See also:
U+79C1, 私
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-79C1

[U+79C0]
CJK Unified Ideographs
[U+79C2]

Translingual edit

Stroke order
 

Han character edit

(Kangxi radical 115, +2, 7 strokes, cangjie input 竹木戈 (HDI), four-corner 22930, composition )

Derived characters edit

References edit

  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 849, character 5
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 24913
  • Dae Jaweon: page 1271, character 2
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2589, character 6
  • Unihan data for U+79C1

Chinese edit

simp. and trad.
2nd round simp.
alternative forms ancient

Glyph origin edit

Phono-semantic compound (形聲形声, OC *sil): semantic (grain) + phonetic (OC *sil) – private grain or field.

Displaced the original form .

Pronunciation edit


Note:
  • sai - vernacular;
  • sir/su - literary.
Note:
  • se1 - literary;
  • sai1 - vernacular.
  • Wu
  • Xiang

  • Rime
    Character
    Reading # 1/1
    Initial () (16)
    Final () (15)
    Tone (調) Level (Ø)
    Openness (開合) Open
    Division () III
    Fanqie
    Baxter sij
    Reconstructions
    Zhengzhang
    Shangfang
    /siɪ/
    Pan
    Wuyun
    /si/
    Shao
    Rongfen
    /sjɪ/
    Edwin
    Pulleyblank
    /si/
    Li
    Rong
    /si/
    Wang
    Li
    /si/
    Bernard
    Karlgren
    /si/
    Expected
    Mandarin
    Reflex
    Expected
    Cantonese
    Reflex
    si1
    BaxterSagart system 1.1 (2014)
    Character
    Reading # 1/1
    Modern
    Beijing
    (Pinyin)
    Middle
    Chinese
    ‹ sij ›
    Old
    Chinese
    /*[s]əj/
    English private

    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
    Reading # 1/1
    No. 11949
    Phonetic
    component
    Rime
    group
    Rime
    subdivision
    1
    Corresponding
    MC rime
    Old
    Chinese
    /*sil/

    Definitions edit

    1. self; personal; private
        ―  rén  ―  personal
        ―  yǒu  ―  private
    2. selfish
        ―    ―  selfish
    3. (Can we add an example for this sense?) (Classical Chinese, humble) first-person singular pronoun: I; me
    4. illegal or secret goods
        ―  zǒu  ―  to smuggle
    5. stealthily; secretly
        ―    ―  to whisper
    6. (obsolete) Used by women to refer to their sister's husband
    7. reproductive organs; genitals
    8. (Internet slang) Short for 私聊 (sīliáo, “to PM, to DM”).

    Descendants edit

    Sino-Xenic ():
    • Japanese: () (shi)
    • Korean: 사(私) (sa)
    • Vietnamese: ()

    Compounds edit

    Japanese edit

    Kanji edit

    (grade 6 “Kyōiku” kanji)

    Readings edit

    Compounds edit

    Etymology 1 edit

    Kanji in this term
    わたし
    Grade: 6
    kun’yomi
    Alternative spelling
    和多志 (neologism)

    Shift from watakushi below.[1][2]

    This reading was already prevalent in early modern times, possibly around the mid-late Muromachi to early-Edo period.

    Pronunciation edit

    Pronoun edit

    (わたし) (watashi

    1. (polite) first-person singular pronoun: I, me
      (わたし)はイギリス(じん)です。
      Watashi wa Igirisu-jin desu.
      I am British.
    Usage notes edit

    Watashi is the usual polite term for referring to oneself.

    Quotations edit

    For quotations using this term, see Citations:私.

    Coordinate terms edit
    Derived terms edit
    See also edit

    Etymology 2 edit

    Kanji in this term
    わたくし
    Grade: 6
    kun’yomi

    From Old Japanese (watakusi).

    A surface analysis suggests a compound term. However, no likely etyma are known.

    • From first-person pronoun (wa, I, me) + takusi: although the first element seems likely, the original meaning of watakushi was “private”, as opposed to “public”, with no first-person pronoun usage until the late 13th century.
    • From wata + kusi: the only phonetic matches are 綿 (wata, cotton; cotton batting), (wata, guts, one's innards, likely derived from the “batting” sense), (wata, sea, ocean) + (kusi, skewer), 奇し (kusi, magic, fantastic, supernatural, adjective), (kusi, alcoholic beverage, likely derived from the “magic” sense), (kusi, comb).
    • From wataku + si: no such word wataku appears to exist.
    • From wa + ta + ku + si: unknown.

    The meaning evolved over time from “private” or “privatization”, to refer to things that are personal, to refer to one's own person, and then finally to serve as a generic first-person pronoun. The full form watakushi is still used in modern Japanese as a formal, highly polite first-person pronoun. The abbreviated form watashi is now the most common and neutrally polite first-person pronoun.

    Pronunciation edit

    Noun edit

    (わたくし) (watakushi

    1. a personal or private matter
    2. (by extension) selfishness
      Synonyms: 自分勝手 (jibun katte), 私利私欲 (shiri shiyoku)
    Derived terms edit

    Pronoun edit

    (わたくし) (watakushi

    1. (formal) first-person singular pronoun: I, me
    Usage notes edit

    Watakushi is the formal term, only used in certain circumstances, such as by TV announcers or public figures such as politicians. Conversely, it is too formal for casual conversation for men, where terms like (ore) are preferred.

    Derived terms edit

    Etymology 3 edit

    Kanji in this term

    Grade: 6
    on’yomi

    /si//ɕi/

    From Middle Chinese (MC sij).

    Affix edit

    () (shi

    1. personal, private
    2. secret
    Derived terms edit

    Noun edit

    () (shi

    1. a personal or private matter
    2. selfishness
    3. privacy, secrecy
    4. (women's speech, obsolete) a brother-in-law
    Derived terms edit

    Etymology 4 edit

    Kanji in this term
    あたし
    Grade: 6
    irregular
    For pronunciation and definitions of – see the following entry.
    あたし
    [pronoun] (chiefly women's speech) first person singular pronoun: I, me
    (This term, , is an alternative spelling of the above term.)


    Etymology 5 edit

    Kanji in this term
    あたくし
    Grade: 6
    irregular
    For pronunciation and definitions of – see the following entry.
    あたくし
    [pronoun] more polite form of あたし (atashi)
    (This term, , is an alternative spelling of the above term.)


    Etymology 6 edit

    Kanji in this term
    あっし
    Grade: 6
    irregular
    For pronunciation and definitions of – see the following entry.
    あっし
    [pronoun] [from 1908] first person singular pronoun: I, me
    (This term, , is an alternative spelling of the above term.)


    Etymology 7 edit

    Kanji in this term
    あし
    Grade: 6
    irregular
    For pronunciation and definitions of – see the following entry: あし

    (The following entry is uncreated: あし.)

    Etymology 8 edit

    Kanji in this term
    あたい
    Grade: 6
    irregular
    For pronunciation and definitions of – see the following entry.
    あたい
    [pronoun] (informal) first-person pronoun: I, me
    [pronoun] (Kagoshima, dialect) first-person pronoun: I, me
    (This term, , is an alternative spelling of the above term.)


    Etymology 9 edit

    Kanji in this term
    あて
    Grade: 6
    irregular
    For pronunciation and definitions of – see the following entry.
    あて
    [pronoun] (Kansai, feminine, dated) I; me
    (This term, , is an alternative spelling of the above term.)


    Etymology 10 edit

    Kanji in this term
    わい
    Grade: 6
    irregular
    For pronunciation and definitions of – see the following entry.
    わい
    [pronoun] (dialect, Kansai, Kagoshima; or Internet slang) I, me (first-person pronoun, mainly used by males)
    [pronoun] you (second-person pronoun, used when addressing an equal or inferior)
    [particle] (dated or dialectal) A particle used in the end of sentences to indicate admiration or emotion. Slightly stronger than (wa).
    (This term, , is an alternative spelling of the above term.)


    Etymology 11 edit

    Kanji in this term
    わし
    Grade: 6
    irregular
    For pronunciation and definitions of – see the following entry.
    わしH
    [pronoun] (mainly Western Japan) I, me
    (This term, , is an alternative spelling (more common) of the above term.)


    Etymology 12 edit

    Kanji in this term
    わっし
    Grade: 6
    irregular
    For pronunciation and definitions of – see the following entry.
    わっし
    [pronoun] (colloquial) first-person singular pronoun: I, me
    (This term, , is an alternative spelling of the above term.)


    Etymology 13 edit

    Kanji in this term
    わっち
    Grade: 6
    irregular
    For pronunciation and definitions of – see the following entry.
    わっち
    [pronoun] : (now dialectal) first-person singular pronoun
    (This term, , is an alternative spelling of the above term.)


    Etymology 14 edit

    Kanji in this term
    わたい
    Grade: 6
    irregular
    For pronunciation and definitions of – see the following entry: わたい

    (The following entry is uncreated: わたい.)

    Etymology 15 edit

    Kanji in this term
    わちき
    Grade: 6
    irregular
    For pronunciation and definitions of – see the following entry: わちき

    (The following entry is uncreated: わちき.)

    Etymology 16 edit

    Kanji in this term
    わて
    Grade: 6
    irregular
    For pronunciation and definitions of – see the following entry: わて

    (The following entry is uncreated: わて.)

    Etymology 17 edit

    Kanji in this term
    わらわ
    Grade: 6
    irregular
    For pronunciation and definitions of – see the following entry.
    わらわ
    [pronoun] (archaic, women's speech, humble) I; me
    [pronoun] (Can we verify(+) this sense?) (modern fiction, women's speech) I; me (used by haughty women of the highest classes of society); usually accompanied by archaic speech styles
    Alternative spelling
    (This term, , is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

    References edit

    1. ^ Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
    2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006) 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
    3. 3.0 3.1 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998) NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN

    Korean edit

    Hanja edit

    (eumhun 사사 (sasa sa))

    1. Hanja form? of (private, personal).

    Old Japanese edit

    Etymology edit

    This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.
    Particularly: “Cognate with first person singular pronoun (wa)?”

    Noun edit

    (watakusi) (kana わたくし)

    1. a personal or private matter

    Derived terms edit

    Descendants edit

    • Japanese: (watakushi, watashi)

    Vietnamese edit

    Han character edit

    : Hán Nôm readings: , tây

    1. private, personal