昆

See also: 皆 and 崑

昆	U+6606, 昆 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-6606

← 昅
[U+6605]

CJK Unified Ideographs

昇 →
[U+6607]

Translingual

Han character

昆 (Kangxi radical 72, 日+4, 8 strokes, cangjie input 日心心 (APP), four-corner 6071₁, composition ⿱日比)

Derived characters

婫, 堒, 惃, 棍, 混, 焜, 掍, 錕, 尡, 䛰, 鯤

References

KangXi: page 490, character 39

Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 13792

Dae Jaweon: page 852, character 9

Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1489, character 9

Unihan data for U+6606

Chinese

trad.		昆
simp. ^#		昆
alternative forms		晜𥊽㒭𣋥𧲟

Glyph origin

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

	Old Chinese
昆	*kuːn
琨	*kuːn
鯤	*kuːn
菎	*kuːn
崐	*kuːn
蜫	*kuːn
惃	kuːn, kuːnʔ
錕	kuːn, kuːnʔ
猑	*kuːn
騉	*kuːn
緄	*kuːnʔ
輥	*kuːnʔ
棍	kuːns, ɡuːnʔ
餛	*ɡuːn
混	*ɡuːnʔ
焜	*ɡuːnʔ
倱	*ɡuːnʔ
掍	*ɡuːnʔ
箟	*kʰrun

Ideogrammic compound (會意) : 日 + 比.

Etymology 1

trad.		昆
simp. ^#		昆
alternative forms		蜫䖵

“elder brother”: From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *(g/k)əw-n (“elder brother; senior male relative”); cognate with 舅 (OC *ɡuʔ, “maternal uncle”) (Benedict, 1972; STEDT).; Alternatively, it may be related to Middle Mon ကော (kao, “elder brother”), with nominal suffix -n added (Schuessler, 2007).
“descendants; later”: Perhaps from Proto-Mon-Khmer *kuun (“child”); cognate with Min 囝 (“son; child”) (Schuessler, 2007) and with ancient Chu dialect 觀 (OC *koːn, “child; offspring”) (Ye, 2014); cf. also some rear meanings of the characters 丱 (OC *kroːns, “young child”), 鯤 (OC *kuːn, “roe; fish egg”) and 鰥 (OC *kruːn, “roe”) (ibid.). In modern Wu dialects the character 官 (OC *koːn) is used to mean "children" (ibid.).
“many; numerous”: From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m-kul (“twenty; all”); cognate with 群 (OC *ɡlun, “herd; all”) (Schuessler, 2007; STEDT).

昆 is pronounced with aspirated initial /kʰ/ instead of the expected /k/ in the majority of modern varieties of Chinese. The /k/ sound in 昆 (MC kuən) was changed to /kʰ/ during its historical development to avoid homophony with 褌 (MC kuən, “underclothing”), a word that was historically in vernacular use (Hirayama, 2005).

This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): kūn (kun¹)
(Zhuyin): ㄎㄨㄣ
Cantonese (Jyutping): kwan¹, gwan¹
Gan (Wiktionary): kun¹
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): khûn
(Meixian, Guangdong): kun¹
Jin (Wiktionary): kung¹
Min Bei (KCR): kó̤ng
Min Dong (BUC): kŏng
Min Nan
(Hokkien, POJ): khun
(Teochew, Peng'im): kung¹
Wu (Wiktionary): khun (T1)
Xiang (Wiktionary): kun¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: kūn
  - Zhuyin: ㄎㄨㄣ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: kun
  - Wade–Giles: kʻun¹
  - Yale: kwūn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: kuen
  - Palladius: кунь (kunʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰwən⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: kwan¹, gwan¹
  - Yale: kwān, gwān
  - Cantonese Pinyin: kwan¹, gwan¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: kuen¹, guen¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʷʰɐn⁵⁵/, /kʷɐn⁵⁵/

Note:

gwan1 - literary;
kwan1 - vernacular.

Gan
- (Nanchang)
  - Wiktionary: kun¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰun⁴²/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: khûn
  - Hakka Romanization System: kun´
  - Hagfa Pinyim: kun¹
  - Sinological IPA: /kʰun²⁴/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: kun¹
  - Sinological IPA: /kʰun⁴⁴/
Jin
- (Taiyuan)⁺
  - Wiktionary: kung¹
  - Sinological IPA (old-style): /kʰxũŋ¹¹/
Min Bei
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: kó̤ng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰɔŋ⁵⁴/
Min Dong
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: kŏng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰouŋ⁵⁵/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khun
  - Tâi-lô: khun
  - Phofsit Daibuun: qwn
  - IPA (Xiamen): /kʰun⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /kʰun³³/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /kʰun⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Taipei): /kʰun⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /kʰun⁴⁴/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: kung¹
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: khung
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰuŋ³³/
Wu
- (Shanghainese)
  - Wiktionary: khun (T1)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰɯə̯ɲ⁵³/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: kun¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰuən³³/

Middle Chinese: /kuən/

Rime
Character	昆
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	魂 (55)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	古渾切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kuən/
Pan Wuyun	/kuon/
Shao Rongfen	/kuən/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kwən/
Li Rong	/kuən/
Wang Li	/kuən/
Bernard Karlgren	/kuən/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	gūn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gwan¹

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*[k]ˤu[n]/
(Zhengzhang): /*kuːn/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	昆
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	kūn
Middle Chinese	‹ kwon ›
Old Chinese	/*[k]ˁu[n]/
English	elder brother
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	昆
Reading #	1/1
No.	7519
Phonetic component	昆
Rime group	文
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	昆
Old Chinese	/*kuːn/
Notes	金文象日下二人比肩同作，造意同眾而省文，如夕月異語共義轉註例

Definitions

昆

(obsolete)together
(literary) elder brother
- 終遠兄弟，謂他人昆。謂他人昆，亦莫我聞。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
  终远兄弟，谓他人昆。谓他人昆，亦莫我闻。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
  Zhōng yuàn xiōngdì, wèi tārén kūn. Wèi tārén kūn, yì mò wǒ wén. [Pinyin]
  For ever separated from my brothers,
  I call a stranger elder-brother.
  I call a stranger elder-brother,
  But he will not listen to me.
(literary)descendants
(obsolete) later
(obsolete) many; numerous
昆蟲／昆虫 ― kūnchóng ― insect
(obsolete) Alternative form of 焜 (kūn).
Short for 昆明 (Kūnmíng).
成昆鐵路／成昆铁路 ― Chéng Kūn Tiělù ― Chengdu–Kunming railway
a surname

Compounds

公昆弟
昆仲 (kūnzhòng)
昆吾
昆夷
昆季
昆布 (kūnbù)
昆弟
昆弟之好
昆明 (Kūnmíng)

昆明池
昆明湖 (Kūnmíng Hú)
昆池劫灰
昆玉
昆裔
昆邪
玉昆金友
金友玉昆
垂裕後昆／垂裕后昆

寄生昆蟲／寄生昆虫
後昆／后昆
昆士蘭／昆士兰 (Kūnshìlán)
昆蟲／昆虫 (kūnchóng)
昆蟲學／昆虫学 (kūnchóngxué)
昆蟲綱／昆虫纲
昆陽／昆阳
賢昆仲／贤昆仲
賢昆玉／贤昆玉

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): hún (hun²)
(Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄣˊ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: hún
  - Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄣˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: hún
  - Wade–Giles: hun²
  - Yale: hwún
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: hwen
  - Palladius: хунь (xunʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /xwən³⁵/

Definitions

昆

Only used in 昆侖／昆仑 (húnlún), alternative form of 渾淪／浑沦 (húnlún).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): hùn (hun⁴)
(Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄣˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): wan⁶

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: hùn
  - Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄣˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: hùn
  - Wade–Giles: hun⁴
  - Yale: hwùn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: huenn
  - Palladius: хунь (xunʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /xwən⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: wan⁶
  - Yale: wahn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: wan⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: wen⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɐn²²/

Definitions

昆

^† Alternative form of 混 (hùn, “to unite”).
54th tetragram of the Taixuanjing; "unity" (𝌻)

Etymology 4

trad.		昆
simp. ^#		昆
alternative forms		坤

Pronunciation

Cantonese (Jyutping): kwan¹

Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: kwan¹
  - Yale: kwān
  - Cantonese Pinyin: kwan¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: kuen¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʷʰɐn⁵⁵/

Definitions

昆

(Cantonese) to deceive; to fool

Etymology 5

For pronunciation and definitions of 昆 – see 崑. (This character, 昆, is the simplified and variant traditional form of 崑.)
Notes: Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia and Singapore. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

References

“昆”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Japanese

Kanji

昆

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

A swarm of or an organism that swarms (e.g. bugs), an organism that forms in large groups (e.g. kombu)
elder brother
descendants, great-great-great-great grandchild

Readings

Go-on: こん (kon, Jōyō)
Kan-on: こん (kon, Jōyō)
Kun: あに (ani, 昆); なかま (nakama); むれ (mure)
Nanori: ひ (hi); ひで (hide); やす (yasu)

Compounds

昆虫(こんちゅう) (konchū)
昆布(こんぶ) (konbu)
昆弟(こんてい) (kontei)
昆孫(こんそん) (konson)

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 昆 (MC kuən). Recorded as Middle Korean 곤 (kwon) (Yale: kwon) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Hanja

Wikisource昆 (eumhun 맏형 곤 (macheong gon))

Hanja form^? of 곤 (“swarm”).
Hanja form^? of 곤 (“the eldest brother”).

Compounds

곤충 (昆蟲, gonchung)
견곤 (堅昆, Gyeon'gon)
곤포 (昆布, gonpo)
곤손 (昆孫, gonson)

References

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

Vietnamese

Han character

昆: Hán Việt readings: côn
昆: Hán Nôm readings: con, gon

Noun

昆 • (con)

Nôm form of con (“child”).