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three, III

C J K

三三三

sān さん (san) 삼 /sʌm]]/

[]一 3

① 三角: sānjiǎo ① 三角: さんかく ① 三角形: 삼 각 형

② 三字经: sān zì jīng ③ 三振: さんしん ② 三字經: 삼 자 경

④ 三国志: sān guó zhì ④ 三国志: さんごくし ④ 三國志: 삼 국 지

① triangle, three-cornered figure ② Three Character Classic, Trimetric Classic ③ strikeout ④ The Three Kingdoms

A simple ideogram depicting three felled logs or bamboo plants, meaning the numerical value 'three'.

004: 上 (11090x)

above, top, upper

C J K

上上上

shàng じょう (jou) 상 /sʌ ŋ/

[]一 3

① 上海: shànghǎi ① 上海: シャンハイ ① 上海: 상 해

② 上帝: shàngdì ② 上帝:じょうてい ② 上帝: 상 제

③ 零上: língshàng ④ 向上: こうじょう ③ 零上: 영 상

① Shanghai ② God, creator deity, King of Heaven (Taoism) ③ above freezing, above 0℃ ④ rise, elevation, improvement, advancement

A simple ideogram, meaning that something (⺊) is above or higher than a certain given standard ([]一).

005: 下 (6723x)

under, below, down, lower

C J K

下下下

xià か (ka) / げ (ge) 하 /hʌ/

[]一 3

① 下跌: xiàdiē ① 下落: げらく ① 下落: 하 락

② 地下: dìxià ② 地下: ちか ② 地下: 지 하

③ 零下: língxià ③ 零下: れいか ③ 零下: 영 하

① fall, decline ② basement, underground ③ sub-zero, below 0℃

A simple ideogram depicting that something is under or below (卜) a certain given standard ([]一).

006: 不 (33626x)

no, not

C J K

不不不

bù ふ (fu) 불/부 /bul//bu/

[]一 3 []一 3 []一 3

① 不幸: bú xìng ① 不幸: ふこう ① 不幸: 불 행

② 不当: bú dàng ② 不当: ふとう ② 不當: 부 당

③ 不动产: bú dòng chǎn ③ 不動産: ふどうさん ③ 不動產: 부 동 산

① unhappy, misery ② unfair, unjust ③ real estate, immobilier

A pictogram depicting a bird far in the distant sky, later coming to be used as a negative infinitive, meaning 'not' or 'no'.

007: 世 (7413x)

world, group, kingdom, era

C J K

世世世

shì せい (sei) 세 /se/

[]一 5

① 世上: shì shàng ① 世上: せじょう ① 世上: 세 상

② 世界: shì jiè ② 世界: せかい ② 世界: 세 계

③ 世代: shì dài ③ 世代: せだい ③ 世代: 세 대

① world, earth ② global, universe, world, society ③ generation, age

A compound ideogram depicting leaves on a tree branch, originally meaning 'many', then 'one human generation' or thirty years, before changing form during the Regular Script period and coming to mean 'world'.

008: 中 (13028x)

middle, between, center

C J K

中中中

zhōng ちゅう (chuu) 중 /dʒuŋ/

丨 4

① 中国: zhōng guó ① 中国: ちゅうごく ① 中國: 중 국

② 中心: zhōng xīn ② 中心: ちゅうしん ② 中心: 중 심

③ 中庸: zhōng yōng ③ 中庸: ちゅうよう ③ 中庸: 중 용

① China, the Middle Kingdom ② center, central, core ③ golden mean, middle path, Doctrine of the Mean (one of the Four Books 四書)

A simple ideogram from the practice of hoisting a flag in the middle of a square as a marker, meaning 'center'.

009: 主 (2634x)

master, chief, owner, lord

C J K

主主主

zhǔ しゅ (shu) 주 /dʒu/

丶 5

① 主人: zhǔ rén ① 主人: しゅじん ① 主人: 주 인

② 主张: zhǔ zhāng ② 主張: しゅちょう ② 主張: 주 장

③ 主权: zhǔ quán ③ 主権: しゅけん ③ 主權: 주 권

① owner, landlord ② claim, insist, assert ③ sovereignty

A pictogram depicting a burning wick in a lantern, later coming to mean 'owner' or 'master'.

010: 久 (798x)

long, time passage

C J K

久久久

jiǔ きゅう (kyuu) 구 /ɡu/

丿 3

① 永久: yǒng jiǔ ① 永久: えいきゅう ① 永久: 영 구

② 持久: chí jiǔ ② 持久: じきゅう ② 持久: 지 구

③ 久久: jiǔ jiǔ ③ 久久: ひさびさ ③ 久久: 구 구

① eternal, perpetual, permanent ② endurance, persistence, staying power ③ in a long long time, long long time ago

A pictogram of a man whose leg is tied and pulled from behind to prevent fast forward motion, meaning 'takes time'.

011: 乘 (4128x)

ride, mount

C J K

乘乗乘

c[[héng]] じょう (jou) 승 /sɜŋ/

丿 10

丿 9

丿 10

① 乘客: c[[héng]]kè ① 乗客: じょうかく ① 乘客: 승 객

② 乘车: c[[héng]]chē ② 乗車: じょうしゃ ② 乘車: 승 차

- ③ 乗馬: じょうば ③ 乘馬: 승 마

① passenger, traveler ② board, entrain, get on ③ horseback riding

A pictogram depicting a man on top of a tree with his legs apart, meaning 'get on' or 'climb'.

012: 九 (1841x)

nine, IX

C J K

九九九

jiǔ きゅう (kyuu) 구 /ɡu/

乙 2

① 九天: jiǔ tiān ① 九天: きゅうてん ① 九天: 구 천

② 九泉: jiǔ quán ② 九泉: きゅうせん ② 九泉: 구 천

③ 九九歌: jiǔ jiǔ gē ③ 九九表: くくひょう ③ 九九段: 구 구 단

① sky, nine celestial bodies (center: 鈞天), (eastern: 蒼天), (NE: 変天), (northern: 玄天), (NW: 幽天), (western: 顥天 or 昊天), (SW: 朱天), (southern: 炎天), (SE: 陽天) ② underworld, land of the dead, Hades ③ multiplication table

A pictogram from an oracle bone inscription depicting the act of fishing, but borrowed early on to mean the numerical value 'nine'.

013: 事 (7961x)

affair, business, incident

C J K

事事事

shì じ (ji) 사 /sʌ/

亅 8

① 事业: shì yè ① 事業: じぎょう ① 事業: 사 업

② 房事: fáng shì ② 房事: ぼうじ ② 房事: 방 사

③ 事实: shì shí ③ 事実: じじつ ③ 事實: 사 실

① business, project ② sex, sexual intercourse, bedroom affairs, behind closed doors ③ fact, truth, reality

A pictogram of a 'hand (⺕)', upon having set a task, hoisting a flag or banner attached to a 'pole (丨)', meaning 'work'.

014: 二 (8183x)

two, twice

C J K

二二二

èr に (ni) 이 /ɪ/

二 2

① 二重: èrchóng ① 二重: にじゅう ① 二重: 이 중

② 二次: èr cì ② 二次: にじ ② 二次: 이 차

③ 二审: èr shěn ③ 二審: にしん ③ 二審: 이 심

① double, two-fold, (i.e., bilingualism: 二重言語; dual nationality: 二重國籍) ② twice, second (i.e., WWII: 第二次世界大戰) ③ second trial, retrial, review in appeal's court

A simple ideogram depicting two felled logs or bamboo plants, meaning the numerical value 'two'.

015: 五 (6212x)

five, V, me, I

C J K

五五五

wǔ ご (go) 오 /ɔ/

二 4

① 五感: wǔ gǎn ① 五感: ごかん ① 五感: 오 감

② 五福: wǔ fú ② 五福: ごふく ② 五福: 오 복

③ 五脏: wǔ zàng ③ 五臓: ごぞう ③ 五臟: 오 장

① the five senses ② the five blessings: health, longevity, peaceful death, virtue, wealth ③ the five viscera: liver, lungs, heart, kidneys, spleen

A pictogram that had layered 三 and 二 on top of each other at first until consolidating during the Regular Script period into 五, the numerical value, 'five'. Also read as I or me.

016: 井 (282x)

well, pit

C J K

井井井

jǐng せい (sei) / い (i) 정 /dʒ ə ŋ/

二 4

① 油井: yóu jǐng ① 油井: ゆせい ① 油井: 유 정

② 井台: jǐng tái - -

③ 水井: shuǐ jǐng ③ 井戸: いど ④ 井華水: 정 화 수

① oil well ② wellhead ③ water well ④ well water drawn at daybreak

A pictogram depicting the guardrails of a well. The well itself, once depicted with a dot in the middle was later deprecated.

017: 亡 (484x)

death, destroyed, lose

C J K

亡亡亡

wáng ぼう (bou) 망/무 /mʌŋ//mu/

亠 3

① 死亡: sǐ wáng ① 死亡: しぼう ① 死亡: 사 망

② 逃亡: táo wáng ② 逃亡: とうぼう ② 逃亡: 도 망

③ 亡命: wáng mìng ③ 亡命: ぼうめい ③ 亡命: 망 명

① death ② escape, flee, abscond ③ defection, exile, seek asylum

A pictogram originally depicting a blind person with a cane, later coming to mean 'perish'. The 'eye (目)' was added later to create the character 盲 for 'blind'.

018: 交 (1405x)

mix, mingle, transform

C J K

交交交

jiāo こう (kou) 교 /ɡyɔ/

亠 6

① 交易: jiāo yì ① 交易: こうえき ① 交易: 교 역

② 交换: jiāo huàn ② 交換: こうかん ② 交換: 교 환

③ 交通: jiāo tōng ③ 交通: こうつう ③ 交通: 교 통

① trade, commerce ② exchange, trade, barter ③ traffic, transportation, communication, intercourse

A pictogram from an oracle bone inscription depicting a person with crossed legs, meaning 'blend' or 'mix'.

019: 京 (560x)

capital city

C J K

京京京

jīng きょう (kyou) 경 /ɡyə ŋ/

亠 8

① 北京: běi jīng ① 北京: ぺきん ① 北京: 북 경

② 东京: dōng jīng ② 東京: とうきょう ② 東京: 동 경

③ 京剧: jīng jù - -

① Beijing, Peking ② Tokyo ③ Beijing Opera

A pictogram of a large house built over high fortress walls, later coming to mean 'capital'.

020: 人 (19939x)

man, human, mankind

C J K

人人人

rén にん (in)/じん (jin) 인 /ɪn/

人 2

① 人间: rén jiān ② 人類: じんるい ② 人類: 인 류

③ 人参: rén shēn ③ 人参: にんじん ③ 人蔘: 인 삼

④ 人权: rén quán ④ 人権: じんけん ④ 人權: 인 권

① person, the world ② humanity, mankind ③ ginseng ④ human rights, civil rights

A pictogram depicting the side view of an adult male, meaning the gender-agnostic 'man'.

021: 仁 (1150x)

humaneness, benevolence, kindness

C J K

仁仁仁

rén じん (jin) 인 /ɪn/

亻 4

① 仁慈: rén cí ① 仁者: じんしゃ ① 仁者: 인 자

② 仁术: rén shù ② 仁術: じんじゅつ ② 仁術: 인 술

③ 仁义: rén yì ③ 仁義: じんぎ ③ 仁義: 인 이

① a benevolent, virtuous, merciful person ② art of healing, a benevolent act ③ benevolence & righteousness, humanity & justice, duty

A compound ideogram between 'man (亻)' and 'two (二)', meaning it is benign when people are in harmony.

022: 今 (2309x)

now, today, current era

C J K

今今今

jīn こう (kou) 금 /ɡɜm/

人 4

① 今日: jīnrì ① 今日: こんにち ① 今日: 금 일

② 今年: jīnnián ② 今年: ことし ② 今年: 금년

③ 古今: gǔ jīn ③ 古今: ここん ③ 古今: 고 금

① today, this day ② this year, the current year ③ through all ages, past and present, ancient and modern times

A pictogram from an oracle bone inscription depicting food in the mouth, meaning 'now'.

023: 他 (13603x)

other, another, he, she, it

C J K

他他他

tā た (ta) 타 /tʌ/

亻 5

① 他人: tā rén ① 他人: たにん ① 他人: 타 인

② 排他: páitā ② 排他: はいた ② 排他: 배 타

③ 其他: qí tā ④ 他殺: たさつ ③ 其他: 기 타

① other person, stranger ② exclusion, exclusive ③ other, the others ④ murder, homicide, manslaughter

A phono-semantic compound between the semantic 'man (亻)' and the phonetic 'particle (也)', though at first a pictogram between 'man (亻)' and 'serpent (它)', meaning men and snakes have nothing in common.

024: 仙 (539x)

immortal, transcendent

C J K

仙仙仙

xiān せん (sen) 선 /sən/

亻 5

① 仙人: xiān rén ① 仙人: せんにん ① 仙人: 선 인

② 仙境: xiān jìng ② 仙境: せんきょう ② 仙境: 선 경

③ 诗仙: shī xiān ③ 詩仙: しせん ③ 詩仙: 시 선

① an immortal, a Taoist who has cleared the path to heaven ② an enchanted land, fairyland ③ an absorbed poet, a poetic genius

A compound ideogram between 'man (亻)' and 'mountain (山)', meaning that he who lives in the ways of the Tao in the mountains is transcendent.

025: 代 (1424x)

generation, dynasty

C J K

代代代

dài だい (tai) 대 /de/

亻 5

① 代理: dài lǐ ① 代理: だいり ① 代理: 대 리

② 代表: dài biǎo ② 代表: だいひょう ② 代表: 대 표

③ 当代: dāngdài ③ 当代: とうだい ③ 當代: 당 대

① agency, representation, proxy ② represent, representative ③ present age, present time, these days

A compound ideogram between 'man (亻)' and 'catch (弋)' , meaning 'link front and back'. 弋 is the groove at the end of an arrow for the bowstring, but originally meant the wooden bar hung in the middle of a two-frame door.

026: 令 (2463x)

command, order, cause

C J K

令令令

lìng れい (rei) 령/영 /ryə ŋ//yə ŋ/

人 5

① 命令: mìng lìng ① 命令: めいれい ① 命令: 명령

② 令状: lìngzhuàng ② 令状: れいじょう ② 令狀: 영 장

③ 司令: sī lìng ③ 司令: しれい ③ 司令: 사령

① order, command ② writ, warrant, summons ③ command, commander, control

A compound ideogram between 'combine (合)' and 'seal (卩)', meaning 'the one (人) with the right gives directives'.

027: 以 (9470x)

by means of, because, therefore

C J K

以以以

yǐ い (i) 이 /ɪ/

人 5

① 以前: yǐ qián ① 以前: いぜん ① 以前: 이 전

② 以后: yǐ hòu ② 以後: いご ② 以後: 이 후

③ 以外: yǐ wài ③ 以外: いがい ③ 以外: 이 외

① before, in the past ② afterwards, hereafter ③ except, besides

A pictogram depicting a 'man (人)' burrowing the fields with a 'plow (厶)', meaning 'with that'.

028: 仰 (362x)

look up to, revere

C J K

仰仰仰

yǎng ぎょう (gyou) / こう(kou) 앙 /ʌŋ/

亻 6

① 仰望: yǎng wàng ① 仰望: ぎょうぼう ① 仰望: 앙 망

② 仰天: yǎng tiān ② 仰天: ぎょうてん ② 仰天: 앙 천

③ 信仰: xìn yǎng ③ 信仰: しんこう ③ 信仰: 신 앙

① wish, hope, look up to ② look to the sky, be stupefied, horrified, amazed ③ religious faith, belief

A phono-semantic compound combining the semantic 'person (亻)' with the phonetic 'revere (卬)', meaning 'look up to' another more elevated than oneself.

029: 伏 (1201x)

prostrate, conceal, hidden

C J K

伏伏伏

fú ふく (fuku) 복 /bɔɡ/

亻 6

① 降伏: xiáng fú ② 降伏: こうふく ② 降伏: 항 복

③ 埋伏: mái fú ③ 埋伏: まいふく ③ 埋伏: 매 복

- - -

① subdue, tame ② surrender, capitulation ③ ambush, waylay

A compound ideogram of a 'dog (犬)' attentively lying prone before a 'man (⺅)', later taking on the meaning of 'obsequious', 'kowtow', but also 'hidden' or 'conceal'.

030: 伐 (411x)

subjugate, attack

C J K

伐伐伐

fá ばつ (batsu) 벌 /bəl/

亻 6

① 伐木: fá mù ① 伐採: ばっさい ① 伐木: 벌 목

② 征伐: zhēng fá ② 征伐: せいばつ ② 征伐: 정 벌

③ 杀伐: shā fá ③ 殺伐: さつばつ ③ 殺伐: 살 벌

① felling, logging, deforestation ② conquest, subjugation ③ blood thirsty, brutal

A compound ideogram with oracle bone inscription origins of a 'man (⺅)' being cut down with a 'lance (戈)' meaning to repel the enemy with sword, spear.

031: 休 (777x)

rest, stop, retire

C J K

休休休

xiū きゅう (kyuu) 휴 /hyu/

亻 6

① 休假: xiū jiǎ ① 休暇: きゅうか ① 休暇: 휴 가

② 休息: xiū xi ② 休息: きゅうそく ② 休息: 휴 식

③ 休战: xiū zhàn ③ 休戦: きゅうせん ③ 休戰: 휴 전

① a vacation, holiday ② rest, temporary relief ③ truce, armistice, cease-fire

A compound ideogram combining 'man (⺅)' with 'tree (木)', meaning a person takes 'respite' under a tree.

032: 位 (3096x)

position, status

C J K

位位位

wèi い (i) 위 /uɪ/

亻 7

① 位置: wèi zhi ① 位置: いち ① 位置: 위 치

② 位次: wèi cì ② 順位: じゅんい ② 順位: 순 위

③ 单位: dān wèi ③ 単位: たんい ③ 單位: 단 위

① location, place ② ranking, standing, position ③ unit, measure

A compound ideogram assembled with 'man (⺅)' and 'stand (立)' meaning that a subject stands at a position relative to his rank and post.

033: 低 (760x)

low, bend

C J K

低低低

dī てい (tei) 저 /dʒ ə/

亻 7

① 低质: dī zhì ① 低質: ていしつ ① 低質: 저 질

② 低价: dī jià ② 低価: ていか ② 低價: 저 가

③ 最低: zuì dī ③ 最低: さいてい ③ 最低: 최 저

① low quality, inferior quality ② low price, competitive price ③ least, lowest, minimum

A phono-semantic compound between the semantic 'man (⺅)' and the phonetic 'low (低)', meaning low, because the elevation or height of a man who is genuflecting or bowing towards the ground is not high.

034: 住 (5532x)

live, dwell, stay

C J K

住住住

zhù じゅう (juu) 주 /dʒu/

亻 7

① 住宅: zhù zhái ① 住宅: じゅうたく ① 住宅: 주 택

② 住址: zhù zhǐ ② 住所: じゅうしょ ② 住所: 주 소

③ 住户: zhù hù ④ 住民: じゅうみん ④ 住民: 주 민

① house, residence, housing unit ② address, domicile ③ household resident, citizen ④ resident, citizen, inhabitant

A phono-semantic compound combining the semantic 'person (亻)' with the phonetic 'owner (主)', meaning 'stay' or 'dwell', with reference to the connotation of stop in '主'.

035: 何 (3491x)

what, why, where, which, how

C J K

何何何

hé なに (nani) 하 /hʌ/

亻 7

① 何必: hé bì ② 何時: なんじ ① 何必: 하 필

③ 何在: hé zài ④ 何方: どちら ② 何時: 하 시

⑤ 何以: hé yǐ ⑤ 何故: なぜ -

① why ② what time ③ where ④ which one, which way ⑤ why, how

A phono-semantic compound between the semantic 'man (⺅)' and the phonetic 'correct (可)', but originally a pictogram of a man bearing a load, now used only for its phonetic value as a rebus meaning 'how'.

036: 作 (11419x)

make, work, write, build

C J K

作作作

zuò さく (saku) 작 /dʒʌɡ/

亻 7

① 作文: zuò wén ① 作文: さくぶん ① 作文: 작 문

② 作业: zuò yè ② 作業: さぎょう ② 作業: 작 업

③ 作曲: zuò qǔ ③ 作曲: さっきょく ③ 作曲: 작 곡

① writing, composition ② work, operate, task ③ musical composition, write music

At first a pictogram depicting 'clothes-making' before the radical 'man (亻)' was added to become a phono-semantic compound, meaning 'build'.

037: 佛 (13343x)

Buddha, Buddhism

C J K

佛仏佛

fó ぶつ (butsu) 불 /bul/

亻 7

亻 4

亻 7

① 佛教: fó jiào ① 仏教: ぶっきょう ① 佛敎: 불 교

② 佛像: fó xiàng ② 仏像: ぶつぞう ② 佛像: 불 상

③ 佛堂: fó táng ③ 仏堂: ぶつどう ③ 佛堂: 불 당

① Buddhism ② Buddhist statue, image ③ Buddhist temple, Buddhist shrine

A phono-semantic compound between the semantic 'man (⺅)' and the phonetic 'not (弗)' meaning Buddha ― someone whose form is that of a man but is without ordinary human traits, like desire, anger, despair.

038: 使 (6191x)

cause, order, envoy

C J K

使使使

shǐ し (shi) 사 /sʌ/

亻 8

① 使用: shǐ yòng ① 使用: しよう ① 使用: 사 용

② 使命: shǐ mìng ② 使命: しめい ② 使命: 사 명

③ 大使: dà shǐ ③ 大使: たいし ③ 大使: 대 사

① use, employ ② mission, errand ③ ambassador, top diplomat

A compound ideogram combining 'man (⺅)' with 'government official (吏)' meaning a king or monarch causes his retainers to do his bidding.

039: 來 (4621x)

come, arrive, return

C J K

来来來

lái らい (rai) 래/내 /re//ne/

木 7

人 8

① 来日: láirì ② 来日: らいにち ③ 來日: 내일

④ 来访: láifǎng ④ 来訪: らいほう ④ 來訪: 내방

⑤ 来年: láinián ⑤ 来年: らいねん ⑤ 來年: 내년

① the future ② arrival in Japan ③ tomorrow ④ visit, call ⑤ next year

A pictogram now meaning 'come', from the old practice of traversing on fields of barley seed in early spring before they thaw.

040: 例 (890x)

rule, example

C J K

例例例

lì れい (rei) 례/예 /re//ye/

亻 8

① 例外: lì wài ① 例外: れいがい ① 例外: 예 외

② 例题: lì tí ② 例題: れいだい ② 例題: 예 제

③ 例会: lì huì ③ 例会: れいかい ③ 例會: 예 회

① exception, isolated case ② example, case, exercise problem ③ regular meeting, regular session

A phono-semantic compound between the semantic 'man(⺅)' and the phonetic 'line up (列)', meaning compare, but later coming to mean regulation, as well as example.

041: 依 (3439x)

dependence, lean on

C J K

依依依

yī い (i) 의 /ɜɪ/

亻 8

① 依存: yī cún ① 依存: いぞん ① 依存: 의 존

② 依赖: yī lài ② 依賴: いらい ② 依賴: 의 뢰

③ 依托: yī tuō ③ 依託: いたく ③ 依託: 의 탁

① dependence, reliance ② commission, request ③ entrust, reliance

A phono-semantic compound between the semantic 'man (⺅)' and the phonetic 'clothes (衣)', meaning that man is 'dependent' on clothes for bodily protection against the elements.

042: 便 (2909x)

ease, comfort, urine, feces

C J K

便便便

biàn べん (ben) 편/변 /pyən//byən/

亻 9

① 便利: biàn lì ① 便利: べんり ① 便利: 편 리

② 便所: biàn suǒ ② 便所: べんじょ ② 便所: 변 소

③ 不便: bú biàn ③ 不便: ふべん ③ 不便: 불 편

① comfort, convenient ② outhouse, comfort room ③ discomfort, inconvenient

A compound ideogram assembled with 'man (⺅)' and 'fix (更)', meaning man 'changes' and 'replaces' what is inconvenient for him. Also means urine and feces.

043: 俗 (929x)

custom, convention

C J K

俗俗俗

sú ぞく (zoku) 속 /sɔɡ/

亻 9

① 俗语: sú yǔ ① 俗語: ぞくご ① 俗語: 속 어

② 俗话: sú huà ② 俗談: ぞくだん ② 俗談: 속 담

③ 风俗: fēng sú ③ 風俗: ふうぞく ③ 風俗: 풍 속

① colloquialism, slang ② proerb, adage ③ customs, manners

A phono-semantic compound between the semantic 'man (亻)' and the phonetic 'valley (谷)', meaning those who live amongst each other for a long time share the same manners, customs, and practices.

044: 保 (1286x)

protect, shelter, guard

C J K

保保保

bǎo ほ (ho) 보 /bɔ/

亻 9

① 保护: bǎo hù ① 保護: ほご ① 保護: 보 호

② 保险: bǎo xiǎn ② 保險: ほけん ② 保險: 보 험

③ 保证: bǎo zhèng ③ 保証: ほしょう ③ 保證: 보 증

① protect, safe guard, care ② insurance ③ guarantee, assurance

A compound ideogram from an oracle bone inscription between 'man (亻)' and 'child (呆)', meaning that an adult 'protects' a minor.

045: 信 (3868x)

believe, truthfulness, honesty

C J K

信信信

xìn しん (shin) 신 /sɪn/

亻 9

① 信赖: xìn lài ① 信頼: しんらい ① 信賴: 신 뢰

② 信用: xìn yòng ② 信用: しんよう ② 信用: 신 용

③ 背信: bèi xìn ③ 背信: はいしん ③ 背信: 배 신

① trust, faith, confidence ② credit, confidence ③ betrayal, breach of trust

A compound ideogram assembled with 'man (亻)' and 'speech (言)', meaning words spoken by a person ought to be trustworthy.

046: 修 (4872x)

cultivate, mend

C J K

修修修

xiū しゅう (shuu) 수 /su/

亻 9

① 修理: xiū lǐ ① 修理: しゅうり ① 修理: 수 리

② 修炼: xiū liàn ② 修練: しゅうれん ② 修鍊: 수 련

③ 修身: xiū shēn ③ 修身: しゅうしん ③ 修身: 수 신

① repair, fix ② discipline, training ③ self-betterment, develop moral character

A compound ideogram between 'distant (攸)' and 'feathers (彡)', meaning the mind should be clear and cultivated just as the hair is washed in clean waters that flow far away.

047: 個 (193x)

piece, each

C J K

个個個

gè こ (ko) 개 /ɡe/

丨 3

亻 10

① 个人: gè rén ① 個人: こじん ① 個人: 개 인

② 个性: gè xìng ② 個性: こせい ② 個性: 개 성

③ 个别: gè bié ③ 個別: こべつ ③ 個別: 개 별

① individual, private ② personality, individuality ③ separately, independently

A phono-semantic compound between the semantic 'man (亻)' and the phonetic 'solidify (固)', meaning individual persons are most readily discernible by their traits and character, used as the most common classifier for people, places, and things.

048: 借 (330x)

borrow, lend

C J K

借借借

jiè しゃく (shaku) 차 /tʃʌ /

亻 10

① 借入: jiè rù ① 借入: しゃくにゅう ① 借入: 차 입

② 借贷: jiè dài ② 貸借: たいしゃく ② 貸借: 대 차

③ 借债: jiè zhài ③ 借金: しゃっきん ③ 借金: 차 금

① loan payable, borrowed capital, debt ② lending & borrowing, credit & debit ③ debt, liabilities

A phono-semantic compound assembled with the semantic 'man(亻)' and the phonetic 'antiquity (昔)', meaning that people would 'borrow, lend, or help' when others were short of 'dried meat (昔)'.

049: 假 (1549x)

false, lie

C J K

假仮假

jiǎ か (ka) 가 /ɡʌ/

亻 11

亻 6

亻 11

① 假名: jiǎ míng ① 仮名: かめい ① 假名: 가 명

② 假面: jiǎ miàn ② 仮面: かめん ② 假面: 가 면

③ 假定: jiǎ dìng ③ 仮定: かてい ③ 假定: 가 정

① alias, pseudonym ② mask, disguise ③ supposition, assumption, hypothesis

A phono-semantic compound assembled with the semantic 'man (亻)' and the phonetic of what used to mean 'borrow (叚)', later coming to mean 'falsehood' or 'lie'.

050: 偉 (31x)

great, extraordinary

C J K

伟偉偉

wěi い (i) 위 /uɪ/

亻 6

亻 11

① 伟大: wěi dà ① 偉大: いだい ① 偉大: 위 대

② 伟力: wěi lì ② 偉力: いりょく ② 偉力: 위 력

③ 伟业: wěi yè ③ 偉業: いぎょう ③ 偉業: 위 업

① great, greatness ② great power, great force ③ great enterprise, exploits

A phono-semantic compound between the semantic 'man (亻)' and the simultaneous phonetic and semantic component 'chamois (韋)', having the meaning of 'extraordinary'.

051: 停 (685x)

stop, suspend, delay

C J K

停停停

tíng てい (tei) 정 /dʒ ə ŋ/

亻 11

① 停止: tíng zhǐ ① 停止: ていし ① 停止: 정 지

② 停车: tíng chē ② 停車: ていしゃ ② 停車: 정 차

③ 停电: tíng diàn ③ 停電: ていでん ③ 停電: 정 전

① stop, halt, suspend ② pull over, park, stop ③ blackout, power outage

A phono-semantic compound between the semantic 'man (亻)' and the phonetic 'pavilion (亭)', meaning a man enters a resting place to 'stop' for a while.

052: 備 (264x)

perfection, prepare, get ready

C J K

备備備

bèi び (bi) 비 /bɪ/

夂 8

亻 12

① 准备: zhǔn bèi ① 準備: じゅんび ① 準備: 준 비

② 警备: jǐng bèi ② 警備: けいび ② 警備: 경 비

① preparation, readiness ② security, guard, policing

A phono-semantic compound between the semantic 'man (亻)' and the phonetic 'prepare 備' without the man radical. Originally a pictogram derived from an oracle bone inscription of a bundle of arrows in a quiver.

053: 傳 (993x)

convey, impart, transmit

C J K

传伝傳

chuán でん (den) 전 /dʒ ən/

亻 6

亻 13

① 传达: chuán dá ① 伝達: でんたつ ① 傳達: 전 달

② 传染: chuán rǎn ② 伝染: でんせん ② 傳染: 전 염

③ 传统: chuán tǒng ③ 伝統: でんとう ③ 傳統: 전 통

① conveyance, transmit ② contagion, infection ③ tradition, convention

A phono-semantic compound assembled with the semantic 'man (亻)' and the phonetic 'exclusively (專)', meaning 'transmit'. The character '專' used to mean official classified document.

054: 傷 (201x)

lesion, injury

C J K

伤傷傷

shāng しょう (shou)/きず (gisu) 상 /sʌ ŋ/

亻 6

亻 13

① 伤口: shāng kǒu ① 傷口: きずぐち ① 傷處: 상 처

② 伤害: shāng hài ② 傷害: しょうがい ② 傷害: 상 해

③ 火伤: huǒ shāng ③ 火傷: やけど ③ 火傷: 화 상

① wound, cut ② assault, injury, damage ③ scald, burn

A phono-semantic compound between the semantic 'man (亻)' and the phonetic 'bright (𠂉+昜)', meaning 'injury', from the fact that they stand out and are noticeable.

055: 價 (124x)

price, value

C J K

价価價

jià か (ka) 가 /ɡʌ/

亻 6

亻 8

亻 15

① 价格: jià gé ① 価格: かかく ① 價格: 가 격

② 价值: jià zhí ② 価値: かち ② 價値: 가 치

③ 评价: píng jià ③ 評価: ひょうか ③ 評價: 평 가

① price ② value, worth ③ valuation, appraisal, assessment

A phono-semantic compound assembled with the semantic 'man (亻)' and the phonetic 'business (贾,賈)', meaning that a 'price' or 'value' is determined in the buying and selling of goods.

056: 億 (504x)

one hundred million

C J K

亿億億

yì おく (oku) 억 /əɡ/

亻 3

亻 15

① 亿劫: yì jié ① 億劫: おっくう ① 億劫: 억 겁

② 千亿: qiān yì ② 千億: せんおく ② 千億: 천 억

① aeonian, an endlessly long period ② one hundred billion, very large number

A phono-semantic compound between 'man (亻)' and 'meaning (意)'. The character meant 'spiritually at ease', but later used to also denote the numerical value of 100,000,000.

057: 元 (1516x)

first, original, head

C J K

元元元

yuán がん (gan) 원 /uən/

儿 4

① 元老: yuán lǎo ① 元祖: がんそ ① 元祖: 원 조

② 元旦: yuán dàn ② 元旦: がんたん ② 元旦: 원 단

③ 元朝: yuán cháo ④ 元金: がんきん ④ 元金: 원 금

① founder, originator ② New Year's Day ③ Yuan Dynasty, Mongol Empire ④ principal, capital

A pictogram combining 'upper (上 since deprecated for 二)' with 'son' or lower 'person (儿)' , meaning 'chief' or 'first among men'.

058: 兄 (292x)

elder brother

C J K

兄兄兄

xiōng けい (kei) 형 /hyə ŋ/

儿 5

① 兄弟: xiōng dì ② 兄弟: きょうだい ② 兄弟: 형 제

③ 兄长: xiōng zhǎng ④ 兄貴: あにき ⑤ 兄夫: 형 부

① brother ② brothers, siblings ③ elder brother ④ elder brother, one's elder ⑤ brother in-law, elder sister's husband

A compound ideogram between 'mouth (口)' and lower 'person (儿)', meaning it is the 'elder brother' who delivers the memorial address over the younger sibling(s) during the ancestral ceremonies.

059: 充 (722x)

fill, be full, sufficient

 C 		J 		K

充充充

chōng じゅう (juu) 충 /tʃuŋ/

儿 6

① 充分: chōng fèn ① 充分: じゅうぶん ① 充分: 충 분

② 充电: chōng diàn ② 充電: じゅうでん ② 充電: 충 전

③ 充实: chōng shí ③ 充実: じゅうじつ ③ 充實: 충 실

① enough, sufficient ② recharge (battery), electrical boost ③ faithful, loyal

A compound ideogram combining 'child (儿)' with 'raise up (育→云)', which at first meant 'a growing child', but later came to mean 'full'.

060: 兆 (157x)

portend, trillion

C J K

兆兆兆

zhào ちょう (chou) 조 /dʒ ɔ/

儿 6

① 兆头: zhào tou ① 兆候: ちょうこう ① 兆朕: 조 짐

② 凶兆: xiōng zhào ② 凶兆: きょうちょう ② 凶兆: 흉 조

③ 前兆: qián zhào ③ 前兆: ぜんちょう ③ 前兆: 전 조

① sign, warning, omen ② ill omen, evil sign ③ foreshadowing, foreboding

A pictogram meaning 'foretell', similar to 'predict (⼘)' as fortune telling was done with the cracks of burned tortoise shell or cattle bone. Also means 'trillion' or 1,000,000,000,000.

061: 先 (2007x)

first, former, previous

C J K

先先先

xiān せん (sen) 선 /sən/

儿 6

① 先生: xiān sheng ② 先生: せんせい ② 先生: 선 생

③ 先进: xiān jìn ③ 先進: せんしん ③ 先進: 선 진

④ 先手: xiān shǒu ④ 先手: せんて ④ 先手: 선 수

① mister ② teacher ③ advanced, ahead ④ first move, offensive move

A compound ideogram between 'to go (之)' ― the cursive form of 'footprint (止 → ⺧)' ― and 'man (儿)', meaning gone 'first'.

062: 光 (3992x)

light, brilliant, shine

C J K

光光光

guāng こう (kou) 광 /ɡɒʌ ŋ/

儿 6

① 光明: guāng míng ① 光明: こうみょう ① 光明: 광 명

② 光线: guāng xiàn ② 光線: こうせん ② 光線: 광 선

③ 光速: guāng sù ④ 光学: こうがく ③ 光速: 광 속

① luminosity, hope ② rays, beams ③ speed of light ④ optical science, optics

A compound ideogram from an oracle bone inscription of a 'woman (儿)' offering a 'flambeau (火)' to a shrine, later coming to mean 'brilliant'.

063: 免 (642x)

evade, excuse from

C J K

免免免

miǎn めん (men) 면 /my ən/

儿 8

① 免除: miǎn chú ① 免除: めんじょ ① 免除: 면 제

② 免疫: miǎn yì ② 免疫: めんえき ② 免疫: 면 역

③ 免责: miǎn zé ③ 免責: めんせき ③ 免責: 면 책

① exemption, discharge ② immunity, free from infection ③ indemnification, immune from liability, disclaimer

A compound ideogram that originally meant royal crown, but when it came to be used for 'exempt', another character was created for coronet: 冕.

064: 兒

child, baby, son

C J K

儿児兒

ér じ (ji) 아 /ʌ/

儿 2

儿 7

儿 8

① 儿童: ér tóng ① 児童: じどう ① 兒童: 아동

② 孤儿: gū ér ② 孤児: こじ ② 孤兒: 고아

③ 幼儿: yòuér ③ 幼児: ようじ ③ 幼兒: 유아

① child, children, juvenile ② orphan ③ infant, toddler

A pictogram of a 'child (儿)' whose vertex or 'cranium (臼)' is still soft, meaning 'baby'.

065: 入

enter

C J K

入入入

rù にゅう (nyuu)/いり (iri) 입 /ɪb/

入 2

① 入口: rù kǒu ① 入口: いりぐち ① 入口: 입 구

② 介入: jiè rù ② 介入: かいにゅう ② 介入: 개 입

③ 输入: shū rù ③ 輸入: ゆにゅう ③ 輸入: 수 입

① entrance, entranceway ② intervention, meddling, interference ③ import, enter

A simple ideogram depicting either a grass blade or the trunk of a tree rooted underground, but later coming to mean 'enter'.

066: 內

inside, inner

C J K

內內內

nèi ない (nai) 내 /ne/

入 4

① 內容: nèiróng ① 內容: ないよう ① 內容: 내용

② 內战: nèizhàn ② 內戦: ないせん ② 內戰: 내전

③ 內监: nèijiàn ③ 內侍: ないし ③ 內侍: 내시

① contents, substance ② civil war ③ eunuch, courtesan

A compound ideogram between 'enter (入)' and 'door (冂)', with emphasis on the meaning of 'inner'.

067: 全

all, total, whole

C J K

全全全

quán ぜん (zen) 전 /dʒ ən/

入 6

① 全部: quán bù ① 全部: ぜんぶ ① 全部: 전 부

② 全面: quán miàn ② 全面: ぜんめん ② 全面: 전 면

③ 全国: quán guó ③ 全国: ぜんこく ③ 全國: 전 국

① all, entire, whole ② entire surface, the front, the facade ③ nation wide, country-wide

A compound ideogram between 'enter (入)' and 'gem (where 王 comes from 玉)', from the fact that valuables safely stored at home are 'wholly' 'intact' and 'perfect'.

068: 兩

two, both, pair

C J K

两両兩

liǎng りょう (ryou) 량/양 /ryʌŋ//yʌŋ/

入 7

入 6

入 8

① 两方: liǎngfāng ① 両方: りょうほう ① 兩方: 양방

② 两国: liǎngguó ② 両国: りょうこく ② 兩國: 양국

③ 两面: liǎngmiàn ③ 両面: りょうめん ③ 兩面: 양면

① both parties, both sides ② bilateral, both countries ③ both aspects, double-faced

A pictogram of two equal weighting pans hoisted on a balance scale, meaning 'two' or 'pair'. The character is a weight measure where 1 兩 is equal to 37.8 grams.

069: 八

eight, VIII

C J K

八八八

bā はち (hachi) 팔 /pʌl/

八 2

① 八月: bā yuè ① 八月: はちがつ ① 八月: 팔 월

② 八方: bāfāng ② 八方: はっぽう ② 八方: 팔 방

③ 八卦: bāguà ③ 八卦: はっけ ③ 八卦: 팔괘

① August ② all directions, all sides ③ Eight Symbols (trigrams) of Divination: Earth ☷ sw (000←0), Mountain ☶ ne (001←1) , Water ☵ north (010←2), Wind ☴ se (011←3), Thunder ☳ east (100←4), Fire ☲ south (101←5), Lake ☱ west (110←6), Heaven ☰ nw (111←7)

A simple ideogram where 八 depicted two thumbs up, which symbolized the numerical value 'eight'.

070: 公

equitable, fair

C J K

公公公

gōng こう (kou) 공 /ɡɔ ŋ/

八 4

① 公正: gōng zhèng ① 公正: こうせい ① 公正: 공 정

② 公平: gōng píng ② 公平: こうへい ② 公平: 공 평

③ 公社: gōng s[[hè ④ 公私: こうし ⑤ 公證: 공 증

① justice, fairness ② fair, impartial ③ commune ④ public & private ⑤ notarial act, official endorsement, authentication

A compound ideogram meaning it is 'fair' when things are 'divided (八)' equitably in those matters outside of the 'private (厶)' realm.

071: 六

six, VI

C J K

六六六

liù ろく (roku)/りく (riku) 륙/육 /ryuɡ//yuɡ/

八 4

① 六书: liùshū ① 六書: りくしょ ① 六書: 육서

② 六腑: liùfǔ ② 六腑: ろっぷ ② 六腑: 육부

③ 六艺: liùyì ③ 六芸: りくげい ③ 六藝: 육예

① the six Chinese character categories ② the six hollow organs: bladder (膀胱), gall bladder (膽), large intestine (大腸), small intestine (小腸), sanjiao (三焦), stomach (胃腸) ③ the six elite subjects: archery (射), math (數↔数), military arts (御), music (樂↔乐↔楽), reading & writing (書↔书), and rites (禮↔礼)

A rebus character meaning the numerical value 'six', from an original pictogram of a ger-like tent or temporary housing.

072: 共

common, same, share

C J K

共共共

gòng きょう (kyou) 공 /ɡɔ ŋ/

八 6

① 共通: gòngtōng ① 共通: きょうつう ① 共通: 공 통

② 共同: gòngtóng ② 共同: きょうどう ② 共同: 공 동

③ 共谋: gòngmóu ③ 共謀: きょうぼう ③ 共謀: 공모

① universal, commonness ② collaboration, joint ③ conspiracy, complicity, collusion

A compound ideogram of two 'hands (八)' holding up an object, meaning 'share'.

073: 兵

of military, arms, soldier

C J K

兵兵兵

bīng へい (hei) 병 /byə ŋ/

八 7

① 兵法: bīngfǎ ① 兵法: へいほう ① 兵法: 병법

② 兵役: bīngyì ② 兵役: へいえき ② 兵役: 병역

③ 征兵: zhēngbīng ③ 徴兵: ちょうへい ③ 徵兵: 징병

① military tactics, strategy, art of war ② military service ③ draft, con scription, compulsory military service

A compound ideogram assembled with 'axe (斤)' and two 'hands (八)', coming to have the meaning of 'soldier'.

074: 典

law, rule, canon, statute

C J K

典典典

diǎn てん (ten) 전 /dʒ ən/

八 8

① 典当: diǎn dàng ① 典当: てんとう ① 典當: 전 당

② 典礼: diǎn lǐ ② 典礼: てんれい ② 典禮: 전례

③ 辞典: cí diǎn ③ 辞典: じてん ③ 辭典: 사 전

① impawn, pledge ② ritual, ceremony ③ dictionary

A compound ideogram originally showing two hands on a 'table ([]一)' holding a 'book (冊)' of either bamboo (竹) or jade (玉), later coming to mean 'law' or 'rule'.

075: 冊

book, volume

C J K

册冊冊

cè さつ (satsu) 책 /tʃeɡ/

冂 5

① 册子: cèzi ① 冊子: さっし ① 冊子: 책 자

② 注册: zhùcè - ③ 冊床: 책 상

- - ④ 冊張: 책 장

① booklet, pamphlet, brochure ② enroll, register ③ desk ④ bookshelf

A pictogram of either split bamboo stalks or wooden sticks with writings on it that were then tied together with leather or fiber string, meaning 'book'.

076: 再

repeat twice, again

C J K

再再再

zài さつ (satsu)/さい (sai) 재 /dʒe/

冂 6

① 再生: zài shēng ① 再生: さいせい ① 再生: 재 생

② 再建: zài jiàn ② 再建: さいけん ② 再建: 재 건

③ 再审: zài shěn ③ 再審: さいしん ③ 再審: 재 심

① regeneration, rebirth, renaissance ② rebuild, reconstruction ③ review, retrial, reexamine

A compound ideogram assembled with 'one ([]一)' and the radical '冉' of 'blocks of wood (冓)', meaning 'another'.

077: 冬

winter, dry season

C J K

冬冬冬

dōng とう (tou) 동 /dɔ ŋ/

冫 5

① 冬季: dōng jì ① 冬季: とうき ① 冬季: 동 계

② 立冬: lì dōng ② 立冬: りっとう ② 立冬: 입 동

③ 冬至: dōng zhì ③ 冬至: とうじ ③ 冬至: 동 지

① winter, dry season ② early winter, mid-November ③ winter solstice

Originally a pictogram of a slung rope with its two ends tied in a knot, but later became a phono-semantic compound between the phonetic come 'late (夂)' and the semantic 'frost (冫)', meaning 'winter'.

078: 冷

cold, cool

C J K

冷冷冷

lěng れい (rei) 랭/냉 /reŋ//neŋ/

冫 7

① 冷战: lěngzhàn ① 冷戦: れいせん ① 冷戰: 냉전

② 冷水: lěngshuǐ ② 冷水: れいすい ② 冷水: 냉수

③ 冷房: lěngfáng ③ 冷房: れいぼう ③ 冷房: 냉방

① the Cold War ② chilled water, unboiled water ③ air conditioning, cold room

A phono-semantic compound between the semantic 'frost (冫)' and the phonetic 'command (令)', meaning orders from on high are as 'cold' and stern as ice.

079: 出

go out, send out, produce

C J K

出出出

chū しゅつ (shutsu)/で (de) 출 /tʃul/

凵 5

① 出生: chū shēng ① 出生: しゅっせい ① 出生: 출생

② 出口: chū kǒu ② 出口: でぐち ② 出口: 출구

③ 输出: shūchū ③ 輸出: ゆしゅつ ③ 輸出: 수출

① birth, nativity ② exit, out gate ③ export, emit

A pictogram of either a human foot emerging from inside a door or buds sprouting from the ground, meaning 'come out' or 'go out'.

080: 刀

knife, sword

C J K

刀刀刀

dāo とう (tou) 도 /dɔ/

刀 2

① 刀片: dāopiàn ② 大刀: だいとう ③ 刀工: 도 공

④ 刀子: dāozi ④ 刀子: とうす ④ 刀子: 도 자

⑤ 短刀: duǎndāo ⑤ 短刀: しない ⑤ 短刀: 단 도

① blade, razor-blade ② long sword ③ swordsmith, sword maker ④ small knife ⑤ dagger, short sword

A pictogram of a curved or crescent 'blade (刀)'. As a radical, '刂' is always used on the right side of the character.

081: 分

divide, share, portion, part

C J K

分分分

fēn ぶん (bun) 분 /bun/

刀 4

① 分离: fēn lí ① 分離: ぶんり ① 分離: 분 리

② 分配: fēnpèi ② 分配: ぶんぱい ② 分配: 분 배

③ 分析: fēn xī ③ 分析: ぶんせき ③ 分析: 분석

① separate, divide, partition ② distribution, allocation ③ analysis, take apart

A compound ideogram between 'eight (八)' and 'knife (刀)' meaning 'divide'.

082: 刑

punishment, penalty

C J K

刑刑刑

xíng けい (kei) 형 /hyə ŋ/

刂 6

① 刑法: xíngfǎ ① 刑法: けいほう ① 刑法: 형법

② 刑事: xíng shì ② 刑事: けいじ ② 刑事: 형 사

③ 刑罚: xíng fá ③ 刑罰: けいばつ ③ 刑罰: 형 벌

① criminal law, penal code ② criminal case, criminal matter ③ sentence, punishment

A compound ideogram originally assembled with 'well (井)' and 'sword (刂)', meaning those who do not go by the rules (井) in using the common water well suffers 'penalty'.

083: 列

queue, line up

C J K

列列列

liè れつ (retsu) 렬/열 /ryəl//yəl/

刂 6

① 系列: xì liè ① 系列: けいれつ ① 系列: 계 열

② 排列: páiliè ② 配列: はいれつ ② 排列: 배 열

③ 列岛: liè dǎo ③ 列島: れっとう ③ 列島: 열 도

① series, order, affiliation ② arrangement, array ③ archipelago, chain of islands

A phono-semantic compound between the phonetic 'bone separated from the flesh (歹)' and the semantic 'knife (刂)', originally meaning 'to separate' the flesh from the bone, later coming to also mean 'line up'.

084: 初

early, junior, first, original

C J K

初初初

chū しょ (sho) 초 /tʃ ɔ/

刀 7

① 初步: chū bù ① 初歩: しょほ ① 初步: 초보

② 初期: chū qī ② 初期: しょき ② 初期: 초기

③ 初创: chūchuàng ④ 初念: しょねん ④ 初念: 초념

① basics, elementary, novice ② initial stage, incipient stage ③ startup, new establishment ④ original intent

A compound ideogram meaning that the 'first' step in 'clothes (衤)' making is in 'cutting (刀)' the material: leather, hemp, cotton, or otherwise.

085: 判

judge, discriminate

C J K

判判判

pàn はん (han) 판 /pʌn/

刂 7

① 判断: pànduàn ① 判断: はんだん ① 判斷: 판 단

② 判例: pàn lì ② 判例: はんれい ② 判例: 판례

③ 批判: pīpàn ③ 批判: ひはん ③ 批判: 비 판

① judgment, decision ② legal precedent, judicial precedent ③ criticism, repudiation

A phono-semantic compound between 'half (半)' and 'knife (刂)', meaning that all disputes could be plainly 'discerned' just as an object is cleanly cut in half with a knife.

086: 別

differentiate, distinguish, different

C J K

别别別

bié べつ (betsu) 별 /byəl/

刂 7

① 离别: lí bié ① 離别: りべつ ① 離別: 이 별

② 差别: chā bié ② 差别: さべつ ② 差別: 차 별

③ 别名: bié míng ③ 别名: べつめい ③ 別名: 별 명

① go separate way, break up, bid farewell ② discrimination, discriminate ③ alias, pseudonym

A compound ideogram between 'cut meat off bones (另)' and 'knife (刂)', meaning that 'distinctions' are made by cutting with a knife.

087: 利

gains, profit, advantage, sharp

C J K

利利利

lì り (ri) 리/이 /rɪ//ɪ/

刂 7

① 利率: lìlǜ ① 利率: りりつ ① 利率: 이율

② 单利: dān lì ② 単利: たんり ② 單利: 단 리

③ 复利: fù lì ③ 複利: ふくり ③ 複利: 복 리

① rate of interest, interest rate ② simple interest ③ compound interest

A compound ideogram between 'unhusked rice stalk (禾)' and 'knife (刂)', originally meaning tillage or cultivation, but later coming to mean 'sharp' or 'pointed'.

088: 到

reach, arrive

C J K

到到到

dào とう (tou) 도 /dɔ/

刂 8

① 到达: dào dá ① 到達: とうたつ ① 到達: 도 달

- ② 到着: とうちゃく ② 到着: 도착

③ 到头: dào tóu ③ 到頭: とうとう -

① reach, arrive, attain ② arrival ③ at last, finally

Etymology uncertain, but comes from bronze object inscriptions meaning a person (人) is to 'arrive' somewhere; it is not simply a phono-semantic compound between 'arrive (至)' and 'knife (刂)'.

089: 則

rule, law, regulation

C J K

则則則

zé そく (soku) 칙 /tʃ ɪɡ/

刂 6

刂 9

① 原则: yuán zé ① 原則: げんそく ① 原則: 원칙

② 规则: guī zé ② 規則: きそく ② 規則: 규칙

③ 准则: zhǔn zé ④ 反則: はんそく ④ 反則: 반칙

① fundamental principle, general rule ② rules, regulation, convention ③ norms, practices, standard ④ foul play, irregularity

A compound ideogram between 'shell fish (貝)' and 'knife (刂)', meaning 'rules', from the idea that the division and allocation of property (貝) must follow a clear cut (刂) set of guidelines.

090: 前

front, forward, preceding, before

C J K

前前前

qián ぜん (zen) 전 /dʒ ən/

刂 9

① 前提: qián tí ① 前提: ぜんてい ① 前提: 전 제

② 前例: qián lì ② 前例: ぜんれい ② 前例: 전례

③ 前日: qiánrì ④ 前日: ぜんじつ ④ 前日: 전 일

① premise, assumption, precondition ② historical precedent, stare decisis ③ day before yesterday ④ prior day, previous day

A simple ideogram meaning that a 'boat (once 舟 but simplified to ⺼)' moves 'forward' when rowed with the 'feet (once 止 but later changed to 䒑)'. The 'knife (刂)' was added only later.

091: 力

power, force, capability, influence

C J K

力力力

lì りき (riki)/りょく (ryoku) 력/역 /ryəɡ//yəɡ/

力 2

① 力量: lìliang ① 力量: りきりょう ① 力量: 역량

② 力主: lì zhǔ ② 力説: りきせつ ② 力說: 역설

③ 努力: nǔlì ④ 暴力: ぼうりょく ③ 努力: 노 력

① strength, capacity, ability ② emphasize, advocate, stress ③ effort, exertion, endeavor ④ violence, force, mayhem

A pictogram depicting flexed bicep muscles, meaning 'power', with the current form being set only much later.

092: 功

achievement, merit, work

C J K

功功功

gōng こう (kou) 공 /ɡɔ ŋ/

力 5

① 成功: c[[héng]]gōng ① 成功: せいこう ① 成功: 성 공

② 功劳: gōng láo ② 功労: こうろう ② 功勞: 공 로

③ 功夫: gōng fu ④ 功績: こうせき ④ 功績: 공적

① success, prevail ② good deed, meritorious services ③ kung fu ④ achievement, contribution

A phono-semantic compound between the phonetic 'artisan (工)' and the semantic 'capability (力)', meaning the fruits of devotion and honest labor are 'achievements' for the good of all.

093: 加

add, increase, augment

C J K

加加加

jiā か (ka) 가 /ɡʌ/

力 5

① 加上: jiā shang ① 加算: かさん ① 加算: 가 산

② 加工: jiā gōng ② 加工: かこう ② 加工: 가 공

③ 加入: jiā rù ③ 加入: かにゅう ③ 加入: 가 입

① tally, add ② processing, machining, polishing ③ join, sign-up, register, subscribe

A compound ideogram assembled with 'power (力)' and 'mouth (口)', meaning that either good or evil, right or wrong, virtue or vice is 'incremented' by what is said.

094: 助

help, aid, assist

C J K

助助助

zhù じょ (jo) 조 /dʒ ɔ/

力 7

① 助言: zhù yán ① 助言: じょげん ① 助言: 조언

② 救助: jiù zhù ② 救助: きゅうじょ ② 救助: 구 조

③ 补助: bǔzhù ③ 補助: ほじょ ③ 補助: 보 조

① advice, suggestion ② rescue, help ③ assistance, support, subsidy

A phono-semantic compound between the semantic 'power (力)' and the phonetic 'phallus (且)', meaning 'aid', from the old practice of asking for protection and guidance from one's ancestors as 且 is the original form of 'grand parent (祖)'.

095: 勇

brave, bold, courageous, valiant

C J K

勇勇勇

yǒng ゆう (yuu) 용 /yɔ ŋ/

力 9

① 勇气: yǒng qì ① 勇気: ゆうき ① 勇氣: 용 기

② 勇敢: yǒng gǎn ② 勇敢: ゆうかん ② 勇敢: 용 감

① courage, nerve, grit ② brave, gallant

A phono-semantic compound between the phonetic 'over-flowing well (甬)' and the semantic 'power (力)', meaning the 'brave' are quick and courageous. This character is not a compound with 龴 and 男.

096: 勉

exert, exhort, urge

C J K

勉勉勉

miǎn べん (ben) 면 /my ən/

力 9

① 勉强: miǎn qiǎng ② 勉学: べんがく ② 勉學: 면 학

③ 勉励: miǎn lì ④ 勉強: べんきょう -

① push oneself, force oneself ② pursuit of knowledge, academic pursuit ③ encourage, prompt ④ study, diligence