乙

See also: 己, 之, Z, and ㇠

乙	U+4E59, 乙 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4E59

← 乘
[U+4E58]

CJK Unified Ideographs

乚 →
[U+4E5A]

⼄	U+2F04, ⼄ KANGXI RADICAL SECOND

← ⼃
[U+2F03]

Kangxi Radicals

⼅ →
[U+2F05]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

Stroke order

乙 (Kangxi radical 5, 乙+0, 1 stroke, cangjie input 弓山 (NU), four-corner 1771₀)

Kangxi radical #5, ⼄.

Derived characters

Appendix:Chinese radical/乙
亿, 𫤾, 𠮙, 𫭖, 𫰆, 𡴭, 𢒼, 忆, 𢩧, 㲸, 𣄻, 𣎷, 𪵖, 肊, 𤓱, 𥘆, 𥝎, 𬖋, 䎲, 𦨇, 𧈝, 𮚲, 𮛁, 𬨖, 釔(钇), 鳦, 𪐘
𠫕, 𠮞, 𣄽, 氹, 𢖮, 𧰦, 𫚮, 𪸍, 𠀂, 𠧒, 𡴯, 艺, 𢩥, 朰, 戹, 穵, 𩁶, 𫘸, 𤴥, 𬸺, 𡆠

References

KangXi: page 83, character 15
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 161
Dae Jaweon: page 167, character 7
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 47, character 4
Unihan data for U+4E59

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 乙

Shang

Western Zhou

Warring States

Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)

Liushutong (compiled in Ming)

Oracle bone script

Bronze inscriptions

Chu slip and silk script

Small seal script

Transcribed ancient scripts

**Oracle bone script**
j29982	j29983	j29984	j29985	j29986	j29987	j29988	j29989
j29990	j29991	j29992	j29993	j29994	j29995	j29996	j29997
j29998	j29999	j30000	j30001	j30002	j30003	j30004	j30005
j30006	j30007	j30008	j30009	j30010	j30011	j30012	j30013
j30014	j30015	j30016	j30017	j30018	j30019	j30020	j30021
j30022	j30023	j30024	j30025	j30026	j30027	j30028	j30029
j30030	j30031	j30032	j30033	j30034	j30035	j30036	j30037
j30038	j30039	j30040	j30041	j30042	j30043	j30044	j30045
j30046	j30047	j30048	j30049	j30050	j30051	j30052	j30053
j30054	j30055	j30056	j30057	j30058	j30059	j30060	j30061
j30062	j30063	j30064	j30065	j30066	j30067	j30068	j30069
j30070	j30071	j30072

**Bronze inscriptions**
b20226	b20227	b20228	b20229	b20230	b20231	b20232	b20233
b20234	b20235	b20236	b20237	b20238	b20239	b20240	b20241
b20242	b20243	b20244	b20245	b20246	b20247	b20248	b20249
b20250	b20251	b20252	b20253	b20254	b20255	b20256	b20257
b20258	b20259	b20260	b20261	b20262	b20263

**Small seal script**
s10940

**Transcribed ancient scripts**
L26039	L26040	L26041	L26042	L26043	L26044	L26045	L26046
L26047	L26048	L26049

References:

Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation),
which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including:

Shuowen Jiezi (small seal),
Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions),
Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and
Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

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

	Old Chinese
劜	*qreːd
札	*sqriːd
扎	*sqriːd
蚻	*ʔsriːd
紮	*ʔsriːd
軋	*qriːd
圠	*qriːd
穵	qriːd, qʷriːd
挖	*qʷriːd
鳦	qriːd, qrid
耴	ŋrid, teb
乙	*qriɡ
肊	*qrɯɡ

Unknown. Different ancient texts propose different origins.

Pictogram (象形) – a developing plant (Shuowen).
Pictogram (象形) – the intestine of a fish (Erya).
Pictogram (象形) – the gill bone of a fish (Liji Zhengyi (《禮記正義》)

The character should not be confused with 𠃉 > 鳦.

Etymology 1

simp. and trad.		乙

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): yǐ (yi³)
(Zhuyin): ㄧˇ
(Chengdu, SP): yi³
Cantonese (Jyutping): jyut³, jyut⁶
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): yet / yat
(Meixian, Guangdong): yad⁵
Min Bei (KCR): ĭ
Min Dong (BUC): ék
Min Nan
(Hokkien, POJ): it
(Teochew, Peng'im): ig⁴
Wu (Wiktionary): iq (T4)

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: yǐ
  - Zhuyin: ㄧˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: yǐ
  - Wade–Giles: i³
  - Yale: yǐ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yii
  - Palladius: и (i)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /i²¹⁴/
- (Chengdu)
  - Sichuanese Pinyin: yi³
  - Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: i
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /i⁵³/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: jyut³, jyut⁶
  - Yale: yut, yuht
  - Cantonese Pinyin: jyt⁸, jyt⁹
  - Guangdong Romanization: yud³, yud⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jyːt̚³/, /jyːt̚²/
Hakka
- (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yet
  - Hakka Romanization System: ied`
  - Hagfa Pinyim: yad⁵
  - Sinological IPA: /i̯et̚²/
- (Southern Sixian, incl. Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yat
  - Hakka Romanization System: (r)iad`
  - Hagfa Pinyim: yad⁵
  - Sinological IPA: /(j)i̯at̚²/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: yad⁵
  - Sinological IPA: /iat̚¹/
Min Bei
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: ĭ
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /i²⁴/
Min Dong
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: ék
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɛiʔ²⁴/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: it
  - Tâi-lô: it
  - Phofsit Daibuun: id
  - IPA (Xiamen): /it̚³²/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /it̚⁵/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /it̚³²/
  - IPA (Taipei): /it̚³²/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /it̚³²/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: ig⁴
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: ik
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ik̚²/
Wu
- (Shanghainese)
  - Wiktionary: iq (T4)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /i̯ɪʔ⁵⁵/

Middle Chinese: /ʔˠiɪt̚/

Rime
Character	乙
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	影 (34)
Final (韻)	眞 (49)
Tone (調)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	於筆切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ʔˠiɪt̚/
Pan Wuyun	/ʔᵚit̚/
Shao Rongfen	/ʔiet̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ʔjit̚/
Li Rong	/ʔjĕt̚/
Wang Li	/ĭĕt̚/
Bernard Karlgren	/ʔi̯ĕt̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	yi
Expected Cantonese Reflex	jat¹

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*qrət/
(Zhengzhang): /*qriɡ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	乙
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	yǐ
Middle Chinese	‹ ʔit ›
Old Chinese	/*qrət/
English	2nd heavenly stem
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	乙
Reading #	1/1
No.	14921
Phonetic component	乙
Rime group	質
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	乙
Old Chinese	/*qriɡ/
Notes	甲乙字收ɡ尾與燕乙字收d尾小分部有異

Definitions

乙

The second of the ten heavenly stems (天干 (tiāngān))
second; 2; B; II; beta (used for unnamed people or objects, to enumerate headings in a list, for grades, etc.)
路人甲和路人乙 ― lùrén jiǎ hé lùrén yǐ ― passerby A and passerby B
他法語成績得了乙。 [MSC, trad.]
他法语成绩得了乙。 [MSC, simp.]
Tā fǎyǔ chéngjì dé le yǐ. [Pinyin]
He got a B in French.
乙肝 ― yǐgān ― hepatitis B
(chemistry) eth-; ethyl
乙烷 ― yǐwán ― ethane
(literary, formal) one
（公文）……加乙份。 ― (gōngwén)...... Jiā yǐ fèn. ― (In official letters) …added one copy.
a surname

Coordinate terms

(heavenly stems) 天干; 甲, 乙, 丙, 丁, 戊, 己, 庚, 辛, 壬, 癸 ^{(Category: zh:Heavenly stems)}

Compounds

三氯乙烯 (sānlǜyǐxī)
三氯乙烷
乙炔 (yǐquē)
乙烯 (yǐxī)
乙烷 (yǐwán)
乙等特考
乙酸 (yǐsuān)
乙醇 (yǐchún)
乙醚 (yǐmí)

勾乙
太乙
小乙
左乙
某乙
氯乙烯 (lǜyǐxī)
甲乙
聚乙烯 (jùyǐxī)
聚苯乙烯 (jùběnyǐxī)

苯乙烯 (běnyǐxī)
乙覽／乙览
圖乙／图乙
塗乙／涂乙
太乙數／太乙数
太乙神針／太乙神针
越鳧楚乙／越凫楚乙
鳧乙／凫乙

Descendants

→ Zhuang: iet

Etymology 2

simp. and trad.		乙

Orthographic borrowing from Japanese 乙(おつ) (otsu).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): yǐ (yi³)
(Zhuyin): ㄧˇ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: yǐ
  - Zhuyin: ㄧˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: yǐ
  - Wade–Giles: i³
  - Yale: yǐ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yii
  - Palladius: и (i)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /i²¹⁴/

Definitions

乙

(ACG, sometimes sarcastic) thank you for the hard work in (doing something)
自演乙 ― zìyǎn yǐ ― (sarcastically) thank you for your hard work in staging this "drama"

Etymology 3

simp. and trad.		乙

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): yǐ (yi³)
(Zhuyin): ㄧˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): ji¹, ji⁶

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: yǐ
  - Zhuyin: ㄧˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: yǐ
  - Wade–Giles: i³
  - Yale: yǐ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yii
  - Palladius: и (i)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /i²¹⁴/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: ji¹, ji⁶
  - Yale: yī, yih
  - Cantonese Pinyin: ji¹, ji⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: yi¹, yi⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jiː⁵⁵/, /jiː²²/

Definitions

乙

(music) Kunqu gongche notation for the note ti (7).
Synonym: 𢒼 (yǐ) (Cantonese opera)
(music) Cantonese opera gongche notation for the note low ti (7̣).
Synonym: 一 (yī) (Kunqu)

Derived terms

𢒼 (yǐ)

亿 (yǐ)

Japanese

Kanji

乙

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

Readings

Go-on: おつ (otsu, Jōyō); おち (ochi)
Kan-on: いつ (itsu)
Kun: きのと (kinoto, 乙); おと (oto, 乙)

Compounds

乙(おと)子(ご) (otogo)
乙(おつ)種(しゅ) (otsushu)
乙(おつ)巡(じゅん) (otsujun)
乙(おと)女(め) (otome)
乙(おと)姫(ひめ) (otohime)
乙(いつ)夜(や) (itsuya), 乙(おつ)夜(や) (otsuya)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
乙
おつ Grade: S
goon

Originally from Middle Chinese 乙 (MC ʔˠiɪt̚), arising from the proper noun sense. Appears in texts from at least 833 CE.[1]

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) おつ [óꜜtsù] (Atamadaka – [1])[2]
IPA^(key): [o̞t͡sɨᵝ]

Proper noun

乙(おつ) • (Otsu)

the second of the ten Celestial Stems

Noun

乙(おつ) • (otsu)

something B
1. the second item of any ordered list
2. (music) one tone lower than the note indicated by 甲 (kō, “something A”)
3. (by extension from the musical sense) a lower, sonorous and moving sound or tone
4. (noh theater) in noh musical accompaniment, a specific kind of muffled drum beat played by striking the head of the taiko drum and keeping the mallet pressed against the head
(Kansai dialect, slang) a stupid person, someone who is slow on the uptake
(rare, possibly archaic) the state or circumstances of a thing
(rare, possibly archaic) dressing up in an odd fashion

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
乙
おつ Grade: S
goon

By extension from the moving tone noun sense. Appears in texts from the late Edo period, in the early 1800s.[1]

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) おつ [òtsú] (Heiban – [0])[2]
IPA^(key): [o̞t͡sɨᵝ]

Adjective

乙(おつ) • (otsu) -na (adnominal 乙(おつ)な (otsu na), adverbial 乙(おつ)に (otsu ni))

out of the ordinary, strange or unusual in an interesting or stylish way
strange, odd, weird
- :ja:東海道中膝栗毛 (Tōkaidōchū Hizakurige, “Footing It along the Tokaido Road”, or “Shank's Mare”), serial published 1802-1814:
  ヲヤ弥(や)次(じ)さん、おつな手(て)つきをしておめへ何(なに)をする
  Oya Yaji-san, otsu na tetsuki o shite omē nani o suru
  Oy, Yaji, what do you think you're doing with your weird way of using your hands?

Inflection

Inflection of 乙

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	乙だろ	おつだろ	otsu daro
Continuative (連用形)	乙で	おつで	otsu de
Terminal (終止形)	乙だ	おつだ	otsu da
Attributive (連体形)	乙な	おつな	otsu na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	乙なら	おつなら	otsu nara
Imperative (命令形)	乙であれ	おつであれ	otsu de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	乙ではない乙じゃない	おつではないおつじゃない	otsu de wa nai otsu ja nai
Informal past	乙だった	おつだった	otsu datta
Informal negative past	乙ではなかった乙じゃなかった	おつではなかったおつじゃなかった	otsu de wa nakatta otsu ja nakatta
Formal	乙です	おつです	otsu desu
Formal negative	乙ではありません乙じゃありません	おつではありませんおつじゃありません	otsu de wa arimasen otsu ja arimasen
Formal past	乙でした	おつでした	otsu deshita
Formal negative past	乙ではありませんでした乙じゃありませんでした	おつではありませんでしたおつじゃありませんでした	otsu de wa arimasen deshita otsu ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	乙で	おつで	otsu de
Conditional	乙なら（ば）	おつなら（ば）	otsu nara (ba)
Provisional	乙だったら	おつだったら	otsu dattara
Volitional	乙だろう	おつだろう	otsu darō
Adverbial	乙に	おつに	otsu ni
Degree	乙さ	おつさ	otsusa

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
乙
おつ Grade: S
goon

Derived as aggressive clipping of お疲れ様です (otsukaresama desu, used as a kind of greeting at work, literally “that's honorable exhaustion (from hard work)”). The use of 乙 for the spelling is an example of phonetic ateji (当て字).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [o̞t͡sɨᵝ]

Interjection

乙(おつ) • (otsu)

(Internet slang) Clipping of お疲れ様です (otsukaresama desu).

Derived terms

うp乙(おつ) (upotsu), うぽつ (upotsu)

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
乙
きのと Grade: S
kun’yomi

Compound of 木 (Ki, “Wood”, one of the Five Elements) +‎ の (no, attributive marker) +‎ 弟 (oto, “younger brother”).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) きのと [kìnóꜜtò] (Nakadaka – [2])[2]
IPA^(key): [kʲino̞to̞]

Proper noun

乙(きのと) • (Kinoto)

the second of the ten heavenly stems

Etymology 5

Kanji in this term
乙
おと Grade: S
kun’yomi

Alternative spelling
弟

乙 (oto): the traditional Noh mask for the stock character of a plump, clumsy, but earnest young woman.

Cognate with the initial oto- in 劣る (otoru, “to be less than; to be younger than”), 落とす (otosu, “to drop something”).[3][1] Also the first element in 弟 (otōto, “younger brother”).

First attested in the Kojiki of 712.[4]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [o̞to̞]

Noun

乙(おと) • (oto)

[from 712] (archaic) a younger sibling
Hyponyms: 弟 (otōto, “younger brother”), 妹 (imōto, “younger sister”)
Antonym: (older sibling, archaic) 兄 (e)
[from late 1500s] (archaic) the youngest sibling
Synonym: 乙子 (otogo)
[from late 1500s] (archaic) clipping of 乙娘 (oto musume) a young woman
[from late 1500s] (archaic, Noh theater) clipping of 乙御前 (oto goze): a stock character in 狂言 (kyōgen) comic interludes, played as a plump and clumsy but earnest young woman
Synonyms: おたふく (otafuku), おかめ (okame)

Prefix

乙(おと) • (oto-)

applied to a noun denoting a person, or to a person's name:
1. next, younger, youngest
2. beautiful, beloved, cute, dear

References

1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
1998, 広辞苑 (Kōjien), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
“弟・乙”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎ (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000, →ISBN

Korean

Hanja

乙 (eumhun 새 을 (sae eul))

bird

References

국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

Middle Korean

Particle

乙 (-ol)

Idu script spelling of ᄋᆞᆯ (-ol, accusative case marker)
- 1395, 高士褧 (Go Sa-gyeong), 大明律直解 (Daemyeongnyul Jikhae) [Correct Translation of the Great Ming Code]:
  本國乙背叛
  PWON.KWUK-ul POY.PAN
  Betray his native country

Old Korean

Etymology 1

From a Late Middle Chinese pronunciation of 乙 (MC ʔˠiɪt̚), which lenited coda /-t/ to /-r/.[1]

Phonogram

乙 (*-r)

A consonantal phonogram denoting coda consonant *-r

Usage notes

Generally believed to have been pronounced as *-r, based both on internal evidence and the Chinese etymon. Old Korean 尸 (*-l) and 乙 (*-r) both merged unconditionally into *-l in Middle Korean, but the two phonograms were consistently distinguished in Old Korean until the late thirteenth century. Because Old Korean reconstructions are conventionally romanized using their Middle Korean reflex, the phonologically erroneous reconstruction *-l is often used as a shorthand.

Alternative forms

肹 (*-(u)r, *-hur)

Particle

乙 (*-(u)r)

Accusative case marker
- 1120, King Yejong of Goryeo, “悼二將歌 (Doijang-ga)”, in 平山申氏系譜 (Pyeongsan Sin-ssi Gyebo) [Genealogy of the Pyeongsan Sin descent group]:
  主乙完乎白乎心聞
  as for the heart that admired his lord

Usage notes

In Middle and Modern Korean, the allomorph taken by the accusative marker after a vowel may be 를 (-reul) instead of ㄹ (-l), especially in formal speech. This is the result of reduplication of the particle and is unlikely to have been present in Old Korean, although the phonologically opaque nature of the orthography makes it difficult to tell for sure.

In "Middle Old Korean", the late first-millennium stage of Korean represented by about a dozen mostly eighth-century poems, the accusative particle was consistently written with the phonogram 肹. 乙 has become dominant by the twelve poems of the tenth-century monk Gyunyeo, however, and 肹 is virtually not attested at all by the second millennium. There seems to be no semantic difference involved. Whether this represents a phonetic shift or simply a change in orthographic practice is unknown, although 肹 and 乙 had differing Middle Chinese initials.[2][3]

Descendants

Middle Korean: ᄋᆞᆯ/을 (-(o/u)l, accusative marker)
- Korean: 을 (-eul, accusative case marker)

References

Alexander Vovin, Old Korean and Proto-Korean *r and *l revisited
이승재 (Yi Seung-jae) (2000), “차자표기 자료의 격조사 연구 [A study of case markers in Sinographic sources]”, in Gugeo gungmunhak, volume 127, pages 107—132
황선엽 (Hwang Seon-yeop) (2008), “삼국유사와 균여전의 향찰 표기자 비교 [A comparison of the orthography of the hyangchal of the Samguk yusa and the Gyunyeo-jeon]”, in Gugeohak, volume 51, pages 279—311

Vietnamese

Han character

乙: Hán Nôm readings: ất, át, ắc, ắt, hắt, ặc, lớt

This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

References

Nom Foundation

[KDJ-1] 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan

[DJR-2] 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[K-3] 1998, 広辞苑 (Kōjien), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN

[KDJ2-oto-4] “弟・乙”, in 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten, “Nihon Kokugo Daijiten”)‎ (in Japanese), 2nd edition, Tōkyō: Shogakukan, 2000, →ISBN

[5] Alexander Vovin, Old Korean and Proto-Korean *r and *l revisited

[6] 이승재 (Yi Seung-jae) (2000), “차자표기 자료의 격조사 연구 [A study of case markers in Sinographic sources]”, in Gugeo gungmunhak, volume 127, pages 107—132

[7] 황선엽 (Hwang Seon-yeop) (2008), “삼국유사와 균여전의 향찰 표기자 비교 [A comparison of the orthography of the hyangchal of the Samguk yusa and the Gyunyeo-jeon]”, in Gugeohak, volume 51, pages 279—311