炭

炭

See also: 灰

炭 U+70AD, 炭 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-70AD ← 炬 [U+70AC] CJK Unified Ideographs 炮 → [U+70AE]

炭 U+2F91A, 炭 CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-2F91A ← 灷 [U+2F919] CJK Compatibility Ideographs Supplement 𠔥 → [U+2F91B]

Translingual

Han character

炭 (Kangxi radical 86, 火+5, 9 strokes, cangjie input 山大火 (UKF) or 山一火 (UMF), four-corner 2228₉, composition ⿱山⿸厂火(HJKTV) or ⿱山灰(G))

Derived characters

• 㛶, 㨏, 湠, 碳, 羰

References

• KangXi: page 668, character 24
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 18953
• Dae Jaweon: page 1077, character 24
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 2195, character 15
• Unihan data for U+70AD
• Unihan data for U+2F91A

---

Chinese

trad.		炭
simp. #		炭

Glyph origin

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

	Old Chinese
炭	*tŋ̊ʰaːns
湠	*tʰaːns

Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *tŋ̊ʰaːns) : semantic 火 (“fire”) + abbreviated phonetic 岸 (OC *ŋɡaːns).

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *tal (“charcoal; dust; ashes”). Cognate with Tibetan ཐལ་བ (thal ba, “ashes; dust; dirt”).

Derivative: 碳 (tàn, “carbon”).

(ACG slang) -tan

Borrowed from Japanese たん (tan). Also from the manga Binchō-tan, which features -tan suffix characters that are anthropomorphic representations of charcoal.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): tàn (tan⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄊㄢˋ

  (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): тан (tan, III)

• Cantonese (Jyutping): taan³
• Gan (Wiktionary): tan³
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): than

  (Meixian, Guangdong): tan⁴

• Jin (Wiktionary): tan³
• Min Bei (KCR): tui̿ng
• Min Dong (BUC): táng
• Min Nan

  (Hokkien, POJ): thàn / thòaⁿ

  (Teochew, Peng'im): tuan³

• Wu (Wiktionary): the (T2)
• Xiang (Wiktionary): tan⁴

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: tàn
    • Zhuyin: ㄊㄢˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: tàn
    • Wade–Giles: tʻan⁴
    • Yale: tàn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tann
    • Palladius: тань (tanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰän⁵¹/
  • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic and Wiktionary: тан (tan, III)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰæ̃⁴⁴/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: taan³
    • Yale: taan
    • Cantonese Pinyin: taan³
    • Guangdong Romanization: tan³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰaːn³³/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: tan³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰan²¹³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: than
    • Hakka Romanization System: tan
    • Hagfa Pinyim: tan⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /tʰan⁵⁵/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: tan⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /tʰan⁵³/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: tan³
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /tʰxæ̃⁴⁵/
• Min Bei
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: tui̿ng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰuiŋ³³/
• Min Dong
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: táng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰɑŋ²¹³/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: thàn
    • Tâi-lô: thàn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: taxn
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /tʰan²¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /tʰan⁴¹/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: thòaⁿ
    • Tâi-lô: thuànn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: tvoax
    • IPA (Taipei): /tʰuã¹¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /tʰuã⁴¹/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung): /tʰuã²¹/

Note:

• thàn - literary;
• thòaⁿ - vernacular.

• • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: tuan³
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: thuàⁿ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰũã²¹³/
• Wu
  • (Shanghainese)
    • Wiktionary: the (T2)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰe̞³⁴/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: tan⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰan⁴⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: /tʰɑn^H/

Rime
Character	炭
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	透 (6)
Final (韻)	寒 (61)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	他旦切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/tʰɑnH/
Pan Wuyun	/tʰɑnH/
Shao Rongfen	/tʰɑnH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/tʰanH/
Li Rong	/tʰɑnH/
Wang Li	/tʰɑnH/
Bernard Karlgren	/tʰɑnH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	tàn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	taan3

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[tʰ]ˤa[n]-s/

  (Zhengzhang): /*tŋ̊ʰaːns/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	炭
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	tàn
Middle Chinese	‹ thanH ›
Old Chinese	/*[tʰ]ˁa[n]-s/
English	charcoal, coal
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	炭
Reading #	1/1
No.	12356
Phonetic component	炭
Rime group	元
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	炭
Old Chinese	/*tŋ̊ʰaːns/

Definitions

炭

1. charcoal

   炭火  ―  tànhuǒ  ―  charcoal fire

2. charcoal-like substance
3. charcoal fire; hot charcoal
4. (dialectal) coal

   肥炭 [Jin]  ―  xi¹ tan³ [Wiktionary]  ―  bituminous coal

   笨炭 [Jin]  ―  beng³ tan³ [Wiktionary]  ―  anthracite

5. Alternative form of 碳 (tàn, “carbon”).
6. (ACG, Internet slang) -tan

Synonyms

• (charcoal):

Dialectal synonyms of 炭 (“charcoal”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		炭
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		炭, 木炭
Mandarin	Beijing	炭
	Xianxian (Xiaoying)	炭
	Jinan	木炭
	Xi'an	木炭
	Dingbian	木炭
	Wuhan	板炭, 鋼炭
	Chengdu	炭
	Nanning (Fujian)	炭, 京炭
	Nanning (Wuming)	木炭, 炭, 火炭
	Binyang (Nanjie)	木炭
	Yizhou	炭
	Luocheng (Dongmen)	炭, 木炭, 火炭
	Tianlin (Langping)	火炭
	Yongzhou	木炭
	Xiangtan (Jiangnan Industries Group koine)	木炭
	Yangzhou	炭
	Hefei	炭
	Singapore	炭
	Dagudi (Maliba)	火炭
	Reshuitang (Longling)	火炭
	Mae Salong (Lancang)	火炭
	Mae Sai (Tengchong)	火炭
Cantonese	Guangzhou	炭
	Hong Kong	炭
	Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)	炭
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	炭
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	炭
	Taishan (Guanghai)	炭
	Yangjiang	炭
	Wuzhou	炭, 堅炭
	Baise	炭
	Qinzhou	炭, 木炭
	Qinzhou (Xiniujiao)	炭
	Beihai	木炭
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)	木炭
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)	木炭
	Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)	木炭
	Sanya (Yanglan Maihua)	炭
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	炭
	Móng Cái	木炭
	Mandalay (Taishan)	炭, 木炭
Gan	Nanchang	木炭
	Pengze	炭
Hakka	Meixian	響灰, 木炭
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	火炭
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	火炭
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	火炭
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	火炭
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	火炭
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	火炭
	Hong Kong	火炭
Jin	Taiyuan	木炭
	Liangcheng	炭
Min Bei	Jian'ou	炭
Min Dong	Fuzhou	炭
Min Nan	Xiamen	炭, 火炭, 柴炭
	Quanzhou	火炭
	Zhangzhou	火炭, 柴炭
	Guilin (Biyange)	炭
	Chaozhou	火炭
	Shantou	火炭
	Jieyang	火炭
	Pontianak (Teochew)	火炭
Puxian Min	Xianyou	炭, 烏炭
Min Zhong	Yanping (Wangtai)	炭
Zhongshan Min	Sanxiang	火炭
Northern Pinghua	Guilin (Dongbianzhou)	木炭
Waxiang	Guzhang (Gaofeng)	黑炭
	Yuanling (Shaojiwan)	炭
	Luxi (Liangjiatan)	炭
	Luxi (Lijiatian)	炭
	Chengbu (Xuntou)	黑炭
Wu	Suzhou	炭
	Wenzhou	炭
	Yiwu	炭
Xiang	Changsha	炭, 白炭
	Shuangfeng	白炭, 木炭
	Hengshan	炭, 木炭

• (charcoal fire): 炭火 (tànhuǒ)
• (coal):

Dialectal synonyms of 煤 (“coal”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		煤, 烏金
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		煤, 煤炭
Mandarin	Beijing	煤
	Taiwan	煤
	Tianjin	煤
	Chengde	煤
	Tangshan	煤
	Cangzhou	煤
	Xianxian (Xiaoying)	煤
	Baoding	煤
	Shijiazhuang	煤, 炭 fuel
	Chifeng	煤
	Hulunbuir (Hailar)	煤
	Heihe	煤
	Qiqihar	煤, 炭 mined
	Harbin	煤
	Wuchang (Yingchengzi)	煤
	Jiamusi	煤
	Baicheng	煤
	Changchun	煤
	Tonghua	煤, 炭 mined
	Shenyang	煤, 煤炭 mined, 炭 mined
	Dandong	煤
	Jinzhou	煤, 煤炭 mined, 砟子 mined
	Dalian	煤
	Yantai	煤
	Qingdao	煤
	Lijin	煤
	Zhucheng	煤, 炭 mined
	Jinan	煤, 炭
	Jining	煤, 煤炭, 炭 fuel
	Wanrong	炭
	Shangqiu	煤, 煤炭 mined
	Yuanyang	煤, 炭 mined
	Zhengzhou	煤, 炭 mined
	Lingbao	煤
	Xinyang	煤, 炭 mined
	Ankang	煤, 煤炭
	Ankang (Xianhe)	煤, 煤炭
	Baihe	煤, 炭 mined
	Baihe (Maoping)	煤炭
	Shiquan	煤炭
	Ziyang	煤炭
	Hanzhong	煤, 煤炭 mined
	Xi'an	煤, 炭 mined, 煤炭 mined
	Dingbian	炭
	Baoji	煤, 煤炭 mined
	Yinchuan	煤, 炭 mined
	Tianshui	煤, 石炭 mined
	Lanzhou	煤, 炭 mined
	Dunhuang	煤, 砟子 fuel
	Xining	煤, 石煤 mined
	Hami	煤
	Ürümqi	煤
	Wuhan	煤, 炭 mined
	Yichang	煤
	Xiangyang	煤, 煤炭 mined
	Tianmen	煤, 煤炭 mined, 炭 mined
	Hong'an	煤, 煤炭, 炭
	Chengdu	煤, 煤炭 mined
	Nanchong	煤, 煤炭 mined, 炭 mined
	Dazhou	煤炭 mined, 薪炭 mined, 煤 fuel, 炭 fuel
	Hanyuan	炭, 煤 fuel
	Xichang	煤, 炭 mined
	Zigong	煤, 煤炭 mined
	Chongqing	煤炭 mined, 煤 fuel, 炭 fuel
Guiyang	煤, 烏金 mined, 鋼炭 mined, 炭 mined
Bijie	煤炭, 煤 fuel
Liping	煤
Zhaotong	炭
Dali	煤炭 mined, 煤 fuel
Kunming	煤, 煤炭 mined
Mengzi	煤 mined, 炭 fuel
Guilin	煤, 煤炭 mined
Pingle	煤
Liuzhou	煤
Luzhai	煤
Nanning (Xiakuojie)	煤
Nanning (Fujian)	煤
Nanning (Wuming)	煤
Binyang (Nanjie)	煤
Yizhou	煤
Luocheng (Dongmen)	煤, 煤炭
Tianlin (Langping)	煤
Jishou	煤
Changde	煤, 炭 mined
Yongzhou	煤炭
Xiangtan (Jiangnan Industries Group koine)	煤
Anqing	煤
Xuzhou	煤, 炭 mined
Fuyang	煤
Wuhu	煤, 煤炭 mined
Yangzhou	煤, 煤炭 mined, 炭 mined
Lianyungang	煤, 炭 mined
Lianshui	煤
Nanjing	煤
Hefei	煤, 煤炭 mined
Nantong	煤, 炭 mined
Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan)	煤, 煤炭
Dagudi (Maliba)	煤
Reshuitang (Longling)	煤
Mae Salong (Lancang)	煤
Mae Sai (Tengchong)	煤
Cantonese	Guangzhou	煤
	Hong Kong	煤
	Taishan (Guanghai)	煤
	Yangjiang	煤
	Wuzhou	煤
	Baise	煤
	Qinzhou	煤
	Qinzhou (Xiniujiao)	煤
	Beihai	煤
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)	煤炭
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)	煤
	Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)	煤炭
	Lingchuan (Yangjia)	煤
	Pingle (Majia)	煤
	Pingle (Shuishan)	煤
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	煤
	Móng Cái	煤炭
	Mandalay (Taishan)	煤
Gan	Nanchang	煤炭
	Pengze	煤
Hakka	Meixian	煤, 石炭
	Bobai (Lingping)	煤
	Guilin (Xiaojiang, Lingui)	煤
	Lipu (Shuangduitun)	煤
	Pingle (Tong'an)	煤
	Yangshuo (Jinbao)	煤
Huizhou	Shexian	煤
Jin	Taiyuan	煤 soot, 炭 piece
	Pingyao	炭
	Yangyuan	煤, 炭 mined
	Datong	炭
	Datong (Xicetian, Yunzhou)	炭
	Xinzhou	炭
	Lishi	煤, 炭 mined
	Linfen	煤, 炭 mined
	Changzhi	煤, 炭 mined, 炭圪拉得 mined
	Linhe	炭
	Jining	炭
	Liangcheng	煤
	Hohhot	煤, 炭 mined
	Erenhot	煤 mined, 炭
	Pingshan	煤, 炭 mined
	Zhangjiakou	煤, 煤炭 mined
	Handan	煤, 炭 mined
	Linzhou	煤, 炭 mined
	Suide	炭, 石炭 mined
Jiuxing Yumin	Jiande	煤
	Jinhua	煤
	Lanxi	煤
	Tunxi	煤
Min Bei	Jian'ou	煤, 煤炭
Min Dong	Fuzhou	煤
	Fuqing	煤
	Gutian	煤
	Pingnan	煤
	Fu'an	煤
	Shouning	煤
Min Nan	Xiamen	塗炭, 煤
	Guilin (Biyange)	煤
	Chaozhou	塗炭, 煤
	Shantou	煤
	Jieyang	煤
	Pontianak (Teochew)	煤
Puxian Min	Xianyou	煤
Min Zhong	Yanping (Wangtai)	煤
Zhongshan Min	Sanxiang	煤
Southern Pinghua	Binyang	煤
Northern Pinghua	Guilin (Dongbianzhou)	煤
	Lingchuan (Sanjie)	煤
Waxiang	Guzhang (Gaofeng)	煤
	Yuanling (Shaojiwan)	煤
	Luxi (Liangjiatan)	煤
	Chengbu (Xuntou)	煤
Wu	Shanghai (Songjiang)	煤
	Suzhou	煤
	Wenzhou	煤
	Yiwu	煤
Xiang	Changsha	煤炭, 煤
	Shuangfeng	煤炭
	Hengshan	煤炭
	Hengshan (Baiguo)	煤炭

Compounds

冰炭 (bīngtàn) 冰炭不洽 吞炭 吞炭漆身 打醋炭 木炭 (mùtàn) 泥炭 (nítàn) 浮炭 漆身吞炭 火炭 (huǒtàn) 灰炭 炭化 (tànhuà) 炭墼 炭敬 炭火 (tànhuǒ) 炭烤 炭疽病 (tànjūbìng) 炭盆 (tànpén) 炭米 炭精 炭精棒

焦炭 (jiāotàn) 煤炭 (méitàn) 熛炭 熟炭 爆炭 生炭 白炭 石炭 (shítàn) 草炭 (cǎotàn) 荼炭 蜃炭 褐炭 雪中送炭 (xuězhōngsòngtàn) 骨炭 (gǔtàn) 黑炭 塗炭／涂炭 (tútàn) 塗炭生民／涂炭生民 塗炭生靈／涂炭生灵 戴炭簍子／戴炭篓子 握炭流湯／握炭流汤 木炭畫／木炭画 (mùtànhuà)

民墜塗炭／民坠涂炭 民生塗炭／民生涂炭 瀝青炭／沥青炭 炭層／炭层 炭窩／炭窝 炭窯／炭窑 (tànyáo) 炭筆／炭笔 (tànbǐ) 炭筆畫／炭笔画 炭簍子／炭篓子 炭精筆／炭精笔 炭精紙／炭精纸 熾炭／炽炭 燒炭／烧炭 (shāotàn) 獸炭／兽炭 生民塗炭／生民涂炭 生靈塗炭／生灵涂炭 (shēnglíngtútàn) 石炭紀／石炭纪 (Shítàn Jì) 紅頭黑炭／红头黑炭 踐冰履炭／践冰履炭 雪裡送炭／雪里送炭 麩炭／麸炭

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (炭):

• → Japanese: 炭(たん) (tan)
• → Korean: 탄(炭) (tan)
• → Vietnamese: thán (炭)

Others:

• → Khmer: ធ្យូង (thyuung)
• → Proto-Hmong-Mien: *thanᴴ (“charcoal”)
  • White Hmong: thee
• → Lao: ຖ່ານ (thān)
• → Thai: ถ่าน (tàan)
• → Vietnamese: than

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Japanese

Shinjitai	炭
Kyūjitai [1]	炭 炭 or 炭+︀?
	炭󠄁 炭+󠄁? (Adobe-Japan1)
	炭󠄃 炭+󠄃? (Hanyo-Denshi) (Moji_Joho)
The displayed kanji may be different from the image due to your environment. See here for details.

Kanji

炭

(grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 炭)

1. a coal or cinder from a fire
2. charcoal

Readings

• Go-on: たん (tan, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: たん (tan, Jōyō)
• Kun: すみ (sumi, 炭, Jōyō)

Compounds

• 泥炭(すくも) (sukumo)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
炭
すみ Grade: 3
kun’yomi

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

【すみ】 [noun] a coal or cinder from a fire [noun] charcoal [noun] (rare) coal (fossil fuel)

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

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
炭
たん Grade: 3

From Middle Chinese 炭 (MC tʰɑn^H).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) た​ん [táꜜǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [tã̠ɴ]

Noun

炭(たん) • (tan) 

1. (rare) charcoal

   Synonyms: (more common; see above) 炭 (sumi), (literally “wood charcoal”) 木炭 (mokutan), (rare reading) 木炭 (kizumi)

2. (rare) coal (fossil fuel)

   Synonyms: (literally “stone charcoal”) 石炭 (sekitan), (rare reading) 石炭 (ishizumi)

Usage notes

This reading is only very rarely used as a standalone noun. Much more commonly encountered in compounds.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 炭(たん)安(あん) (tan'an)
• 炭(たん)化(か) (tanka)
• 炭(たん)鉱(こう) (tankō)
• 炭(たん)酸(さん) (tansan)
• 炭(たん)素(そ) (tanso)
• 炭(たん)田(でん) (tanden)
• 採(さい)炭(たん) (saitan)
• 薪(しん)炭(たん) (shintan)
• 泥(でい)炭(たん) (deitan)
• 木(もく)炭(たん) (mokutan)

Proper noun

炭(たん) • (Tan) 

1. a surname

Further reading

• Entry in Gogen-Allguide (in Japanese)

References

1. 1914, 漢和大辭書 (Kanwa Dai Jisho, “The Great Kanji-Japanese Dictionary”) (in Japanese), page 1354 (paper), page 728 (digital), Tōkyō: 興文社 (Kōbunsha)

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Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 炭 (MC tʰɑn^H). Recorded as Middle Korean 탄〯 (thǎn) (Yale: than) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Hanja

Wikisource炭 (eumhun 숯 탄 (sut tan))

1. Hanja form^? of 탄 (“charcoal; coal; carbon”).

Compounds

Compounds

• 석탄 (石炭, seoktan)
• 연탄 (煉炭, yeontan)
• 탄광 (炭鑛, tan'gwang)
• 탄산 (炭酸, tansan)
• 목탄 (木炭, moktan)
• 탄화 (炭化, tanhwa)
• 탄갱 (炭坑, tan'gaeng)
• 탄소 (炭素, tanso)
• 활성탄 (活性炭, hwalseongtan)
• 무연탄 (無煙炭, muyeontan)
• 탄수화물 (炭水化物, tansuhwamul)
• 이산화탄소 (二酸化炭素, isanhwatanso)

References

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

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Vietnamese

Han character

炭: Hán Nôm readings: thán, than, tro

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