句

See also: 可, 旬, and 勾

句	U+53E5, 句 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-53E5

← 古
[U+53E4]

CJK Unified Ideographs

另 →
[U+53E6]

句	U+F906, 句 CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-F906

← 串
[U+F905]

CJK Compatibility Ideographs

龜 →
[U+F907]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

句 (Kangxi radical 30, 口+2, 5 strokes, cangjie input 心口 (PR), four-corner 2762₀, composition ⿹勹口)

Shuowen Jiezi radical №51

Derived characters

佝, 坸, 拘, 呴, 岣, 狗, 泃, 怐, 姁, 駒 (驹), 玽, 枸, 昫, 朐, 胊, 眗, 竘, 袧, 蚼, 夠, 翑, 絇, 軥, 豞, 跔, 豿, 訽, 䣱, 鉤 (钩), 鮈, 鼩, 齁, 齣, 邭, 𠛎, 劬, 敂, 斪, 欨, 𦐛, 鴝 (鸲), 够, 雊, 䵶, 苟, 耇 (耈, 耉), 笱, 痀, 䅓

References

KangXi: page 171, character 11
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 3234
Dae Jaweon: page 382, character 1
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 571, character 3
Unihan data for U+53E5
Unihan data for U+F906

Chinese

simp. and trad.		句
alternative forms		勾𠯶𤖮

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 句
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

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

	Old Chinese
勾	koː, koːs
鉤	*koː
鴝	koː, ɡo
句	koː, koːs, kos, ɡo
夠	koː, koːs, *kʰoː
枸	koː, koːʔ, *koʔ
軥	koː, koːs, *ɡo
狗	*koːʔ
苟	*koːʔ
岣	koːʔ, ko
笱	*koːʔ
玽	*koːʔ
耇	*koːʔ
豿	koːʔ, qʰroːɡ
敂	*koːʔ
怐	koːs, kʰoːs, qʰoːs, kos
雊	*koːs
竘	kʰoːʔ, kʰoʔ
齁	*qʰoː
呴	qʰoːʔ, qʰos
蚼	qʰoːʔ, ɡo
豞	*qʰoːs
訽	qʰoːs, ɡoːs
佝	*qʰoːs
拘	*ko
駒	*ko
眗	*ko
跔	*ko
鮈	*ko
痀	*ko
蒟	koʔ, kos
絇	kos, ɡo
邭	*kos
劬	*ɡo
朐	*ɡo
鼩	*ɡo
斪	*ɡo
翑	*ɡo
葋	*ɡo
姁	ɡo, qʰo, qʰoʔ, qʰos
欨	qʰo, qʰoʔ
喣	*qʰoʔ
煦	qʰoʔ, qʰos
昫	*qʰos

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *koː, *koːs, *kos, *ɡo) : semantic 丩 (“to entangle”) + phonetic 口 (OC *kʰoːʔ), which may represent the tip of a big nail.

The 丩 component, originally two entangled ropes, now resembles the unrelated 勹.

Pronunciation 1

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): jù (ju⁴)
(Zhuyin): ㄐㄩˋ
(Chengdu, SP): ju⁴
Cantonese
(Guangzhou, Jyutping): geoi³
(Taishan, Wiktionary): gui¹
Gan (Wiktionary): jy⁴
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): ki
(Meixian, Guangdong): gi⁴
Jin (Wiktionary): jy³
Min Bei (KCR): gṳ̿
Min Dong (BUC): guó
Min Nan
(Hokkien, POJ): kù / kì
(Teochew, Peng'im): gu³
Wu (Wiktionary): jy (T2)
Xiang (Wiktionary): jy⁴

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: jù
  - Zhuyin: ㄐㄩˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: jyù
  - Wade–Giles: chü⁴
  - Yale: jyù
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jiuh
  - Palladius: цзюй (czjuj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕy⁵¹/
- (Chengdu)
  - Sichuanese Pinyin: ju⁴
  - Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: gy
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕy²¹³/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: geoi³
  - Yale: geui
  - Cantonese Pinyin: goey³
  - Guangdong Romanization: gêu³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɵy̯³³/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: gui¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kui³³/
Gan
- (Nanchang)
  - Wiktionary: jy⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕy³⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ki
  - Hakka Romanization System: gi
  - Hagfa Pinyim: gi⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /ki⁵⁵/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: gi⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /ci⁵³/
Jin
- (Taiyuan)⁺
  - Wiktionary: jy³
  - Sinological IPA (old-style): /t͡ɕy⁴⁵/
Min Bei
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: gṳ̿
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ky³³/
Min Dong
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: guó
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kuɔ²¹³/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kù
  - Tâi-lô: kù
  - Phofsit Daibuun: kux
  - IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang): /ku⁴¹/
  - IPA (Taipei): /ku¹¹/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung): /ku²¹/
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kì
  - Tâi-lô: kì
  - Phofsit Daibuun: kix
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /ki²¹/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: gu³
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kù
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ku²¹³/
Wu
- (Shanghainese)
  - Wiktionary: jy (T2)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕy³⁴/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: jy⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕy⁴⁵/

Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 句
Mandarin	Beijing	/t͡ɕy⁵¹/
	Harbin	/t͡ɕy⁵³/
	Tianjin	/t͡ɕy⁵³/
	Jinan	/t͡ɕy²¹/
	Qingdao	/t͡ɕy⁴²/
	Zhengzhou	/t͡ɕy³¹²/
	Xi'an	/t͡ɕy⁴⁴/
	Xining	/t͡ɕy²¹³/
	Yinchuan	/t͡ɕy¹³/
	Lanzhou	/t͡ɕy¹³/
	Ürümqi	/t͡ɕy²¹³/
	Wuhan	/t͡ɕy³⁵/
	Chengdu	/t͡ɕy¹³/
	Guiyang	/t͡ɕi²¹³/
	Kunming	/t͡ɕi²¹²/
	Nanjing	/t͡ɕy⁴⁴/
	Hefei	/t͡sz̩ʷ⁵³/
Jin	Taiyuan	/t͡ɕy⁴⁵/
	Pingyao	/t͡ɕy³⁵/
	Hohhot	/t͡ɕy⁵⁵/
Wu	Shanghai	/t͡ɕy³⁵/
	Suzhou	/t͡ɕy⁵¹³/
	Hangzhou	/t͡sz̩ʷ⁴⁴⁵/
	Wenzhou	/t͡ɕy⁴²/
Hui	Shexian	/t͡ɕy³²⁴/
Hui	Tunxi	/t͡ɕy⁴²/
Xiang	Changsha	/t͡ɕy⁵⁵/
Xiang	Xiangtan	/t͡ɕy⁵⁵/
Gan	Nanchang	/t͡ɕy⁴⁵/
Hakka	Meixian	/ki⁵³/
Hakka	Taoyuan	/ki⁵⁵/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/køy³³/
	Nanning	/ky³³/
	Hong Kong	/køy³³/
Min	Xiamen (Min Nan)	/ku²¹/
	Fuzhou (Min Dong)	/kuɔ²¹²/
	Jian'ou (Min Bei)	/ky³³/
	Shantou (Min Nan)	/ku²¹³/
	Haikou (Min Nan)	/ku³⁵/

Middle Chinese: /kɨo^H/

Rime
Character	句
Reading #	3/4
Initial (聲)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	虞 (24)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	九遇切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kɨo^H/
Pan Wuyun	/kio^H/
Shao Rongfen	/kio^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kuə̆^H/
Li Rong	/kio^H/
Wang Li	/kĭu^H/
Bernard Karlgren	/ki̯u^H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	jù
Expected Cantonese Reflex	geoi³

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*[k](r)o-s/
(Zhengzhang): /*kos/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	句
Reading #	3/3
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	jù
Middle Chinese	‹ kju^H ›
Old Chinese	/*[k](r)o-s/
English	phrase
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	句
Reading #	3/4
No.	7102
Phonetic component	句
Rime group	侯
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	屨
Old Chinese	/*kos/
Notes	朱駿聲從丩口聲

Definitions

句

sentence; phrase
Classifier for sentences.
他一共也沒說幾句話。 [MSC, trad.]
他一共也没说几句话。 [MSC, simp.]
Tā yīgòng yě méi shuō jǐ jù huà. [Pinyin]
He didn't say much. [lit. He didn't say many sentences.]
一句「多謝」都冇 [Cantonese, trad.]
一句“多谢”都冇 [Cantonese, simp.]
jat¹ geoi³ “do¹ ze⁶” dou¹ mou⁵ [Jyutping]
without even a word of "thank you"

Synonyms

(sentence): 句子 (jùzi)

Compounds

Derived terms from 句

一字半句
一替一句
一言半句 (yīyánbànjù)
佳句 (jiājù)
例句 (lìjù)
俳句 (páijù)
倒句
分句 (fēnjù)
包孕句
句型 (jùxíng)
句子 (jùzi)
句子成分
句度
句式 (jùshì)
句格 (jùgé)
句法 (jùfǎ)
句群
句重音
名句 (míngjù)
命令句 (mìnglìngjù)
垛句
奇文瑰句
字句 (zìjù)
字斟句酌
形容句
拗句
排句
搜章擿句
文句 (wénjù)
新句
概念句
死句
沉吟章句
活句
琢句
短句
破句 (pòjù)
祈使句 (qíshǐjù)

章句
章句之徒
章句儒
累句
繁句
警句 (jǐngjù)
起句 (qǐjù)
逐字逐句 (zhúzìzhújù)
造句 (zàojù)
鄙言累句
集句
三言兩句／三言两句
倒裝句／倒装句 (dàozhuāngjù)
偶句對／偶句对
兩句半／两句半
冗詞贅句／冗词赘句
判斷句／判断句
句字頭／句字头
句斷／句断
句脈／句脉
句號／句号 (jùhào)
句讀／句读 (jùdòu)
句點／句点 (jùdiǎn)
單句／单句 (dānjù)
單句對／单句对
單部句／单部句
尋章摘句／寻章摘句 (xúnzhāngzhāijù)
對句／对句
彫章鏤句／雕章镂句
意謂繁句／意谓繁句
感嘆句／感叹句
描寫句／描写句
換句話說／换句话说 (huànjùhuàshuō)
摘句尋章／摘句寻章 (zhāijùxúnzhāng)
摛章繪句／摛章绘句
敘事句／叙事句
敘述句／叙述句

斷句／断句 (duànjù)
斷章截句／断章截句
斷章摘句／断章摘句
有無句／有无句
條件句／条件句
樂句／乐句 (yuèjù)
法句經／法句经
法華文句／法华文句
清詞麗句／清词丽句
當句對／当句对
疊句／叠句 (diéjù)
疑問句／疑问句
竄句／窜句
章決句斷／章决句断
絕句／绝句 (juéjù)
聯句／联句 (liánjù)
表態句／表态句
複句／复句 (fùjù)
覓句／觅句
詞句／词句 (cíjù)
詩句／诗句 (shījù)
語句／语句 (yǔjù)
費句／费句 (fèijù)
辭句／辞句
連句／连句
遣辭用句／遣辞用句
鉤章棘句／钩章棘句
錦囊佳句／锦囊佳句
鍊句／炼句
長句／长句 (chángjù)
長短句／长短句 (chángduǎnjù)
閉門覓句／闭门觅句
陳述句／陈述句
險句／险句
雕章繢句／雕章缋句
雕章鏤句／雕章镂句
雙部句／双部句

Pronunciation 2

Mandarin
(Pinyin): gōu (gou¹)
(Zhuyin): ㄍㄡ
Cantonese (Jyutping): ngau¹
Min Nan (Teochew, Peng'im): gao¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: gōu
  - Zhuyin: ㄍㄡ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: gou
  - Wade–Giles: kou¹
  - Yale: gōu
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gou
  - Palladius: гоу (gou)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /koʊ̯⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: ngau¹
  - Yale: ngāu
  - Cantonese Pinyin: ngau¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: ngeo¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ŋɐu̯⁵⁵/
Min Nan
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: gao¹
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kau
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kau³³/

Middle Chinese: /kəu/

Rime
Character	句
Reading #	2/4
Initial (聲)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	侯 (137)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	古侯切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kəu/
Pan Wuyun	/kəu/
Shao Rongfen	/kəu/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kəw/
Li Rong	/ku/
Wang Li	/kəu/
Bernard Karlgren	/kə̯u/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	gōu
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gau¹

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*[k]ˤ(r)o/
(Zhengzhang): /*koː/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	句
Reading #	1/3
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	gōu
Middle Chinese	‹ kuw ›
Old Chinese	/*[k]ˁ(r)o/
English	curved
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	句
Reading #	1/4
No.	7064
Phonetic component	句
Rime group	侯
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	鉤
Old Chinese	/*koː/

Definitions

句

^† to bend; to curve
^† Alternative form of 鉤／钩 (gōu, “hook”).
^† to be polite and modest
^† to arrest; to capture
^† to examine
(historical geometry) Alternative form of 勾 (gōu, “the shorter leg of a right triangle”).
a surname

Coordinate terms

(geometry): 股 (gǔ)

Compounds

倨句
句卒
句廉
句戟

句股
句芒
句吳／句吴 (Gōuwú)
句無／句无

句踐復國／句践复国
句驪／句骊
高句麗／高句丽 (Gāogōulí)

Pronunciation 3

Mandarin
(Pinyin): gòu (gou⁴)
(Zhuyin): ㄍㄡˋ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: gòu
  - Zhuyin: ㄍㄡˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: gòu
  - Wade–Giles: kou⁴
  - Yale: gòu
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gow
  - Palladius: гоу (gou)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /koʊ̯⁵¹/

Middle Chinese: /kəu^H/

Rime
Character	句
Reading #	4/4
Initial (聲)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	侯 (137)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	古候切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kəu^H/
Pan Wuyun	/kəu^H/
Shao Rongfen	/kəu^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kəw^H/
Li Rong	/ku^H/
Wang Li	/kəu^H/
Bernard Karlgren	/kə̯u^H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	gòu
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gau³

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*[k]ˤ(r)ok-s/
(Zhengzhang): /*koːs/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	句
Reading #	2/3
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	gòu
Middle Chinese	‹ kuw^H ›
Old Chinese	/*[k]ˁ(r)ok-s/
English	loan for 彀 draw a bow to the full
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	句
Reading #	2/4
No.	7079
Phonetic component	句
Rime group	侯
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	遘
Old Chinese	/*koːs/

Definitions

句

Used in 句當／句当, alternative form of 勾當／勾当 (gòudàng).
^† Alternative form of 彀 (gòu, “to draw a bow”).
a surname

Pronunciation 4

Mandarin
(Pinyin): qú (qu²)
(Zhuyin): ㄑㄩˊ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: qú
  - Zhuyin: ㄑㄩˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: cyú
  - Wade–Giles: chʻü²
  - Yale: chyú
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chyu
  - Palladius: цюй (cjuj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕʰy³⁵/

Middle Chinese: /ɡɨo/

Rime
Character	句
Reading #	1/4
Initial (聲)	群 (30)
Final (韻)	虞 (24)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	其俱切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɡɨo/
Pan Wuyun	/ɡio/
Shao Rongfen	/ɡio/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/guə̆/
Li Rong	/ɡio/
Wang Li	/ɡĭu/
Bernard Karlgren	/gi̯u/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	qú
Expected Cantonese Reflex	keoi⁴

Old Chinese
(Zhengzhang): /*ɡo/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	句
Reading #	4/4
No.	7108
Phonetic component	句
Rime group	侯
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	衢
Old Chinese	/*ɡo/

Definitions

句

^† Alternative form of 絇／𰬆 (jù, “a kind of shoe ornament or decoration”).

Compounds

冤句 (Yuānqú)

宛句 (Wǎnqú)

References

"冤句音义考" ["Yuānqú Yīnyì Kǎo", "An Inquiry into the Sound and Meaning of Yuanqu"], 《山东方志》 [Shāndōng Fāngzhì, Shandong Local Records], 山东省情网 [Shāndōng Shěng Qíng Wǎng, Shandong Provincial Network], Jinan: Shandong Provincial Archives, 2006. (in Chinese)
Tian Miao's "A Formal System of the Gougu Method" in The History of Mathematical Proof in Ancient Traditions, pp. 386–7.
“句”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學／香港中文大学 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A00497

Japanese

Kanji

句

(grade 5 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

Go-on: く (ku, Jōyō)
Kan-on: く (ku, Jōyō); こう (kō)
Nanori: すく (suku)

Compounds

一(いっ)句(く) (ikku)
句(く)読(とう)点(てん) (kutōten)
語(ご)句(く) (goku)
聖(せい)句(く) (seiku)

Etymology

Kanji in this term
句
く Grade: 5
on’yomi

From Middle Chinese 句 (kju^H, “phrase”).

Pronunciation

On’yomi: Goon

(Tokyo) く [kúꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])[1]
IPA^(key): [kɯ̟ᵝ]

Noun

句(く) • (ku)

a short section from a longer text:
1. a phrase or clause
2. a sentence or line
3. a passage or paragraph
4. a verse from a song
5. a stanza from a poem

Counter

句(く) • (-ku)

counter for stanzas from a poem or for haiku

References

2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Korean

Hanja

句 (eumhun 글귀 구 (geulgwi gu))

Hanja form^? of 구 (“sentence; phrase”).

Compounds

구두 (句讀, gudu, “periods and commas, sentences and clauses”)
구두점 (句讀點, gudujeom, “punctuation mark”)

Vietnamese

Han character

句: Hán Việt readings: câu[1][2][3], cú[1][2][4][3], cấu[1][2]

chữ Hán form of câu (“sentence, expression, line”).
chữ Hán form of cú (“sentence, expression, line”).

Compounds

七言八句 (thất ngôn bát cú)
句促 (câu thúc)
句傳 (câu chuyện)
句句 (câu cú)
句𠳨 (câu hỏi)
句對 (câu đối)
句法 (cú pháp)
句留 (câu lưu)
句監 (câu giam)
句詩 (câu thơ)
句賭 (câu đố)
句魂 (câu hồn)
絕句 (tuyệt cú)

References

Thiều Chửu (1942).
Nguyễn (1974).
Trần (1999).
Hồ (1976).

[DJR-1] 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[Thiều_Chửu_(1942)-2] Thiều Chửu (1942).

[Nguyễn_(1974)-3] Nguyễn (1974).

[Trần_(1999)-4] Trần (1999).

[btcn-5] Hồ (1976).