水

See also: 𣱱, 氺, 氷, 永, and 氵

水 U+6C34, 水 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-6C34 ← 氳 [U+6C33] CJK Unified Ideographs 氵 → [U+6C35]

⽔ U+2F54, ⽔ KANGXI RADICAL WATER ← ⽓ [U+2F53] Kangxi Radicals ⽕ → [U+2F55]

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

Alternative forms

• 氵 (when used as a left radical)
• 氺 (when used in characters such as 泰)

Han character

水 (radical 85, 水+0, 4 strokes, cangjie input 水 (E), four-corner 1223₀, composition ⿰𰛄⿺㇏丿(GJKV) or ⿰㇇𰛅(GJKV) or ⿰𰛄⿱丿㇏(HT))

2. Kangxi radical #85, ⽔.

Derived characters

• Appendix:Chinese radical/水
• 冰, 𪢿, 𫰖, 㝽, 𡵰, 𢗷, 𤝎, 阥, 𨑾, 𪱹, 㲑, 𤆩, 𤕯, 𡯑, 𬍖, 𦙙, 𤱄, 砅, 𧦋, 𧺵, 𫒎, 𩖱, 𬵆, 𣍤, 𩾼
• 氽, 𠕽, 𡉺, 尿, 𢇤, 𦬭, 𭥚, 𣏶, 𭻅, 㽷, 泵, 𥝸, 𥤼, 𥫸, 𨋈, 𨠊, 㞙, 𩂍, 𤦗, 𦷸, 𠪥, 𥴠, 𢦹, 閖
• 呇, 坔, 𢗨, 𤆲, 畓, 𭖜, 𧥿, 𨋉, 𨠆, 𨥗, 𭪳, 𬠤, 凼, 囦, 䠌, 潁(颍), 頮(颒), 𤸄

References

• KangXi: page 603, character 1
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 17083
• Dae Jaweon: page 992, character 9
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 1545, character 1
• Unihan data for U+6C34

Further reading

• 水 on Wikidata.Wikidata

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Central Bai

Noun

水 (xuix)

1. hanzi form of xuix
   • 1450, Yang Fu (楊黼), 《詞記山花——咏蒼洱境》:

     煴煊茶水㱔呼𪢂

     Boiling tea water, greeting each other.

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Chinese

simp. and trad.		水
alternative forms		𡿭 𣸕

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 水
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States			Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Qin slip script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

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

	Old Chinese
沝	*qʷljilʔ
水	*qʰʷljilʔ

Pictogram (象形) – compare 川 (chuān).

Etymology 1

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *lwi(j) (“flow; stream”) (Benedict, 1974; Coblin, 1986; Handel, 1998; Schuessler, 2007; STEDT). Cognate with Mizo lui (“stream; brook; river”), Tedim Chin [script needed] (luːi³, “stream; river”), Jingpho lawi (“to flow (as water)”).

Old Chinese 水 (OC lhuiʔ) (minimally reconstructed) is Sino-Tibetan root's endoactive derivation with suffix *-ʔ, meaning "that which is flowing"; its voiceless initial suggests the presence of a nominalizing prefix *k- or *s-. Another derivative from the Sino-Tibetan root is possibly 泫 (OC winʔ, “to flow”) (minimally reconstructed).

Compare also areal etymon Proto-Mon-Khmer *lujʔ ~ luuj() ~ luəj() ~ ləəj() (“to wade; to swim”).

Alternatively, Gong (1995) reconstructs Old Chinese *hljədx and compares it to Tibetan ཆུ (chu, “water”), which STEDT derives from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *tsju (“water; liquid; bodily fluid”). Baxter and Sagart (2014), employing evidence from Proto-Min, reconstructs Old Chinese *s.turʔ and compares it to Proto-Sino-Tibetan *twəj (“to flow; to suppurate”), which is likely related to *m-t(w)əj-n ~ m-ti-s (“water; fluid; to soak; to be wet”) (STEDT). Like Gong (1995), Sagart (2017) compares it to Tibetan ཆུ (chu), but he also compares it to Bodo (India) दै (dwi), Mizo tui, Proto-Karen *thejᴬ, all of which STEDT derives from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m-t(w)əj-n ~ m-ti-s. Handel deems derivations from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *tsju or *m-t(w)əj-n ~ m-ti-s unlikely because of phonological issues (STEDT).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): shuǐ (shui³)

  (Zhuyin): ㄕㄨㄟˇ

  (Chengdu, SP): sui³

  (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): фи (fi, II)

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou, Jyutping): seoi²

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): sui²

• Gan (Wiktionary): sui³
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): súi

  (Meixian, Guangdong): sui³

• Jin (Wiktionary): sui²
• Min Bei (KCR): sṳ̌
• Min Dong (BUC): cūi / cṳ̄
• Min Nan

  (Hokkien, POJ): chúi / súi

  (Teochew, Peng'im): zui²

• Wu (Wiktionary): sr (T2)
• Xiang (Wiktionary): xyei³

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Pinyin: shuǐ
    • Zhuyin: ㄕㄨㄟˇ
    • Wade–Giles: shui3
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shoei
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shuěi
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂweɪ̯²¹⁴/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: sui³
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: sui
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /suei⁵³/
  • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic and Wiktionary: фи (fi, II)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /fi⁵¹/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: seoi²
    • Yale: séui
    • Cantonese Pinyin: soey²
    • Guangdong Romanization: sêu²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɵy̯³⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: sui²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sui⁵⁵/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: sui³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sui²¹³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: súi
    • Hakka Romanization System: sui`
    • Hagfa Pinyim: sui³
    • Sinological IPA: /su̯i³¹/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: sui³
    • Sinological IPA: /suɪ³¹/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: sui²
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /suei⁵³/
• Min Bei
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: sṳ̌
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sy²¹/
• Min Dong
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: cūi / cṳ̄
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sui³³/, /t͡sy³³/

Note:

• cūi - literary (common);
• cṳ̄ - vernacular (only used in some words as the first syllable).

Min Nan

• (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Zhangpu, General Taiwanese, Singapore)
  • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chúi
  • Tâi-lô: tsuí
  • Phofsit Daibuun: zuie
  • IPA (Singapore): /t͡sui⁴²/
  • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Zhangpu, Taipei): /t͡sui⁵³/
  • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sui⁴¹/
  • IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang): /t͡sui⁵⁵⁴/
• (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Zhangpu, General Taiwanese, Singapore)
  • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: súi
  • Tâi-lô: suí
  • Phofsit Daibuun: suie
  • IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang): /sui⁵⁵⁴/
  • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Zhangpu, Taipei): /sui⁵³/
  • IPA (Singapore): /sui⁴²/
  • IPA (Kaohsiung): /sui⁴¹/

Note:

• chúi - vernacular;
• súi - literary.

• (Teochew)
  • Peng'im: zui²
  • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tsúi
  • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sui⁵²/

Wu

• (Shanghainese)
  • Wiktionary: sr (T2)
  • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sz̩³⁴/

Xiang

• (Changsha)
  • Wiktionary: xyei³
  • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕye̞i⁴¹/

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• Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 水
Mandarin	Beijing	/ʂuei²¹⁴/
	Harbin	/ʂuei²¹³/ /suei²¹³/
	Tianjin	/suei¹³/
	Jinan	/ʂuei⁵⁵/
	Qingdao	/ʂue⁵⁵/
	Zhengzhou	/ʂuei⁵³/
	Xi'an	/fei⁵³/
	Xining	/fɨ⁵³/
	Yinchuan	/ʂuei⁵³/
	Lanzhou	/fei⁴⁴²/
	Ürümqi	/ʂuei⁵¹/ /fei⁵¹/
	Wuhan	/suei⁴²/
	Chengdu	/suei⁵³/
	Guiyang	/suei⁴²/
	Kunming	/ʂuei⁵³/
	Nanjing	/ʂuəi²¹²/
	Hefei	/ʂue²⁴/
Jin	Taiyuan	/suei⁵³/
	Pingyao	/suei⁵³/
	Hohhot	/suei⁵³/
Wu	Shanghai	/sz̩³⁵/
	Suzhou	/sz̩ʷ⁵¹/
	Hangzhou	/sz̩ʷei⁵³/
	Wenzhou	/sz̩³⁵/
Hui	Shexian	/ɕye³⁵/ /ɕy³⁵/
	Tunxi	/ɕy³¹/
Xiang	Changsha	/ɕyei⁴¹/
	Xiangtan	/ɕyəi⁴²/
Gan	Nanchang	/sui²¹³/
Hakka	Meixian	/sui³¹/
	Taoyuan	/ʃui³¹/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/søy³⁵/
	Nanning	/sui³⁵/
	Hong Kong	/søy³⁵/
Min	Xiamen (Min Nan)	/sui⁵³/ /t͡sui⁵³/
	Fuzhou (Min Dong)	/t͡suoi³²/
	Jian'ou (Min Bei)	/sy²¹/
	Shantou (Min Nan)	/t͡sui⁵³/
	Haikou (Min Nan)	/sui³¹/ /tui²¹³/

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• Middle Chinese: /ɕˠiuɪ^X/

Rime
Character	水
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	書 (26)
Final (韻)	脂 (18)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	Chongniu III
Fanqie	式軌切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɕˠiuɪX/
Pan Wuyun	/ɕʷᵚiX/
Shao Rongfen	/ɕiuɪX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɕjwiX/
Li Rong	/ɕjuiX/
Wang Li	/ɕwiX/
Bernard Karlgren	/ɕwiX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	shuǐ
Expected Cantonese Reflex	seoi2

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*s.turʔ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*qʰʷljilʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	水
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	shuǐ
Middle Chinese	‹ sywijX ›
Old Chinese	/*s.turʔ/ (E dialect: *-r > *-j)
English	water; river
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	水
Reading #	1/1
No.	11948
Phonetic component	水
Rime group	脂
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	水
Old Chinese	/*qʰʷljilʔ/

Definitions

水

2. water (Classifier: 瓶 m; 樽 c; 滴 m c; 池 m c; 盆 m c; 杯 m c)

   請給我一杯水，謝謝。 [MSC, trad.]
   请给我一杯水，谢谢。 [MSC, simp.]

   Qǐng gěi wǒ yī bēi shuǐ, xièxiè. [Pinyin]

   A glass of water, please.

3. liquid; potion; juice

   口水  ―  kǒushuǐ  ―  saliva

   羊水  ―  yángshuǐ  ―  amniotic fluid

   眼藥水 / 眼药水  ―  yǎnyàoshuǐ  ―  eyedrop

4. (colloquial, chiefly Singapore, Malaysia) Synonym of 飲料／饮料 (yǐnliào, “beverage”).

   要叫什麼水？ / 要叫什么水？  ―  Yào jiào shénme shuǐ?  ―  What beverage do you want to order?

   欲叫什物水？ [Hokkien]  ―  Beh kiò sím-mi̍h chúi? [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  What beverage do you want to order?

6. (archaic) river

   漢水 / 汉水  ―  Hànshuǐ  ―  the Han River

7. body of water
8. waterway
9. flood

   發水 / 发水  ―  fāshuǐ  ―  to flood

10. additional cost or income
11. (dialectal) rain
12. (Cantonese) money (Classifier: 嚿)

    磅水 [Cantonese]  ―  bong⁶ seoi² [Jyutping]  ―  to pay

    掠水 [Cantonese]  ―  loek^6-1 seoi² [Jyutping]  ―  to obtain money dishonestly

    三嚿水 [Cantonese]  ―  saam¹ gau⁶ seoi² [Jyutping]  ―  three hundred dollars

13. (colloquial) lacking substance or power; worthless

    這裡的大學太水了。 [MSC, trad.]
    这里的大学太水了。 [MSC, simp.]

    Zhèlǐ de dàxué tài shuǐ le. [Pinyin]

    The universities here are too weak.

14. Short for 划水 (huáshuǐ, “to shirk; to slack off”).
15. (colloquial) Classifier for the number of times clothing was washed.
16. Sui people

    水書 / 水书  ―  shuǐshū  ―  Shuishu (the traditional writing system of the Sui people)

18. A surname​.

Synonyms

• See 水/derived terms § Water (Chinese).

Compounds

• See 水/derived terms § Water (Chinese).

Descendants

• See 水/derived terms § Water (Chinese).

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of 水 – see 媠 (“Min Nan: pretty; beautiful”). (This character, 水, is a variant form of 媠.)

References

• See 水/derived terms § Water (Chinese).
• <水> at the Glyph Database from the Institute of History and Language of the Academia Sinica and the Institute of Information Science

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Japanese

Kanji

水

(grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: すい (sui, Jōyō)^{←すい (sui, historical)}
• Kan-on: すい (sui, Jōyō)^{←すい (sui, historical)}
• Kun: みず (mizu, 水, Jōyō)^{←みづ (midu, historical)}
• Nanori: うず (uzu); ずみ (zumi); たいら (taira)^{←たひら (tafira, historical)}; つ (tsu); ど (do); な (na); なか (naka); み (mi); みさ (misa); みつ (mitsu); みな (mina); みん (min); ゆ (yu); ゆく (yuku)

Compounds

• See 水/derived terms § Kanji.

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
水
みず Grade: 1
kun’yomi

⟨mi₁du⟩ → */mʲidu/ → /mid͡zu/ → /mizu/

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *mentu. Cognate with Proto-Ryukyuan *mezu.

Possibly cognate with 瑞 (mizu, “freshness, youth”).

Possible cognate with Proto-Tungusic *mū, Jurchen 木克 (mu-ke /muke/), Manchu ᠮᡠᡴᡝ (muke), Goguryeo 買 (*me, “river; water”), Mongolian мөрөн (mörön, “river”), Korean 물 (mul, “water”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) みず [mìzú] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [mʲizɨᵝ]

Noun

水(みず) • (mizu) ^{←みづ (midu)?}

1. water (sometimes cold and/or fresh)

   Synonyms: ウオーター (uōtā), ウォーター (wōtā), (Tsugaru) がっこ (gakko)

   Antonym: 湯 (yu, specifically meaning "hot water")

2. drinking water

   Synonyms: 飲水 (insui, nomimizu), 飲用水 (in'yōsui), 飲料水 (inryōsui)

3. a fluid, liquid

   Synonym: 液体 (ekitai)

4. a flood

   Synonyms: 大水 (ōmizu), 洪水 (kōzui), 出水 (shussui)

5. (sumo) Short for 水入り (mizuiri): halting
6. (sumo) Short for 力水 (chikara mizu): water offered to sumo wrestlers before a bout

Usage notes

Note that, while mizu is the most general Japanese term for “water”, it does refer specifically to “water that is not hot”. Meanwhile, the word 湯 (yu) refers specifically to “hot water”. Consider 水風呂 (mizu-buro, “cold-water bath”), contrasting with 風呂 (furo, “bath”, implying hot water).

Derived terms

• See 水/derived terms § Water (Japanese).

Idioms

• See 水/derived terms § Water (Japanese).

Proverbs

• See 水/derived terms § Water (Japanese).

Prefix

水(みず) • (mizu-) ^{←みづ (midu)?}

1. water

Derived terms

• See 水/derived terms § Water (Prefix).

Proper noun

水(みず) • (Mizu) ^{←みづ (midu)?}

1. a female given name
2. a surname

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
水
み Grade: 1
kun’yomi

⟨mi₁⟩ → */mʲi/ → /mi/

From Old Japanese.

Typically found in compounds.

Affix

水(み) • (mi) 

1. Combining form of みず (mizu) above

Derived terms

• See 水/derived terms § Combining form.

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
水
すい Grade: 1
on’yomi

/ɕuwi/ → */suwi/ → /sui/

From Middle Chinese 水 (MC ɕˠiuɪ^X).

Compare modern Mandarin 水 (shuǐ), modern Hakka 水 (súi).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) す​い [súꜜì] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [sɨᵝi]

Noun

水(すい) • (sui) 

1. water: one of the five classical elements in traditional Chinese philosophy and medicine
2. Short for 水曜日 (suiyōbi): Wednesday
3. shaved ice served with flavored syrup

   Synonym: 氷水 (kōrimizu)

Affix

水(すい) • (sui) 

1. water
2. body of water
3. fluid, liquid
4. Short for 水素 (suiso): hydrogen

Derived terms

• See 水/derived terms § Water (element).

Proper noun

水(すい) • (Sui) 

1. a female given name

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
水
もい Grade: 1
Irregular

⟨mopi₁⟩ → */mopʲi/ → /moɸi/ → /mowi/ → /moi/

From Old Japanese. Via metonymy from the word 椀, 盌 (moi, “bowl”), from the meaning of “that which goes in the 椀, 盌 (moi, “bowl”)”.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mo̞i]

Noun

水(もい) • (moi) ^{←もひ (mofi)?}

1. (obsolete) drinking water

Derived terms

• 水(もい)取(とり), 主水(もいとり) (moitori)

See also

• 氷(こおり) (kōri, “ice”)
• 湯(ゆ) (yu, “hot water”)

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Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 水 (MC ɕˠiuɪ^X).

Historical Readings
Dongguk Jeongun Reading
Dongguk Jeongun, 1448	ᄉᆔᆼ〯 (Yale: syǔy)
Middle Korean
Text	Eumhun
	Gloss (hun)	Reading
Hunmong Jahoe, 1527[1]	믈〮 (Yale: múl)	슈〮 (Yale: syú)

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰu]
• Phonetic hangul: [수]

Hanja

Wikisource

水 (eumhun 물 수 (mul su))

1. Hanja form^? of 수 (“water”). [affix]
2. Hanja form^? of 수 (“Short for 수요일(水曜日) (suyoil, “Wednesday”).”).

Compounds

• See 水/derived terms § Water (Korean).

References

• See 水/derived terms § Water (Korean).

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Lama Bai

Noun

水 (ɕy³³)

1. hanzi form of ɕy³³ (water)

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Miyako

Kanji

水

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *mezu.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [mid͡zz̩]

Noun

水 (hiragana みず, rōmaji mizu, mikɯ)

1. water

References

• See 水/derived terms § Water (Miyako).

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Northern Amami-Oshima

Kanji

水

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *mezu.

Noun

水 (hiragana むぃずぃ, rōmaji mïzï)

1. water

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Oki-No-Erabu

Kanji

水

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *mezu.

Noun

水 (hiragana みじ, rōmaji miji)

1. water

References

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

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Okinawan

Kanji

水

(grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• On: しー (shī)
• Kun: みじ (miji, 水)

Compounds

• See 水/derived terms § Kanji (Okinawan).

Etymology

From earlier 水 (midu → midzu → mizu), attested in 1711 in the 混効験集 (Konkōkenshū), itself from Proto-Ryukyuan *mezu.

The word underwent a pronunciation change due to the shifting of /u/ to /i/ after alveolar consonants.

Cognate with Japanese 水 (mizu), Old Japanese 水 (mi₁du).

Pronunciation

• (Shuri-Naha) み​じ[míꜜd͡ʑì] (Kakō - [1])
• IPA^(key): [mid͡ʑi]

Noun

水 (hiragana みじ, rōmaji miji)

1. water

Derived terms

• See 水/derived terms § Water (Okinawan).

References

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

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Southern Amami-Oshima

Kanji

水

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *mezu.

Noun

水 (hiragana むぃでぃ, rōmaji mïdi)

1. water

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Southern Bai

Noun

水 (ɕy³³)

1. hanzi form of ɕy³³ (water)

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Vietnamese

Han character

水: Hán Việt readings: thủy/thuỷ (式(thức)軌(quỹ)切(thiết))
水: Nôm readings: thủy/thuỷ, nước

1. Hán tự form of thuỷ (“water”).
2. (uncommon) Nôm form of nước (“water”).

Compounds

• See 水/derived terms § Water (Vietnamese).

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Yonaguni

Kanji

水

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *mezu.

Possibly also related to Korean 물 (mul), Middle Korean 밀 (mil, “water”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [miŋ]

Noun

水 (hiragana みん, rōmaji min, hiragana みーん, rōmaji mīn)

1. water

References

• See 水/derived terms § Water (Yonaguni).

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Yoron

Kanji

水

Etymology

From Proto-Ryukyuan *mezu.

Possibly also related to Korean 물 (mul), Middle Korean 밀 (mil, “water”).

Noun

水 (hiragana みじ, rōmaji miji)

1. water

References

• See .