鯨

鯨

See also: 鲸

鯨 U+9BE8, 鯨 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-9BE8 ← 鯧 [U+9BE7] CJK Unified Ideographs 鯩 → [U+9BE9]

Translingual

Han character

鯨 (Kangxi radical 195, 魚+8, 19 strokes, cangjie input 弓火卜口火 (NFYRF), four-corner 2039₆, composition ⿰魚京)

Derived characters

• 𪸉

References

• KangXi: page 1473, character 12
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 46257
• Dae Jaweon: page 2005, character 9
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 7, page 4698, character 6
• Unihan data for U+9BE8

---

Chinese

trad.		鯨
simp.		鲸
alternative forms		䲔 𩼃

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 鯨
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Small seal script

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

	Old Chinese
涼	*ɡ·raŋ, *ɡ·raŋs, *ɡ·raŋs
凉	*ɡ·raŋ
椋	*ɡ·raŋ
綡	*ɡ·raŋ
輬	*ɡ·raŋ
諒	*ɡ·raŋs
掠	*ɡ·raŋs, *ɡ·raɡ
弶	*ɡaŋs
京	*kraŋ
麖	*kraŋ
鶁	*kraŋ
景	*kraŋʔ
鯨	*ɡraŋ
黥	*ɡraŋ
勍	*ɡraŋ
剠	*ɡraŋ
倞	*ɡraŋs
影	*qraŋʔ
璟	*qraŋʔ, *kʷraŋʔ
憬	*kʷraŋʔ
暻	*kʷraŋʔ
澋	*ɡʷraːŋʔ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *ɡraŋ) : semantic 魚 (“fish”) + phonetic 京 (OC *kraŋ).

Etymology

Cognate with 京 (OC *kraŋ, “mound; capital; great”) (Wang, 1982).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): jīng, qíng (jing¹, qing²)

  (Zhuyin): ㄐㄧㄥ, ㄑㄧㄥˊ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou, Jyutping): king⁴

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): ken³

• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): kîn

  (Meixian, Guangdong): gin¹

• Min Dong (BUC): gĭng
• Min Nan

  (Hokkien, POJ): keng / khêng / kiang

  (Teochew, Peng'im): kêng⁵

• Wu (Wiktionary): jjin (T3)
• Xiang (Wiktionary): jin¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese, standard in Mainland and Taiwan)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jīng
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄥ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jing
    • Wade–Giles: ching¹
    • Yale: jīng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jing
    • Palladius: цзин (czin)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕiŋ⁵⁵/
      
  • (Standard Chinese, literary variant)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: qíng
    • Zhuyin: ㄑㄧㄥˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: cíng
    • Wade–Giles: chʻing²
    • Yale: chíng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chyng
    • Palladius: цин (cin)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕʰiŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou)⁺
    • Jyutping: king⁴
    • Yale: kìhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: king⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: king⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰɪŋ²¹/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: ken³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰen²²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kîn
    • Hakka Romanization System: gin´
    • Hagfa Pinyim: gin¹
    • Sinological IPA: /kin²⁴/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: gin¹
    • Sinological IPA: /cin⁴⁴/
• Min Dong
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: gĭng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kiŋ⁵⁵/
• Min Nan
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: keng
    • Tâi-lô: king
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kefng
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /kiɪŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kiɪŋ³³/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, variant in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khêng
    • Tâi-lô: khîng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: qeeng
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /kʰiɪŋ²³/
    • IPA (Quanzhou, Taipei): /kʰiɪŋ²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Kaohsiung, Yilan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kiang
    • Tâi-lô: kiang
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kiafng
    • IPA (Kaohsiung, Yilan): /kiaŋ⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: kêng⁵
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: khêng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰeŋ⁵⁵/
• Wu
  • (Shanghainese)
    • Wiktionary: jjin (T3)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /d̥͡ʑɪɲ²³/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: jin¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕin³³/

---

• Middle Chinese: /ɡˠiæŋ/

Rime
Character	鯨
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	群 (30)
Final (韻)	庚 (111)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	渠京切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɡˠiæŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/ɡᵚiaŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/ɡiaŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/giajŋ/
Li Rong	/ɡiɐŋ/
Wang Li	/ɡĭɐŋ/
Bernard Karlgren	/gi̯ɐŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	qíng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	king4

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[ɡ]raŋ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ɡraŋ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	鯨
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	jīng
Middle Chinese	‹ gjæng ›
Old Chinese	/*[ɡ]raŋ/
English	whale
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	鯨
Reading #	1/1
No.	6832
Phonetic component	京
Rime group	陽
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	擎
Old Chinese	/*ɡraŋ/

Definitions

鯨

1. whale
2. ^† great; huge

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 鯨魚 (“whale”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		鯨
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		鯨
Taxonomic name		鯨
Mandarin	Beijing	鯨魚
	Taiwan	鯨魚
	Jinan	鯨魚
	Guilin	鯨魚
	Yangzhou	鯨魚
	Singapore	鯨魚
Cantonese	Guangzhou	鯨魚
	Hong Kong	鯨魚
	Taishan	鯨魚
Hakka	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	鯨魚, 海鰍
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	鯨魚, 海鰍
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	海鰍, 鯨魚
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	海盎, 鯨魚
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	鯨魚, 海鰍
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	鯨魚, 海鰍
Min Nan	Xiamen	海翁
	Taipei	海翁
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	海翁
	Kaohsiung	海翁, 鯨魚
	Yilan	海翁, 鯨魚
	Changhua (Lukang)	海翁
	Taichung	海翁
	Tainan	海翁
	Hsinchu	海翁
	Kinmen	海翁
	Penghu (Magong)	海翁
	Penang (Hokkien)	鯨魚
	Singapore (Hokkien)	海翁, 鯨魚
	Leizhou	海公魚
Wu	Shanghai	鯨魚
	Wenzhou	鯨魚

Compounds

北極鯨／北极鲸 大翅鯨／大翅鲸 抹香鯨／抹香鲸 (mǒxiāngjīng) 捕鯨船／捕鲸船 槌鯨／槌鲸 正鯨／正鲸 灰鯨／灰鲸 白鯨記／白鲸记 藍鯨／蓝鲸 (lánjīng)

虎踞鯨吞／虎踞鲸吞 蠶食鯨吞／蚕食鲸吞 (cánshíjīngtūn) 長鯨／长鲸 露脊鯨／露脊鲸 鬚鯨／须鲸 (xūjīng) 鯨吞／鲸吞 鯨吞虎噬／鲸吞虎噬 鯨油／鲸油 (jīngyóu) 鯨波／鲸波

鯨蠟／鲸蜡 鯨音／鲸音 鯨鬚／鲸须 (jīngxū) 鯨魚／鲸鱼 (jīngyú) 鯨魚座／鲸鱼座 (Jīngyúzuò) 鯨鯊／鲸鲨 (jīngshā) 鯨鯢／鲸鲵 (jīngní) 齒鯨／齿鲸 (chǐjīng)

---

Japanese

Kanji

鯨

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: ぎょう (gyō)^{←ぎやう (gyau, historical)}
• Kan-on: けい (kei)
• Kan’yō-on: げい (gei, Jōyō)
• Kun: くじら (kujira, 鯨, Jōyō)^{←くぢら (kudira, historical)}; おくじら (okujira, 鯨)^{←おくぢら (okudira, historical)}; いさ (isa, 鯨); いさな (isana, 鯨)

Compounds

Compounds

• 鯨(げい)骨(こつ) (geikotsu): whale bone
• 鯨(げい)肉(にく) (geiniku): whale meat
• 鯨(げい)油(ゆ) (geiyu): whale oil
• 白(はく)鯨(げい) (hakugei): white whale
• 捕(ほ)鯨(げい) (hogei): whaling

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
鯨
くじら Grade: S
kun’yomi

/kudira/ → /kud͡ʑira/

From Old Japanese. Appears in the Kojiki of 712 CE with the man'yōgana spelling 久治良 (kudira). Hypothesized as ultimately from reconstructed Proto-Japonic *kuntira.

Ultimate derivation unclear. Theories include an alteration from 口広 (kuchibiro) in reference to the wide mouth;[1] an alteration from 口開く (kuchibiraku) in reference to the gaping mouth; and an alteration from 黒白 (kuroshiro) in reference to the black-and-white coloration of certain cetaceans.[2]

However, the oldest sources clearly spell the term as kudira.

• This rules out 口 (kuti → kuchi, “mouth”) as an etymon, as the oldest compounds using this term use the bound form kutu, not kuti, and there is no support for a kutu → kudi shift.
• This also rules out 白 (siro, sira → shiro, shira, “white”) as an etymon. Although rendaku (voicing in compounds) would give modern jira as a reading for 白, the ancient reading of sira would voice to something closer to zira, and there is no support for a zira → dira shift.

Also compare Korean 고래 (gorae) "whale."

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
• (Tokyo) くじら [kùjírá] (Heiban – [0])[3][4]
• IPA^(key): [kɯ̟ᵝʑiɾa̠]

Noun

鯨(くじら) • (kujira) ^{←くぢら (kudira)?}

1. a whale (large sea mammal)
   • 898–901, Shinsen Jikyō (volume 9 page 1)

     鼇　五労反　久地良（久知）

   • 898–901, Shinsen Jikyō (volume 9 page 2)

     鼇　敖龜字　背負甲　蓬莱之山遊戯　滄之中　久地良

   • 931–938, Minamoto no Shitagō, Wamyō Ruijushō (book 8, page 3)

     鯨 鯢 唐韻云、大魚、雄曰鯨、渠京反、雌曰鯢、音蜺、久知良 [...]

     “鯨" and "鯢" are Chinese words for big fishes. Males are called 鯨, whose pronunciation is represented by 渠京 and Females are called 蜺... (Its Japanese pronunciation is 久知良

   • 1603–1604, Nippo Jisho (page 165)

     Cujira. (鯨) 鯨.

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Usage notes

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as クジラ.

Derived terms

Derived terms

• ゴジラ (Gojira, “Godzilla”)
• 鯨(くじら)取(と)り (kujiratori, “whaling”)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
鯨
いさ Grade: S
kun’yomi

From Old Japanese. Root isa (“powerful?”) appears to be the same element in verb 勇む (isamu, “to be courageous, to be in high spirits”).[5]

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
• IPA^(key): [isa̠]

Noun

鯨(いさ) • (isa) 

1. (archaic) a whale (large sea mammal)

Derived terms

• 鯨(いさな) (isana), 勇魚(いさな) (isana): whale (see below)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
鯨
いさな Grade: S
kun’yomi

From Old Japanese. Found in the Man'yōshū completed some time after 759 CE,[6] often with the spelling 鯨魚 (literally “whale fish”).

From cognate isa above, suffixed with 魚 (-na, “fish”).[5][4] Sometimes spelled as 勇魚.

Alternative forms

• 勇魚

Pronunciation

• Kun’yomi
• IPA^(key): [isa̠na̠]

Noun

鯨(いさな) • (isana) 

1. (archaic) a whale (large sea mammal)
   • c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 13, poem 3339); text here

     玉桙之 道尓出立 葦引乃 野行山行 潦 川徃渉 鯨名取 海路丹出而...

     玉桙の 道に出で立ち あしひきの 野行き山行き にはたづみ 川行き渡り 鯨魚取り 海道に出でて...
     たまほこの みちにいでたち あしひきの のゆきやまゆき にはたづみ かはゆきわたり いさなとり うみぢにいでて...

     Tamahoko no / michi ni idetachi / ashi hiki no / no yuki yama yuki / niwatazumi / kawa yuki watari / isana tori umiji ni idete...

     Heading out on the jeweled-spear road, going through the alluring fields and mountains, crossing the puddles and rivers, taking to the whaling sea road ...

Derived terms

• 鯨(いさな)取(と)り (isana tori), 勇魚(いさな)取(と)り (isana tori): whaling; an epithet for the sea

References

• Shōjū; Kyōto Daigaku Bungakubu Kokugogaku Kokubungaku Kenkyūshitu (898–901) Shinsen Jikyō (Zōteiban) (in Japanese), Kyōto: Rinsen, published 15 December 1967, →ISBN.
• Minamoto, Shitagō; Kyōto Daigaku Bungakubu Kokugogaku Kokubungaku Kenkyūshitu (931–938) Shohon Shūsei Wamyō Ruijushō: Honbunhen (in Japanese), Kyōto: Rinsen, published 1968, →ISBN.

1. 1891, 言海 (Genkai, “Sea of Words”) (in Japanese), lead editor Ōtsuki Fumihiko. Entry available online here.
2. 2007-2014, 日本辞典 (Nihon Jiten, “Japan Dictionary”), 生物語源辞典 (Seibutsu Gogen Jiten, “Living Organism Etymology Dictionary”) section (in Japanese). Entry available online here.
3. 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
4. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
5. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
6. c. 759, Man'yōshū (book 13, poem 3335), text available online here

---

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 鯨 (MC ɡˠiæŋ).

Recorded as Middle Korean 껴ᇰ (Yale: kkyeng) in Dongguk Jeongun (東國正韻 / 동국정운), 1448.

Recorded as Middle Korean 겨ᇰ (kyeng) (Yale: kyeng) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Hanja

Wikisource鯨 (eumhun 고래 경 (gorae gyeong))

1. Hanja form^? of 경 (“whale”).

Compounds

Compounds

• 포경 (捕鯨, pogyeong)
• 경유 (鯨油, gyeong'yu)
• 경골 (鯨骨, gyeonggol)

References

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

---

Kunigami

Kanji

鯨

• Kun: ぐんじゃ (gunja)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡund͡ʑa/

Noun

鯨 (hiragana ぐんじゃ, romaji gunja)

1. whale

---

Miyako

Kanji

鯨

• Kun: ふづぁ (fudza)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fud͡za/

Noun

鯨 (hiragana ふづぁ, romaji fudza)

1. whale

---

Okinawan

Kanji

鯨

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

Readings

• Kun: ぐじら (gujira, 鯨)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡud͡ʑiɾa/

Noun

鯨 (hiragana ぐじら, romaji gujira)

1. whale

---

Vietnamese

Han character

鯨: Hán Nôm readings: kình, kềnh

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