漢字

See also: 汉字

Chinese

		Chinese; name of a dynasty; man	letter; symbol; character letter; symbol; character; word
trad. (漢字)		漢	字
simp. (汉字)		汉	字

漢字／汉字 (hànzì): Chinese characters, showing the Traditional Chinese script on the left, and Simplified Chinese script on the right.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): hànzì
(Zhuyin): ㄏㄢˋ ㄗˋ
(Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): ханзы (hanzɨ, III-III)
Cantonese
(Guangzhou, Jyutping): hon³ zi⁶
(Taishan, Wiktionary): hon¹ du⁵
Gan (Wiktionary): hon³ ci²
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): hon-sṳ
Min Dong (BUC): háng-cê
Min Nan
(Hokkien, POJ): hàn-jī / hàn-lī
(Teochew, Peng'im): hang³ ri⁷
Wu (Wiktionary): hoe zr (T2)

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)
  - Hanyu Pinyin: hànzì
  - Zhuyin: ㄏㄢˋ ㄗˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: hànzìh
  - Wade–Giles: han⁴-tzŭ⁴
  - Yale: hàn-dz̀
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: hanntzyh
  - Palladius: ханьцзы (xanʹczy)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /xän⁵¹⁻⁵³ t͡sz̩⁵¹/
  - Homophones:
    [Show/Hide]
    ^edit
    ^edit
    汗漬／汗渍
    漢字／汉字
- (Dungan)
  - Cyrillic and Wiktionary: ханзы (hanzɨ, III-III)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /xæ̃⁴⁴ t͡sz̩⁴⁴/
  (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
  - Jyutping: hon³ zi⁶
  - Yale: hon jih
  - Cantonese Pinyin: hon³ dzi⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: hon³ ji⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɔːn³³ t͡siː²²/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: hon¹ du⁵
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /hᵘɔn³³ tu³²/
Gan
- (Nanchang)
  - Wiktionary: hon³ ci²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɵn²¹³⁻¹³ t͡sʰz̩²⁴/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: hon-sṳ
  - Hakka Romanization System: hon sii
  - Hagfa Pinyim: hon⁴ si⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /hon⁵⁵ sɨ⁵⁵/
Min Dong
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: háng-cê
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /haŋ²¹³⁻⁵³ ^(t͡s-)ʒɛi²⁴²/
Min Nan
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung, Penang)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hàn-jī
  - Tâi-lô: hàn-jī
  - Phofsit Daibuun: harnji
  - IPA (Penang): /han²¹⁻³³ d͡ʑi²¹/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /han²¹⁻⁴¹ ʑi³³/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /han²¹⁻⁵³ d͡ʑi²²/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Taipei)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hàn-lī
  - Tâi-lô: hàn-lī
  - Phofsit Daibuun: harnli
  - IPA (Taipei): /han¹¹⁻⁵³ li³³/
  - IPA (Xiamen): /han²¹⁻⁵³ li²²/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /han⁴¹⁻⁵⁵⁴ li⁴¹/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: hang³ ri⁷
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: hàng jī
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /haŋ²¹³⁻⁵⁵ d͡zi¹¹/
Wu
- (Shanghainese)
  - Wiktionary: hoe zr (T2)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /hø³³ z̥z̩⁴⁴/

Middle Chinese: /hɑn^H d͡zɨ^H/

Rime
Character	漢	字
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	曉 (32)	從 (15)
Final (韻)	寒 (61)	之 (19)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	I	III
Fanqie	呼旰切	疾置切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/hɑn^H/	/d͡zɨ^H/
Pan Wuyun	/hɑn^H/	/d͡zɨ^H/
Shao Rongfen	/xɑn^H/	/d͡zie^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/han^H/	/d͡zɨ^H/
Li Rong	/xɑn^H/	/d͡ziə^H/
Wang Li	/xɑn^H/	/d͡zĭə^H/
Bernard Karlgren	/xɑn^H/	/d͡zʱi^H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	hàn	zì
Expected Cantonese Reflex	hon³	zi⁶

Noun

漢字

Chinese character; Han character; hanzi
- 顯宗曰：「每日先教漢字，至申時漢字課畢，教女直小字，習國朝語。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  显宗曰：“每日先教汉字，至申时汉字课毕，教女直小字，习国朝语。” [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: 1343-1345, 《金史·卷九十八·完顏匡》／卷九十八·完颜匡》 (History of Jin)
  Xiǎnzōng yuē: “Měirì xiān jiào hànzì, zhì shēn shí hànzì kè bì, jiào nǚzhí xiǎo zì, xí guócháo yǔ.” [Pinyin]
  Xiǎnzōng said: “Every day first teach hanzi, until 3–5pm when hanzi class ends. Teach the Jurchen people small characters, and they will learn the language of this dynasty.”
- 不錯，漢字是古代傳下來的寶貝，但我們的祖先，比漢字還要古，所以我們更是古代傳下來的寶貝。爲漢字而犧牲我們，還是爲我們而犧牲漢字呢？ [MSC, trad.]
  不错，汉字是古代传下来的宝贝，但我们的祖先，比汉字还要古，所以我们更是古代传下来的宝贝。为汉字而牺牲我们，还是为我们而牺牲汉字呢？ [MSC, simp.]
  From: 1934, 魯迅／鲁迅 (Lu Xun) 《漢字和拉丁化》 (Han character and its Latinization)／《汉字和拉丁化》 (Han character and its Latinization)
  Bùcuò, hànzì shì gǔdài chuán xiàlái de bǎobèi, dàn wǒmen de zǔxiān, bǐ hànzì hái yào gǔ, suǒyǐ wǒmen gèng shì gǔdài chuán xiàlái de bǎobèi. Wèi hànzì ér xīshēng wǒmen, háishì wèi wǒmen ér xīshēng hànzì ne? [Pinyin]
  Yes, Chinese characters are a treasure passed down from antiquity, but our ancestors are even more ancient, so we are more so a treasure passed down from antiquity. Will we sacrifice Chinese characters for our sake, or will we sacrifice ourselves for the sake of Chinese characters?

Synonyms

edit

中文字 (zhōngwénzì)
咱人字 (Min Nan)
唐字 (Cantonese)

中國字／中国字 (zhōngguózì)
國字／国字 (guózì)
漢文字／汉文字 (Min Nan)

Derived terms

和國漢字／和国汉字 (héguóhànzì)
漢字文化圈／汉字文化圈 (hànzì wénhuàquān)

漢字詞／汉字词 (hànzìcí)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (漢字):

→ Japanese: 漢字(かんじ) (kanji)
→ Korean: 한자(漢字) (hanja)
→ Vietnamese: Hán tự (漢字)

Others:

→ English: hanzi
→ Indonesian: honji
→ Mongolian:
Cyrillic: ханз (xanz)
Mongolian: ᠬᠠᠨᠵᠢ (qanǰi)
→ Russian: ханьцзы́ (xanʹczý)
→ Thai: ฮั่นจื้อ (hân-jʉ̂ʉ)

Japanese

Etymology

Kanji in this term
漢	字
かん Grade: 3	じ Grade: 1
on’yomi

Alternative spelling
漢字 (kyūjitai)

From Middle Chinese compound 漢字 (MC hɑn^H d͡zɨ^H, literally “Han Chinese + character”). Compare modern Mandarin 漢字／汉字 (hànzì), Min Nan 漢字／汉字 (hàn-jī).

Pronunciation

On’yomi: Goon

(Tokyo) かんじ [kàńjí] (Heiban – [0])[1][2][3]
IPA^(key): [kã̠n(d͡)ʑi]
Audio (file)

Noun

漢(かん)字(じ) • (kanji)

kanji

Usage notes

The term literally means “Chinese characters”, and refers broadly to any such ideographic or logographic character originating in written Chinese, or created anew along similar lines. This latter category includes some characters created in Japan from originally Chinese elements and called 国字 (kokuji, literally “national (i.e. Japanese) characters”), and other characters that were modified over time into distinctly Japanese forms and called 新字体 (shinjitai, literally “new character forms”). Contrast with 仮名 (kana, literally “borrowed label”), uniquely Japanese phonetic characters derived either from cursive forms of kanji (the 平仮名 (hiragana)) or from shorthand that abbreviated characters to use just specific parts of the original kanji (the 片仮名 (katakana)).

Synonyms

真名(まな) (mana), 真字(まな) (mana)
男(おとこ)手(で) (otokode)
男(おとこ)文(も)字(じ) (otokomoji)

Hyponyms

国(こく)字(じ) (kokuji)

Derived terms

漢(かん)字(じ)圏(けん) (kanjiken)
漢(かん)字(じ)語(ご) (kanjigo)
振(ふ)り漢(かん)字(じ) (furikanji)
教(きょう)育(いく)漢(かん)字(じ) (kyōikukanji)
常(じょう)用(よう)漢(かん)字(じ) (jōyōkanji)
当(とう)用(よう)漢(かん)字(じ) (tōyōkanji)
表(ひょう)外(がい)漢(かん)字(じ) (hyōgaikanji)
補(ほ)助(じょ)漢(かん)字(じ) (hojokanji)
漢(かん)字(じ)文(ぶん)化(か)圏(けん) (kanjibunkaken)
常(じょう)用(よう)外(がい)漢(かん)字(じ) (jōyōgaikanji)
人(じん)名(めい)用(よう)漢(かん)字(じ) (jinmeiyōkanji)

Descendants

→ English: kanji

References

1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Korean

Hanja in this term
漢	字

Noun

漢字 • (hanja) (hangeul 한자)

Hanja form^? of 한자 (“Chinese character; hanja”).

Okinawan

Etymology

Kanji in this term
漢	字
かん Grade: 3	じ Grade: 1
on’yomi

Attested in the 沖縄語典 (Okinawa Goten, “Okinawan Dictionary”) as かんじ.[1]

Noun

漢字 (hiragana かんじ, rōmaji kanji)

Chinese character

References

1896: 沖縄語典 (Okinawa Goten, “Okinawan Dictionary”). In Japanese. http://kindai.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/992016/28

Vietnamese

Hán tự in this term
漢	字

Noun

漢字

chữ Hán form of Hán tự (“Chinese character”).

[NHK-1] 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN

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

[SMK5-3] 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[OG-4] 1896: 沖縄語典 (Okinawa Goten, “Okinawan Dictionary”). In Japanese. http://kindai.ndl.go.jp/info:ndljp/pid/992016/28