司

司	U+53F8, 司 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-53F8

← 号
[U+53F7]

CJK Unified Ideographs

叹 →
[U+53F9]

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

Han character

司 (Kangxi radical 30, 口+2, 5 strokes, cangjie input 尸一口 (SMR), four-corner 1762₀, composition ⿹𠃌𠮛)

Derived characters

伺詞 (词)

References

KangXi: page 174, character 3
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 3257
Dae Jaweon: page 385, character 8
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 572, character 8
Unihan data for U+53F8

Chinese

simp. and trad.		司

Glyph origin

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

	Old Chinese
司	*slɯ
伺	slɯ, slɯs
覗	slɯ, slɯs
笥	slɯ, slɯs
詞	*ljɯ
祠	*ljɯ
柌	*ljɯ
嗣	*ljɯs
孠	*ljɯs
飼	*ljɯs
呞	*hljɯ

Unknown.

Shuowen: 后 flipped.

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *zə; cognate with Proto-Kukish */ca/, Mru caŋ (“to do, to make”), & Tibetan [script needed] (mdzad.pa), [script needed] (mdzod), from underlying */m-za-t/ "to do, to act", possibly also related to [script needed] (bzo, “work, labour”) (Schuessler, 2007).̈ Schuessler disputes Löffler's (1966) proposed connection to 乍 (OC *zraːɡs, “to do, work, make”) due to phonological difficulties.

Unger (1984) posits a possible relationship with Tibetan [script needed] (rdzi.po, “herdsman”)

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): sī (si¹)
(Zhuyin): ㄙ
Cantonese
(Guangzhou, Jyutping): si¹
(Taishan, Wiktionary): lhu¹
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): sṳ̂
(Meixian, Guangdong): si¹
Jin (Wiktionary): si¹
Min Bei (KCR): sí / sú
Min Dong (BUC): sṳ̆ / sĭ
Min Nan
(Hokkien, POJ): sir / su / si / sai
(Teochew, Peng'im): si¹
Wu (Wiktionary): sr (T1)

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: sī
  - Zhuyin: ㄙ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: sih
  - Wade–Giles: ssŭ¹
  - Yale: sz̄
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sy
  - Palladius: сы (sy)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sz̩⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: si¹
  - Yale: sī
  - Cantonese Pinyin: si¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: xi¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /siː⁵⁵/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: lhu¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɬu³³/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: sṳ̂
  - Hakka Romanization System: sii´
  - Hagfa Pinyim: si¹
  - Sinological IPA: /sɨ²⁴/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: si¹
  - Sinological IPA: /sz̩⁴⁴/
Jin
- (Taiyuan)⁺
  - Wiktionary: si¹
  - Sinological IPA (old-style): /sz̩¹¹/
Min Bei
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: sí / sú
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /si⁵⁴/, /su⁵⁴/
Min Dong
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: sṳ̆ / sĭ
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sy⁵⁵/, /si⁵⁵/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sir
  - Tâi-lô: sir
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /sɯ³³/
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: su
  - Tâi-lô: su
  - Phofsit Daibuun: sw
  - IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung, Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /su⁴⁴/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese, Jinjiang, Philippines)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: si
  - Tâi-lô: si
  - Phofsit Daibuun: sy
  - IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Philippines): /ɕi³³/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /ɕi⁴⁴/
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sai
  - Tâi-lô: sai
  - Phofsit Daibuun: say
  - IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung, Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /sai⁴⁴/

Note:

sir/su/si (Jinjiang, Philippines) - literary;
si/sai - vernacular.

- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: si¹
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: si
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /si³³/
Wu
- (Shanghainese)
  - Wiktionary: sr (T1)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sz̩⁵³/

Middle Chinese: /sɨ/

Rime
Character	司
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	心 (16)
Final (韻)	之 (19)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	息兹切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/sɨ/
Pan Wuyun	/sɨ/
Shao Rongfen	/sie/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/sɨ/
Li Rong	/siə/
Wang Li	/sĭə/
Bernard Karlgren	/si/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	sī
Expected Cantonese Reflex	si¹

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*s-lə/
(Zhengzhang): /*slɯ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	司
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	sī
Middle Chinese	‹ si ›
Old Chinese	/*s-lə/
English	superintend
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	司
Reading #	1/1
No.	11951
Phonetic component	司
Rime group	之
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	思
Old Chinese	/*slɯ/

Definitions

司

to take charge of; to control; to manage
officer; official
a surname

Compounds

Derived terms from 司

三司 (sānsī)
三司使
三法司
上司 (shàngsī)
仲介公司
保全公司
公司 (gōngsī)
公司法 (gōngsīfǎ)
公司重整
冥司
凡立司
分公司 (fēngōngsī)
分司
判司
勒克司
勾司人
南司
卡司 (kǎsī)
司事 (sīshì)
司令 (sīlìng)
司令官 (sīlìngguān)
司令部 (sīlìngbù)
司公
司南 (sīnán)
司命
司城
司士
司奶 (“sai-nai”) (Min Nan)
司寇 (sīkòu)
司徒 (sītú)
司成
司房
司晨
司更
司法 (sīfǎ)
司法官 ( sīfǎ guān)
司法行政
司法警察 (sīfǎ jǐngchá)
司法院
司牧
司理
司直
司空 (sīkōng)
司舵
吃官司 (chī guānsi)
各司其事
吐司 (tǔsī)
四司六局
土司 (tǔsī)
大司客
大司徒
大司空
大祭司

官司 (guānsi)
密昔司
市舶司 (shìbósī)
布政司 (bùzhèngsī)
所司
打官司 (dǎ guānsi)
押司
拜耳公司
控股公司 (kònggǔ gōngsī)
握股公司
教坊司
有司 (yǒusī)
有限公司 (yǒuxiàn gōngsī)
本司三院
本司院
毛司
法司
派司 (pāsi)
牧司
百司
百福司 (Bǎifúsī)
盎司 (àngsī)
祭司 (jìsī)
股份公司 (gǔfèn gōngsī)
航空公司 (hángkōng gōngsī)
船公司
蔡司
藩司
行政司法
起司 (qǐsī)
起司蛋糕 (qǐsī dàngāo)
通政司 (Tōngzhèngsī)
金融公司 (jīnróng gōngsī)
丁司壋／丁司垱 (Dīngsīdàng)
保險公司／保险公司 (bǎoxiǎn gōngsī)
光桿司令／光杆司令
兩合公司／两合公司
公司債／公司债
公司債券／公司债券
公司行號／公司行号
公證公司／公证公司
兵馬司／兵马司
司令員／司令员 (sīlìngyuán)
司令臺／司令台
司倉／司仓
司儀／司仪 (sīyí)
司務／司务
司售人員／司售人员
司戶／司户
司會／司会
司機／司机 (sījī)
司法機關／司法机关
司法權／司法权 (sīfǎquán)

司法獨立／司法独立
司爐／司炉 (sīlú)
司禮／司礼
司空伎倆／司空伎俩
司空見慣／司空见惯 (sīkōngjiànguàn)
司藥／司药
司號員／司号员
司農／司农 (sīnóng)
司鐸／司铎 (sīduó)
司長／司长 (sīzhǎng)
司隸／司隶 (sīlì)
司隸校尉／司隶校尉 (sīlì xiàowèi)
司馬／司马 (sīmǎ)
司馬法／司马法
司馬門／司马门
司馬青衫／司马青衫
員司／员司
壽司／寿司 (shòusī)
大司馬／大司马 (dàsīmǎ)
大眾公司／大众公司
客將司／客将司
客帳司／客帐司
密司脫／密司脱
專司／专司
庫司／库司
廣儲司／广储司
投資公司／投资公司
文君司馬／文君司马
有司徹／有司彻
東司／东司 (dōngsī)
江州司馬／江州司马
沒頭官司／没头官司
無限公司／无限公司
牝雞司晨／牝鸡司晨 (pìnjīsīchén)
百貨公司／百货公司 (bǎihuò gōngsī)
監司／监司
稅務司／税务司
筆墨官司／笔墨官司 (bǐmò guānsi)
總公司／总公司 (zǒnggōngsī)
總司令／总司令 (zǒngsīlìng)
職司／职司
臺司／台司
興業公司／兴业公司
舊司／旧司 (Jiùsī)
藍德公司／蓝德公司
袞司／衮司
見慣司空／见惯司空
貝司／贝司 (bèisī)
費司／费司
開司米／开司米 (kāisīmǐ)
開司米龍／开司米龙
陰司／阴司 (yīnsī)
頂頭上司／顶头上司

Japanese

Kanji

司

(grade 4 “Kyōiku” kanji)

an official, a director, a boss

Readings

Go-on: し (shi, Jōyō)
Kan-on: し (shi, Jōyō)
Tō-on: す (su)
Kun: つかさ (tsukasa, 司); つかさどる (tsukasadoru, 司る); みこともち (mikotomochi, 司)

Compounds

司(し)会(かい) (shikai, “leading a meeting; chairman”)
司(し)書(しょ) (shisho, “librarian”)
司(し)法(ほう) (shihō, “administration of justice”)
司(し)令(れい) (shirei, “command, control; commander”)
行(ぎょう)司(じ) (gyōji, “(sumo) referee”)
寿司(すし) (sushi, “sushi”)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
司
つかさ Grade: 4
kun’yomi

For pronunciation and definitions of 司 – see the following entry.

【つかさ】

[noun] 官, 司, 長, 首, 宰: a manager, a headman, a foreman; an official; government service

[noun] 阜, 司: a small hill

Alternative spellings
官, 司, 長, 首, 宰, 阜

(This term, 司, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
司
まもる Grade: 4
nanori

For pronunciation and definitions of 司 – see まもる. (This term, 司, is an alternative spelling of the above terms.)

(The following entry is uncreated: まもる.)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
司
みこともち Grade: 4
kun’yomi

For pronunciation and definitions of 司 – see the following entry.

【みこともち】

[noun] (archaic, possibly obsolete, historical) in ancient Japan prior to the Taika Reform, a governor appointed by the emperor to carry out imperial policies in the provinces

Alternative spellings
宰, 司

(This term, 司, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

Korean

Hanja

司 • (sa) (hangeul 사, revised sa, McCune–Reischauer sa)

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

Vietnamese

Han character

司: Hán Nôm readings: ti, tư, tơ

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