “a consonant”)
- 子器 (shiki, “ascocarp”)
- 子宮 (shikyū, “the uterus, the womb”)
- 子午 (shigo, “running north and south”)
- 子細 (shisai, “a detail, a particular; a circumstance”)
- 子史 (shishi)
- 子実層 (shijitsusō, “the hymenium of certain fungi”)
- 子実体 (shijitsutai, “the sporocarp or fruiting body of certain fungi”)
- 子爵 (shishaku, “viscount”)
- 子女 (shijo, “children; a girl, a daughter”)
- 子銭 (shisen, “interest earned on a loan”)
- 子息 (shisoku, “boy, son”)
- 子孫 (shison, “descendant”)
- 子弟 (shitei, “children, young people”)
- 子道 (shidō, “one's duty to one's children”)
- 子嚢 (shinō, “ascus or pericarp of certain fungi”)
- 子婦 (shifu, “daughter-in-law”)
- 子母銭 (shibosen, “money, principal and interest”)
- 子母沢 (Shimowaza, a surname)
- 子法 (shihō, “law based on a law in another country”)
- 子房 (shibō, “ovary”)
- 子本 (shihon, “principal and interest”)
- 子夜 (shiya, “midnight”)
- 子葉 (shiyō, “cotyledon or seed leaf, the first leaf of a sprouting plant”)
- 子来 (shirai, “love of the populace for a just ruler”)
- 子癇 (shikan, “eclampsia”)
- 音子 (onshi, “phonon”)
- 光子 (kōshi, “photon”)
- 晶子 (shōshi, “crystallite”)
- 松子 (shōshi, “pinecone”)
- 硝子 (shōshi, “glass”)
- 喞子 (shokushi, “piston”)
- 椅子, 倚子 (isu, “chair”)
- 烏帽子 (eboshi, “formal black peaked cap worn by nobility”)
- 芥子 (kaishi), 芥子 (gaishi)
- 菓子 (kashi, “candy”)
- 芥子 (keshi)
- 原子 (genshi)
- 獅子 (shishi)
- 精子 (seishi, “spermatozoon”)
- 扇子 (sensu, “folding fan”)
- 卓子 (takushi, “table”)
- 中性子 (chūseishi, “neutron”)
- 電子 (denshi, “electron”)
- 螺子, 捻子, 捩子 (neji, “screw”)
- 胞子 (hōshi, “spore”)
- 烽子 (hōshi, “courier or messenger in ancient Japan”)
- 亡子 (bōshi, “dead child”)
- 帽子 (bōshi, “hat, a cap”)
- 眸子 (bōshi, “pupil of the eye”)
- 鋩子 (bōshi, “tip of a sword or knife”)
- 拍子 (hyōshi, “rhythm”)
- 茄子 (nasu, “eggplant”)
- 様子 (yōsu, “appearances; situation, circumstances”)
- 卵子 (ranshi, “ovum”)
- 利子 (rishi, “interest”)
- 量子 (ryōshi, “quantum”)
PronounEdit
- (archaic) second-person pronoun: you (of one's equals)
Proper nounEdit
- (Chinese astrology) Rat, the first of the twelve Earthly Branches
Etymology 3Edit
| Kanji in this term |
|---|
| 子 |
| ね Grade: 1 |
| kun’yomi |
Contracted from 鼠 (nezumi, “mouse, rat”).
PronunciationEdit
Proper nounEdit
- (Chinese astrology) Rat, the first of the twelve Earthly Branches:
- a place name
Derived termsEdit
Derived terms
SyllableEdit
子 • (ne)
- (dated, until the 19th century) variant katakana syllable ネ (ne).
- Udagawa Yōan, 遠西医方名物考, vol. 4, 1822
- 剥篤亞斯蘭 「シ子レス、カラーヘルラチ」羅
[…] 是ヲ燒ク法、曠野ニ一大坑ヲ穿チ其底ト内圍ニ遍ク瓦磗ヲ敷連子、樹ノ幹枝𪜈ニ截テ其内ニ積ミ焚シ了テ煙消シ通紅トナルトキ尋常ノ灰汁ヲ取テ少シ宛頻〻ニ撒ストキハ其灰ノ鹽氣凝結𬼀堅キ塊片トナル。
- 剥篤亞斯蘭 「シ子レス、カラーヘルラチ」羅
- 第1回国会参法一覧
- 小杉イ子議員
- Udagawa Yōan, 遠西医方名物考, vol. 4, 1822
Etymology 4Edit
| Kanji in this term |
|---|
| 子 |
| み Grade: 1 |
| kun’yomi |
NounEdit
- (archaic, rare) Alternative spelling of 実 (mi): a fruit, nut, or seed (of a plant, tree, etc.); ingredients put in a soup; a content, substance
ReferencesEdit
KoreanEdit
EtymologyEdit
From Middle Chinese 子 (MC t͡sɨX). Recorded as Middle Korean ᄌᆞ〮 (có) (Yale: có) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.
PronunciationEdit
- (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [t͡ɕa̠]
- Phonetic hangul: [자]
HanjaEdit
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. [1]
VietnameseEdit
| Hán tự in this term |
|---|
| 子 |
Han characterEdit
子: Hán Việt readings: tý (
子: Nôm readings: tý[1][2], tử[2][4], tí[1], tít[2], tở[3]
- chữ Hán form of tý (“first earthly branch”).
- Nôm form of tí (“a little bit; small”).
- chữ Hán form of tử (“child; son; small thing”).
- 1873, “Bích Câu Kỳ Ngộ”, lines 17-18
- 朝黎當會太和，固陳公子𠸛羅秀渊。
- Triều Lê đương hội thái hòa, Có Trần công tử tên là Tú Uyên.
- In the Lê court's festival of Great Peace, there exists a noble lord named Tran Tu Uyen.
- 朝黎當會太和，固陳公子𠸛羅秀渊。
- 1873, “Bích Câu Kỳ Ngộ”, lines 17-18