于

See also: 千, 干, 子, 𠂌, チ, 扵, 於, and モ

于	U+4E8E, 于 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4E8E

← 亍
[U+4E8D]

CJK Unified Ideographs

亏 →
[U+4E8F]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

于 (Kangxi radical 7, 二+1, 3 strokes, cangjie input 一木 (MD), four-corner 1040₀, composition ⿱一𬺰 or ⿻二亅 or ⿻丁一)

Derived characters

㐵吁圩汙弙扜㚥旴杅玗䏏盱䄨𤿍衧紆虶䍂訏趶酑釪䩒骬㝼迂邘㪀宇芋竽穻㡰㽳䖉盂冔䵹

References

KangXi: page 86, character 6
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 252
Dae Jaweon: page 177, character 4
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 4, character 5
Unihan data for U+4E8E

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 于

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**
j11694	j11695	j11696	j11697	j11698	j11699	j11700	j11701
j11702	j11703	j11704	j11705	j11706	j11707	j11708	j11709
j11710	j11711	j11712	j11713	j11714	j11715	j11716	j11717
j11718	j11719	j11720	j11721	j11722	j11723	j11724	j11725
j11726	j11727	j11728	j11729	j11730	j11731	j11732	j11733
j11734	j11735	j11736	j11737	j11738	j11739	j11740	j11741
j11742	j11743	j11744	j11745	j11746	j11747	j11748	j11749
j11750	j11751	j11752	j11753	j11754	j11755	j11756	j11757
j11758	j11759	j11760	j11761	j11762	j11763	j11764	j11765
j11766	j11767	j11768	j11769	j11770	j11771	j11772	j11773
j11774	j11775	j11776	j11777	j11778	j11779	j11780	j11781
j11782	j11783	j11784	j11785	j11786	j11787	j11788	j11789
j11790	j11791	j11792	j11793	j11794	j11795	j11796	j11797
j11798	j11799	j11800	j11801	j11802	j11803	j11804	j11805
j11806	j11807	j11808	j11809	j11810	j11811	j11812	j11813
j11814	j11815	j11816	j11817	j11818	j11819	j11820	j11821
j11822	j11823	j11824	j11825	j11826	j11827	j11828	j11829
j11830	j11831	j11832	j11833	j11834	j11835	j11836	j11837
j11838	j11839	j11840	j11841	j11842	j11843	j11844	j11845
j11846	j11847	j11848	j11849	j11850	j11851	j11852	j11853
j11854	j11855	j11856	j11857	j11858	j11859	j11860	j11861
j11862	j11863	j11864	j11865	j11866	j11867	j11868	j11869
j11870	j11871	j11872	j11873	j11874	j11875	j11876	j11877
j11878	j11879	j11880	j11881	j11882	j11883	j11884	j11885
j11886	j11887	j11888	j11889	j11890	j11891

**Bronze inscriptions**
b07161	b07162	b07163	b07164	b07165	b07166	b07167	b07168
b07169	b07170	b07171	b07172	b07173	b07174	b07175	b07176
b07177	b07178	b07179	b07180	b07181	b07182	b07183	b07184
b07185	b07186	b07187	b07188	b07189	b07190	b07191	b07192
b07193	b07194	b07195	b07196	b07197	b07198	b07199	b07200
b07201	b07202	b07203	b07204	b07205	b07206	b07207	b07208
b07209	b07210	b07211	b07212	b07214	b07215		b07217
b07218	b07219	b07220		b07222	b07223	b07224
b07226	b07227	b07228	b07229	b07230	b07231		b07233
b07234	b07235	b07236	b07237	b07238	b07239	b07240	b07241
b07242

**Small seal script**
s03515

**Transcribed ancient scripts**
L30498	L30499	L30500	L30501	L30502	L02603	L02604	L02605
L02606	L02607	L02608	L02609	L02610

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 (于) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
侉	*qaːls
夸	*kʰʷraː
姱	*kʰʷraː
胯	kʰʷraː, kʰʷraːs, *kʰʷaːs
跨	kʰʷraː, kʰʷraːʔ, kʰʷraːs, kʰʷaːs
誇	*kʰʷraː
垮	*kʰʷraːʔ
銙	*kʰʷraːʔ
骻	*kʰʷraːʔ
咵	*kʰʷraːʔ
釫	ɢʷraː, qʷaː
摦	*ɡʷraːs
鮬	pɢʷaː, kʰʷaː
嶀	*qʰʷl'aː
扝	kʰʷaː, qʷaː
刳	*kʰʷaː
郀	*kʰʷaː
挎	*kʰʷaː
袴	*kʰʷaːs
絝	*kʰʷaːs
褲	*kʰʷaːs
恗	*qʰaː
洿	ɡʷaːʔ, qʷaː
瓠	ɡʷlaː, ɡʷlaːs
鄠	*ɢʷlaːʔ
污	qʷaː, qʷaːs
杇	*qʷaː
圬	*qʷaː
鴮	*qʷaː
盓	*qʷaː
汙	qʷaːs, ɢʷa
樗	*qʰʷl'a
摴	*qʰʷl'a
荂	pqʰʷa, qʰʷa
雩	qʰʷla, ɢʷla
吁	qʰʷa, ɢʷas
盱	*qʰʷa
訏	*qʰʷa
扜	qʰʷa, qʷa
旴	*qʰʷa
冔	*qʰʷaʔ
紆	*qʷa
陓	*qʷa
迂	qʷa, qʷaʔ, *ɢʷa
虶	*qʷa
于	*ɢʷa
盂	*ɢʷa
竽	*ɢʷa
邘	*ɢʷa
玗	*ɢʷa
芋	ɢʷa, ɢʷas
杅	*ɢʷa
釪	*ɢʷa
骬	*ɢʷa
謣	*ɢʷla
宇	*ɢʷaʔ

Pictogram (象形) . Two possibilities for the object of representation are:

An ancient wind instrument; early form of 竽 (OC *ɢʷa). This view is supported by mainstream palaeography.
Exhaled air; early form of 吁 (OC *qʰʷa, *ɢʷas, “to sigh”). Shuowen considers it to be an ideogrammic compound (會意) : 一 (“flat stream of air”) + 丂 (“to exhale”). Compare 乎, 兮, 号.

Etymology 1

For pronunciation and definitions of 于 – see 於 (“in; at; on; with; on; etc.”). (This character, 于, is the simplified and variant traditional form of 於.)
Notes: Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia and Singapore. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Etymology 2

simp. and trad.		于
alternative forms		亏亐丂 ancient

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): yú (yu²)
(Zhuyin): ㄩˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): jyu⁴, jyu¹
Min Nan (POJ): û / u / î

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: yú
  - Zhuyin: ㄩˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: yú
  - Wade–Giles: yü²
  - Yale: yú
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yu
  - Palladius: юй (juj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /y³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: jyu⁴, jyu¹
  - Yale: yùh, yū
  - Cantonese Pinyin: jy⁴, jy¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: yu⁴, yu¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jyː²¹/, /jyː⁵⁵/

Note:

jyu4 - literary;
jyu1 - vernacular (like 於).

Min Nan
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, variant in Taiwan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: û
  - Tâi-lô: û
  - Phofsit Daibuun: uu
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /u²³/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Taipei): /u²⁴/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou, variant in Taiwan)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: u
  - Tâi-lô: u
  - Phofsit Daibuun: w
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /u³³/
  - IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /u⁴⁴/
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: î
  - Tâi-lô: î
  - Phofsit Daibuun: ii
  - IPA (Taipei): /i²⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /i²³/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /i¹³/

Middle Chinese: /ɦɨo/

Rime
Character	于
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	云 (35)
Final (韻)	虞 (24)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	羽俱切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦɨo/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦio/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣio/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦuə̆/
Li Rong	/ɣio/
Wang Li	/ɣĭu/
Bernard Karlgren	/i̯u/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	yú
Expected Cantonese Reflex	jyu⁴

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*ɢʷ(r)a/, /*ɦʷa/
(Zhengzhang): /*ɢʷa/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	于	于
Reading #	1/2	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	yú	yú
Middle Chinese	‹ hju ›	‹ hju ›
Old Chinese	/*ɢʷ(r)a/	/ɦʷa/ (< ɢʷ(r)a)
English	go; at	單于 chányú: Xiōngnú ruler (W. Hàn)
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	于
Reading #	1/1
No.	15706
Phonetic component	于
Rime group	魚
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	于
Old Chinese	/*ɢʷa/
Notes	王筠雲籲初文

Definitions

于

a surname
于禁 ― Yú Jìn ― Yu Jin (Chinese military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty)
Used in several names and proper nouns.
單于／单于 ― chányú ― chief of the Xiongnu; a Chinese surname
淳于 ― Chúnyú ― a Chinese surname

Etymology 3

simp. and trad.		于

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): yū (yu¹)
(Zhuyin): ㄩ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: yū
  - Zhuyin: ㄩ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: yu
  - Wade–Giles: yü¹
  - Yale: yū
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: iu
  - Palladius: юй (juj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /y⁵⁵/

Definitions

于

^† Alternative form of 迂 (yū, “large; vast; wide”).

Etymology 4

simp. and trad.		于

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): xū (xu¹)
(Zhuyin): ㄒㄩ
Cantonese (Jyutping): heoi¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: xū
  - Zhuyin: ㄒㄩ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: syu
  - Wade–Giles: hsü¹
  - Yale: syū
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shiu
  - Palladius: сюй (sjuj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕy⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: heoi¹
  - Yale: hēui
  - Cantonese Pinyin: hoey¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: hêu¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɵy̯⁵⁵/

Definitions

于

^† Alternative form of 吁 (xū, “An interjection.”). Only used in 于嗟 and 于咨.

Compounds

于于
于嗟
于徐
于思
于田 (Yútián)
伊于胡底
刑于
友于

叔于田
君子于役
大叔于田
淳于 (Chúnyú)
福生于微
于時／于时
于歸／于归 (yúguī)
于闐／于阗 (Yútián)

于飛／于飞
于飛之樂／于飞之乐
單于／单于 (chányú)
大單于／大单于
燕燕于飛／燕燕于飞
錞于／𬭚于
鳳凰于飛／凤凰于飞
鳳皇于蜚／凤皇于蜚

Japanese

Kanji

于

(uncommon “Hyōgai” kanji)

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

Readings

On (unclassified): う (u); く (ku)
Kun: ここに (kokoni, 于に); ゆく (yuku, 于く)

Korean

Hanja

于 (eum 우 (u))

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

Vietnamese

Han character

于: Hán Nôm readings: vu, vo, vò

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

References

Nom Foundation