犬

Bai: *qʰuaŋ²

/t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn²¹⁴/

/t͡ɕʰyɵn²¹³/

/t͡ɕʰy̯e̞⁴¹/

/t͡ɕʰy̯ɛn²¹⁴/

/t͡ɕʰyɵn²¹³/

/t͡ɕʰy̯e̞⁴¹/

Characters in the same phonetic series (犬) (Zhengzhang, 2003)
Pictogram (象形) – the side view of a dog.
From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *d-kʷəj-n (“dog”); cognate with Tibetan ཁྱི (khyi, “dog”), Burmese ခွေး (hkwe:, “dog”).
This common Sino-Tibetan word has been replaced by 狗 (OC *koːʔ) in most topolects except Eastern Min, such as Fuzhou kēng. In other topolects, this word is mainly found in compounds and not used alone.

Han etyl

警犬

效馬效羊者右牽之；效犬者左牽之。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
效马效羊者右牵之；效犬者左牵之。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Book of Rites, c. 4ᵗʰ – 2ⁿᵈ century BCE

He who is presenting a horse or a sheep should lead it with his right hand. He who is presenting a dog should lead it with his left hand.

Xiào mǎ xiào yáng zhě yòu qiān zhī; xiào quǎn zhě zuǒ qiān zhī. [Pinyin]

(formal or in compounds or Eastern Min, Waxiang, dialectal Wu) dog


剪

/t͡ɕi̯ɛn²¹⁴/

/t͡ɕi̯ɛn²¹⁴/

Originally 𣦃 or 前, a phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ʔslenʔ) : phonetic 歬 (OC *zleːn) + semantic 刀 (“knife”). Since 前 has replaced 歬, an additional 刀 has been added.

Han compound

剪草機／剪草机

剪刀

剪指甲


叽

/t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹/

/t͡ɕi̯ɒu̯⁴⁵/

/t͡ɕi̯ɑʊ̯⁵¹/

/t͡ɕi̯ɒu̯⁴⁵/


助

→ Thai: ช่วย (chûai)

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *zras) : phonetic 且 (OC *sʰjaːʔ, *ʔsa) + semantic 力 (“strong arm”) – to help with one’s strength.


哭

→ Vietnamese: khóc (哭, 泣)

In oracle bone inscriptions, ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 吅 (“loudly”) + person with long hair (Similar to 老 without the cane) – "cry; weep". The pictogram of the person with long hair corrupted into 犬. Evidence suggests 吅 could be an abbreviation of the sound component 咢 (OC *ŋaːɡ), making the character phono-semantic (形聲／形声) .
Shuowen Jiezi interprets it as a phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ŋ̊ʰoːɡ) : semantic 吅 (“to speak loudly”) + abbreviated phonetic 獄 (OC *ŋoɡ).
From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *kuːk (“to weep; to wail”); cognate with Mizo kûk (“to shriek”) (STEDT).
This seems to be an area word; compare Proto-Mon-Khmer *kuk ~ kuuk ~ kuək ~ kək (“to call”), Proto-Austronesian *-kuk (“sound of a sob”) (Schuessler, 2007).


嚨

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *roːŋ) : semantic 口 (“mouth”) + phonetic 龍 (OC *b·roŋ, *mroːŋ).


啥

Probably a fusion of 什麼／什么 (shénme) (Lü, 1985).

煞
𠍽
什
甚
省
薩
撒

這是啥物件？ [Hokkien, trad.]
这是啥物件？ [Hokkien, simp.]

儂辣做啥？ [Shanghainese, trad.]
侬辣做啥？ [Shanghainese, simp.]

吃啥飯？ [Suzhounese, trad.]
吃啥饭？ [Suzhounese, simp.]
Eating what food?

你說啥來著？ [dialectal Mandarin, trad.]
你说啥来着？ [dialectal Mandarin, simp.]

(colloquial, dialectal Mandarin, Southern Min, Wu) what


媳

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *slɯɡ) : semantic 女 (“woman”) + phonetic 息 (OC *slɯɡ).


娶

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *sʰloʔ, *sʰlos, *slo) : phonetic 取 (OC *sʰloːʔ, *sʰloʔ) + semantic 女.
Exoactive of 取 (OC *sʰloːʔ, *sʰloʔ, “to take; to obtain; to collect; to fetch”) (Schuessler, 2007). Compare the etymology of 嫁.
In Min Nan, the vernacular reading is instead from 𤆬 (chhōa, “to lead; to guide”).

och-l

娶老婆

1983, “神鵰大俠”, performed by 劉德華:
「你娶咗佢就一定要愛佢。你唔愛佢又何必娶佢呢？你娶咗佢而唔愛佢；此事誓難允許！」 [Cantonese, trad.]
「你娶咗佢就一定要爱佢。你唔爱佢又何必娶佢呢？你娶咗佢而唔爱佢；此事誓难允许！」 [Cantonese, simp.]

"If you marry her, you must love her. If you do not love her, why marry her? Marrying her and not loving her—this is something I cannot permit!"

“nei⁵ cou² zo² keoi⁵ zau⁶ jat¹ ding⁶ jiu³ oi³ keoi⁵. nei⁵ m⁴ oi³ keoi⁵ jau⁶ ho⁴ bit¹ cou² keoi⁵ ne¹? nei⁵ cou² zo² keoi⁵ ji⁴ m⁴ oi³ keoi⁵; ci² si⁶ sai⁶ naan⁴ wan⁵ heoi²!” [Jyutping]


嫑

(regional) Contraction of 不要 (bùyào, “do not”).


嬸

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *hljɯmʔ) : semantic 女 (“woman”) + phonetic 審 (OC *hljɯmʔ).
Monosyllabic fusion of 叔母 (MC syuwk muwX, “father's younger brother + wife”).

ltc-l

paternal aunt (wife of father's younger brother)


屢

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ros) : semantic 尸 + phonetic 婁 (OC *ɡ·roː, *ɡ·ro).


嶼

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ljaʔ) : semantic 山 + phonetic 與 (OC *la, *laʔ, *las).
This character was affected by misreadings, or Youbian dubian.

Han compound

基隆嶼／基隆屿

Xiandai Hanyu Guifan Cidian
Youbian dubian


巷

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ɡroːŋs) : phonetic 共 (OC *kloŋ, *ɡloŋs) + semantic 己 (“oneself”)
From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *grwaŋ (“village; crossroads”) (STEDT). Cognate with Tibetan གྲོང (grong, “house; village; town”). Old Khmer កុរុង (kuruṅ, “to rule; ruler; king”) (whence Khmer ក្រុង (krong) and Thai กรุง (grung)) is probably unrelated (Schuessler, 2007).
Wu 弄 (lon, “alley”) and Jin 黑浪 (heh4 lon2, “hutong”) are dialectal variants which support the Old Chinese *gr- initial cluster of 巷 (OC *ɡroːŋs) (Schuessler, 2007). Compare also 衚衕／胡同 (hútòng, “hutong”).


廟

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (廟):
* → Japanese: 廟(びょう) (byō)
* → Korean: 묘(廟) (myo)
* → Vietnamese: miếu (廟)

→ Proto-Be: *miːwᴮꟲ²

Lingao: miu⁴

desc

→ Lü: ᦶᦖᧁᧈ (ṁaew¹)

→ Lü: ᦶᦖᧁᧈ (ṁaew¹)

/miːu̯²²⁻³⁵/

/ᵐbiau³²⁻³²⁵/

/miːu̯²²⁻³⁵/

/ᵐbiau³²⁻³²⁵/

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *mrews) : semantic 广 + phonetic 朝 (OC *ʔr'ew, *r'ew).
Possibly related to Proto-Hmong-Mien *prəuX (“house”) (Schuessler, 2007).

Han compound

(architecture, religion) temple (Classifier: 座; 間／间)

廟小妖風大，池淺王八多／庙小妖风大，池浅王八多

miào xiǎo yāofēng dà, chí qiǎn wángbā duō


悔

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *hmɯːʔ, *hmɯːs) : semantic 忄 + phonetic 每 (OC *mɯːʔ).

Han compound

(literary, or in compounds) to repent; to show remorse; to regret


戊

→ Zhuang: fouh


擀

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *kaːnʔ) : semantic 手 (“hand”) + phonetic 幹 (OC *kaːns).

Han compound

to roll (dough, nuts, etc. in order to flatten or crush)


斧

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *paʔ) : phonetic 父 (OC *paʔ, *baʔ) + semantic 斤 (“axe”)
From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *r-pʷa (“axe”) (STEDT). Cognate with Garo rua (“axe”), Jingpho nwa, ningwa (“axe”), Tangut 𘟬 (*wjị¹, “axe”), Japhug tɯrpa (“axe”).


曆

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *reːɡ) : phonetic 厤 (OC *reːɡ) + semantic 日 (“sun; day”).
Derivative, meaning "calendar" < "calendrical calculations" (Shu), of 歷 (OC *rêk) "to calculate". See there for more.


杏

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 木 (“wood”) + 口 (“mouth”) – perhaps referring to the tastiness of its fruit.
Shuowen considers it to be a phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ɡraːŋʔ) : semantic 木 (“wood”) + abbreviated phonetic 可 (OC *kʰaːlʔ), but this is unlikely.


楝

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ɡ·reːns) : 木 + 柬.

Han compound

Melia azedarach
Melia azedarach#Translingual

bead tree (Melia azedarach, formerly known as Melia japonica), a tree in the mahogany family


柿

→ Proto-Mien: *djəiᴮ

/t͡sʰiː¹³⁻³⁵/

/t͡sʰiː¹³⁻³⁵/

Originally written as 柹: Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *zrɯʔ) : semantic 木 + phonetic 𠂔 ().
The current form is phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *zrɯʔ) : semantic 木 + phonetic 市 (OC *djɯʔ).


櫻

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *qreːŋ) : semantic 木 + phonetic 嬰 (OC *qeŋ).


毯

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *l̥ʰaːmʔ) : semantic 毛 + phonetic 炎 (OC *ɦlam).


泹

把豆芽放在鍋裡泹一下撈起來涼拌。 [Sichuanese, trad.]
把豆芽放在锅里泹一下捞起来凉拌。 [Sichuanese, simp.]

From: 成都话方言词典

Put the bean sprouts in the pot to parboil them, and scoop them out to prepare a cold salad.

Ba³ dou⁴ya² fang⁴ zai⁴ ko¹ ni³ dan³ i²ha⁴ nau¹ qi³nai² niang²ban⁴. [Sichuanese Pinyin]


涷

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *toːŋ, *toːŋs) : semantic 水 (“water”) + phonetic 東 (OC *toːŋ, “east”)
Hmong-Mien; compare Proto-Mien *mbluŋC (“rain”), which possibly relates to Proto-Hmong *m-noŋC (“rain”) (Schuessler, 2007).

Han compound

廣開兮天門，
紛吾乘兮玄雲。
令飄風兮先驅，
使涷雨兮灑塵。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
广开兮天门，
纷吾乘兮玄云。
令飘风兮先驱，
使𰛒雨兮洒尘。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: The Verses of Chu, 4ᵗʰ century BCE – 2ⁿᵈ century CE

Wide open is the Gate of Heaven;Chaotically I ride the dark clouds.I command the whirl-winds to advance;I order the torrential rain to sprinkle the dust.

Guǎngkāi xī tiānmén,Fēn wú chéng xī xuányún.Lìng piāofēng xī xiānqū,Shǐ dōngyǔ xī sǎ chén. [Pinyin]


滗

For pronunciation and definitions of 滗 – see 潷 (“to decant; to drain; to strain”).
(This character is the simplified form of 潷).
 Notes:
Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore.
Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.


滓

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ʔsrɯʔ) : semantic 氵 + phonetic 宰 (OC *ʔsɯːʔ).


爐

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *raː) : semantic 火 (“fire”) + phonetic 盧 (OC *b·raː). Originally written 盧, see there for more.


瓢

Cognate with 匏 (OC *bruː, “gourd”), as well as Proto-Lolo-Burmese *pu (“pumpkin, gourd”), whence Burmese ဘူး (bhu:, “gourd”) (STEDT).


痠

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *sloːn) : semantic 疒 (“illness; disease”) + phonetic 夋 (OC *sʰlun).


甦

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : from 更生 (“to be reborn”).
From *s- (“causative prefix”) + a root **ŋˤa, the latter found in 寤 (OC *ŋˤa-s, “to awake”), 悟 (OC *ŋˤa-s, “to awake; to realize”) (Baxter and Sagart, 2014; Schuessler, 2007).
Alternatively, Zhang, Jacques, and Lai (2019) compare it to Japhug sŋa (“to come to oneself”), Cogtse Situ [Term?] (kə-mə-sŋâr, “to feel cold”), Brag-bar Situ [Term?] (kə-mə-sŋiɛ̂r, “to come to oneself”).

cog

(literary) to revive; to resuscitate; to regain consciousness


疫

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ɢʷeɡ) : semantic 疒 (“sickness”) + abbreviated phonetic 役 (OC *ɢʷeɡ).


瘓

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *tqʰʷaːnʔ) : semantic 疒 + phonetic 奐 (OC *qʰʷaːns).


痔

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *dɯʔ) : semantic 疒 (“sickness”) + phonetic 寺 (OC *ljɯs)


癱

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *n̥ʰaːn) : semantic 疒 + phonetic 難 (OC *n̥ʰaːn, *naːns).


痧

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声) : semantic 疒 (“illness; disease”) + phonetic 沙 (OC *sraːl, *sraːls).

traditional Chinese medicine
traditional Chinese medicine

(traditional Chinese medicine or dialectal) acute illness, such as heatstroke, cholera, and measles


爸

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *praːs, *baʔ) : semantic 父 (“father”) + phonetic 巴 (OC *praː).
Colloquial form of 父 (OC *baʔ, “father”), from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *p/ba (“male; father”).

inh

我爸是李剛！／我爸是李刚！


碑

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *pre) : semantic 石 (“stone”) + phonetic 卑 (OC *pe).

Han compound

墓碑

界碑

紀念碑／纪念碑


癌

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声) : semantic 疒 + phonetic 嵒 (OC *ŋrɯːm, *ŋjab); 嵒／岩 (yán) is a variant of 岩 (yán).
From 岩 (yán, “cliff; rock, stone”), since some cancers present as lumps or outgrowths on the body.
In Mandarin, this character used to be pronounced identically as 岩 (yán). Its pronunciation was changed to ái in December 1962 to avoid the homophony between 癌 (yán, “cancer”) and 炎 (yán, “inflammation”) (compare 肺炎 (fèiyán, “pneumonia”) and 肺癌 (fèi'ái, “lung cancer”)). The new pronunciation ái stems from dialectal pronunciations of 岩 (“rock; cliff”) /ŋai/, influenced by 崖 (yá, yái, “cliff”).

癌症

致癌

肺癌

直男癌

male chauvinism (literally, “straight men's cancer”)


窗

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (窗):
* → Korean: 창(窓) (chang)
* → Vietnamese: song (窗)

→ Zhuang: cueng

/ʈ͡ʂʰu̯ɑŋ⁵⁵/

/tʰɔŋ³³⁻³³⁵/

/t͡ɕʰy̯æn³³/

/ʈ͡ʂʰu̯ɑŋ⁵⁵/

/tʰɔŋ³³⁻³³⁵/

/t͡ɕʰy̯æn³³/

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 穴 (“hole”) + 囱 (“window”).
From circumstantial noun prefix *s- + 通 (OC l̥ˤoŋ, “to penetrate”), literally "where light penetrates" (Baxter and Sagart, 2014).

Han compound

窻
䆫
窓
牕
*囪
囱
牎
𤗄
𪺠
𤗉
𮈾
𡆧

窗簾／窗帘

打開個窗／打开个窗 [Cantonese] ― daa² hoi¹ go³ coeng¹ [Jyutping] ― to open the window


箏

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (箏):
* → Japanese: 箏(そう) (sō)
* → Korean: 쟁(箏) (jaeng)
* → Vietnamese: tranh (箏)

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ʔsreːŋ) : semantic 竹 (“bamboo”) + phonetic 爭 (OC *ʔsreːŋ).

Han compound

古箏／古筝 ― gǔzhēng ― guzheng


綁

綁鞋帶／绑鞋带 [Cantonese] ― bong² haai⁴ daai³⁻² [Jyutping] ― to tie up shoelaces


粽

→ Thai: จ้าง (jâang)

/t͡sʊŋ³³⁻³⁵/

/t͡sʊŋ³³⁻³⁵/

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ʔsoːŋs) : semantic 米 (“rice”) + phonetic 宗 (OC *ʔsuːŋ).
First attested in Fengsu Tongyi (195). Bencao Gangmu claimed it was derived from 棕 (zōng, “palm tree”) due to similar shapes of zongzi and palm tree leaves.

Han compound

zongzi (dumpling made of glutinous rice, wrapped in leaves) (Classifier: 隻／只 c)


胯

Uncertain. Compare with Burmese ခွ (hkwa., “crotch, fork, groin”).


舀

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 爪 (“hand”) + 臼 (“mortar, vessel”).
Related to 揄 (OC *l'oː, *l'oːʔ, *lu, *lo, “to scoop out”) (Schuessler, 2007). Compare Mizo lâwk, lawh (“to scoop up; to shovel up”), Mon ဂၠံက် (“to scoop up; to scoop out”) (Schuessler, 2007).

och-l

𦥝
𤔘
抌
抭
㧒
𦥟
𦥞
𦥨
𥦶
𦥵
𦦌


艦

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (艦):
* → Japanese: 艦(かん) (kan)
* → Korean: 함(艦) (ham)
* → Vietnamese: hạm (艦)

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ɡraːmʔ) : semantic 舟 + phonetic 監 (OC *kraːm, *kraːms).
"Warship (with boards installed on its four sides to defend against arrow attacks)" (Shiming) > "warship" > "ship" (Guangya). A specialised character derived from 檻 (OC *ɡraːmʔ, *ɡraːms, “fence, railing, board”); see there for more on the external etymology.
This character is a classic example of historical misreadings of unfamiliar characters. The l- initial in southern dialects is probably due to confusion with 濫 (MC lamH, “to overflow”), not due to divergent evolutions of the Old Chinese cluster initial *gr- as this character is often cited as an example of. Likewise, the readings in other Chinese are misreadings, although this is more subtle. Expected Mandarin reflex is xiàn, and jiàn is due to confusion with 鑑 (MC kaemH, “mirror; to reflect”). Wu and Eastern Min readings are results of confusion with 檻 (MC haemX, “doorsill”). Despite these irregularities, all the Sinoxenic readings are regular.


菱

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *rɯŋ) : semantic 艸 (“grass; plant”) + phonetic 夌 (OC *rɯŋ).

Han compound

water caltrop; water chestnut (Trapa natans)


臍

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *zliːl) : semantic 肉 (“meat; flesh”) + phonetic 齊 (OC *zliːl, *zliːls).
Probably from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-taj (“navel; abdomen; centre; self”) (Weidert, 1987; Schuessler, 2007), with metathesis of *s-t- > *dz- (STEDT). Cognate with Tibetan ལྟེ (lte, “navel”), Chepang तोय् (“navel”), and more distantly, Burmese လယ် (lai, “center, middle”).


蔗

/t͡siɛ²¹⁻²¹⁵/

/t͡siɛ²¹⁻²¹⁵/

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *tjaːɡs) : semantic 艹 + phonetic 庶 (OC *hljaɡs).
See 藷蔗／薯蔗 (zhūzhè).

zh-l

藷蔗／薯蔗 (zhūzhè)


薸

Possibly related to 漂 (OC *pʰew, “to float; to drift”) (Liu, 1999).
Norman and Mei (1976) suggest instead that this word is of Austroasiatic origin, comparing it to Vietnamese bèo (“duckweed”), which they further relate to Mon ဗေဝ် (“to ride low in the water”) (< Proto-Mon-Khmer *ber (“to float”)). However, Sagart (2008) counts it among "either East Asian areal words if not Chinese words in disguise".


蒜

→ Lisu: ꓢꓪꓮꓠꓸ (swɑ́n)

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *sloːns) : semantic 艸 + phonetic 祘 (OC *sloːns).
Matisoff considers this to be derived from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *swa-n (“garlic”), but more likely this may be a plant imported from the Western Regions in the Qin–Han era. The relatively late attestation and the earlier form of 卵蒜 (luǎnsuàn) attest to the latter theory.
Compare Sanskrit लशुन (laśuna), Pali lasuṇa, lasuna. The Old Chinese reconstruction was revised to a *-or rhyme in the Baxter–Sagart system, akin to its homophone 算 (“to calculate”). Hence compare Persian سیر (sir, “garlic”), Khotanese sārmā- (“the plant Basella cordifolia or B. lucida or B. rubra”), Hungarian sárma (“Ornithogalum sp.”), as well as Turkish sarımsak, Mongolian саримс (sarims).
Either way this word is cognate with the second syllable of Burmese ကြက်သွန် (krakswan, “onion”), ကြက်သွန်ဖြူ (krakswanhpru, “garlic”).


薑

desc

→ Lisu: ꓚꓬꓺ (tʃɑ̱), ꓚꓬꓮꓥꓺ (tʃɑ̱ŋ)

→ Lisu: ꓚꓬꓺ (tʃɑ̱), ꓚꓬꓮꓥꓺ (tʃɑ̱ŋ)

→ Spanish: kion, kión

→ Zhuang: gieng

/kiaŋ³³⁻³³⁵/

/kiaŋ³³⁻³³⁵/

Originally 䕬, a phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *kaŋ) : semantic 艸 (“grass; plant”) + phonetic 彊 (OC *kaŋs, *ɡaŋ, *ɡaŋʔ).
Note that the simplified form 姜 (OC *klaŋ) is also a traditional character on its own.
From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *kjaŋ (“ginger”). Compare Burmese ချင်း (hkyang:).

Han compound

蒙舍蠻以椒、薑、桂和烹而飲之。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
蒙舍蛮以椒、姜、桂和烹而饮之。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

The Mengshe Barbarians use pepper, ginger, and cinnamon to boil as a drink.

Méngshè Mán yǐ jiāo, jiāng, guì hé pēng ér yǐn zhī. [Pinyin]


蝴

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ɡaː) : semantic 虫 (“insect”) + phonetic 胡 (OC *ɡaː).


蠍

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *qʰad) : semantic 虫 + phonetic 歇 (OC *qʰad).

Han compound

蠍子／蝎子 ― xiēzi ― scorpion


褂

/kʷʰaː³³⁻³⁵/

/kʷʰaː³³⁻³⁵/

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声) : semantic 衣 (“clothes”) + phonetic 卦.


襬

(Sichuanese) the one or two pieces making up the front of a Chinese jacket


襖

→? Proto-Bahnaric: *ʔaːw (“shirt”)

Bahnar: ao (“shirt”)

→? Khmer: អាវ (ʼaaw)

desc

→? Proto-Vietic: *ʔaːwʔ (“upper garment”)

Vietnamese: áo

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *quːʔ, *quːʔ) : semantic 衣 (“clothing”) + phonetic 奧 (OC *quːɡs).


裙

CJKV/code

Sino-Xenic (裙):
* → Vietnamese: quần (裙)

/t͡ɕʰynə̯ɻ³⁵/

/t͡ɕʰynə̯ɻ³⁵/

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ɡlun) : semantic 衤 (“clothing”) + phonetic 君 (OC *klun).

Han compound

skirt; apron; dress; petticoat (Classifier: 條／条 c)

GT - General Taiwanese (no specific region identified)


褲

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *kʰʷaːs) : semantic 衣 (“clothing”) + phonetic 庫 (OC *kʰaːs).

Han compound

pants; trousers (Classifier: 條／条 c; 領／领 mn)


襪

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *mad) : semantic 衣 (“clothing”) + phonetic 蔑 (OC *meːd, *meːd).

Han compound

袜
韤
韈
𥀯
韎
𤿗
𥿉
帓
𤿖
靺

sock; stocking (Classifier: 隻／只 c; 對／对 c)


蠅

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *b·lɯŋ) : semantic 虫 (“insect”) + phonetic 黽 (OC *mlenʔ, *mliŋʔ, *mreːŋʔ).
From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-b-(r/j)aŋ (“fly; bee”). Compare 虻 (OC mˁraŋ, “"horsefly"”), Tibetan སྦྲང་བུ (sbrang bu, “bee”), Burmese ယင် (yang, “fly”), Chepang याङ् (“insect; fly”), Japhug ɣʑo (“bee”) (STEDT; Coblin, 1986; Benedict, 1972; Schuessler, 2007; Zhang, Jacques, and Lai, 2019).


蠶

Bodman (1980) relates this to Tibetan སྡོམ (sdom, “spider”). Perhaps cognate to 蔪 (OC *zamʔ, “to entwine”) (Schuessler, 2007), as well as 縶 (OC *tib, “to rope, tether, bind”), with these terms deriving from a Proto-Sino-Tibetan *tip ~ *tu(p/m) (“to wrap up”), whence Burmese ထုပ် (htup, “to wrap, bundle”) (STEDT). The silkworm would thus be seen as a "wrapping (bug)", which is particularly apt when considering the process of sericulture.

der

蚕
𧉏
蝅
𧑯
𧌩
䗝
䗞
䘉
𧕽
𧖟
蠺


豇

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *kroːŋ) : semantic 豆 (“bean”) + phonetic 工 (OC *koːŋ).


豺

/t͡sʰaːi̯²¹/

/t͡sʰaːi̯²¹/

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *zrɯː) : semantic 豸 (“creature”) + phonetic 才 (OC *zlɯː, *zlɯːs).

Han compound

豺祭獸，然後田獵。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
豺祭兽，然后田猎。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

When the dhole sacrificed its prey, the hunting commenced.

豺狼

豺狗 ― cháigǒu ― dhole


蹅

/t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/

/t͡ɕʰi̯ɛn⁵⁵/


躺

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *tʰaːŋʔ) : semantic 身 (“body”) + phonetic 尚 (OC *djaŋ, *djaŋs).

Han compound

躺在床上


蹤

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ʔsloŋ) and ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : semantic 足 (“foot”) + phonetic 從 (OC *zloŋ, *zloŋ, *zloŋs, “follow”)


錳

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声) : semantic 金 (“metal”) + phonetic 孟.
From New Latin manganum.


靴

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *hʷa) : semantic 革 (“leather”) + phonetic 化 (OC *hŋʷraːls).

Han compound

鞾
𩎁
韡
𩍇
𡲲
㞜
𩋖
𩋾
𩍍


韭

/t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴/

/t͡ɕi̯əu̯⁴¹/

/t͡ɕi̯oʊ̯²¹⁴/

/t͡ɕi̯əu̯⁴¹/

Pictogram (象形) – leek in the ground (一).

Allium tuberosum
Allium tuberosum#Translingual

garlic chives; Chinese chives; Chinese leek (Allium tuberosum)


雹

⇒ Zhuang: lwgbag

/tʰɔk̚³²⁻²¹/

/tʰɔk̚³²⁻²¹/

Characters in the same phonetic series (勹) (Zhengzhang, 2003)
Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *bruːɡ) : semantic 雨 (“rain”) + phonetic 包 (OC *pruː).
From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m-bru(ŋ/k) (“dragon; thunder”), whence also 龍 (OC *b·roŋ, *mroːŋ, “dragon”) (STEDT).


騾

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *roːl) : semantic 馬 (“horse”) + phonetic 累 (OC *ruːls, *rolʔ, *rols). Written as 驘 in Shuowen.

Han compound

骡
*驘
*臝
䯁
𩦻
𩧣

趙簡子有兩白騾而甚愛之。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
赵简子有两白骡而甚爱之。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Lü Buwei, Master Lü's Spring and Autumn Annals, 239 BCE

Viscount Jian of Zhao had two white mules which he liked very much.

Zhào Jiǎnzǐ yǒu liǎng bái luó ér shèn ài zhī. [Pinyin]

mule (offspring of a donkey and a horse, sometimes specifically the offspring of a male donkey and a female horse) (Classifier: 匹 m; 頭／头 m; 隻／只 mn)


魷

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声) : semantic 魚 (“fish”) + phonetic 尤 (OC *ɢʷɯ).

Only used in 魷魚／鱿鱼 (yóuyú, “squid”); also used as its short form.


鬍

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声) : semantic 髟 (“hair”) + phonetic 胡 (OC *ɡaː).
From 胡 (OC *ɡaː, “wattle; dewlap of an animal”), i.e. “that which hangs down from the chin” (Wang, 1980).
STEDT proposes that this word comes from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *g-wu (“beard”), but there are phonological problems with this reconstruction.


驢

→ Vietnamese: lừa

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *b·ra) : semantic 馬 (“horse”) + phonetic 盧 (OC *b·raː).

Han compound

donkey; ass (Classifier: 頭／头 m; 條／条 m; 匹 m; 隻／只 c mn)


鴣

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *kaː) : phonetic 古 (OC *kaːʔ) + semantic 鳥 (“bird”).


鷥

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *slɯ) : phonetic 絲 (OC *slɯ) + semantic 鳥 (“bird”)


鸚

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *qreːŋ) : phonetic 嬰 (OC *qeŋ) + semantic 鳥 (“bird”).
From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ɣrēŋ (“a kind of parrot”); cognate with Jingpho [script needed] (ukhriŋ¹, “small parrot”) (Peiros & Starostin, 1996).


鷹

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) and phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *qɯŋ) : phonetic 䧹 (OC *qɯŋ, “eagle; hawk”) + semantic 鳥 (“bird”).
This word is possibly related to Proto-Sino-Tibetan *g-la(ŋ/k) (“bird of prey”), which is likely a loan from Proto-Mon-Khmer *laŋ ~ *laaŋ ~ *laiŋ (“large raptor”) > Proto-Bahnaric *klaːŋ (“hawk”), Proto-Palaungic *klaːŋ (“kite”), Mon လနေၚ် (“kite”), Khmer ខ្លែង (khlaeng, “kite”); within Tibeto-Burman, compare Tibetan གླག (glag, “eagle; vulture”), Burmese လင်းတ (lang:ta., “vulture”), Jingpho lang (“bird of the falcon family”) (Benedict, 1972; STEDT).
This word agrees better with Tibetan སྐྱིང་སེར (skying ser, “eagle; vulture”) if the Old Chinese is reconstructed as *s-ki̯əŋ (Benedict, 1990; Schuessler, 2007); Benedict (1976) reconstructs Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-kiŋ for this, which Benedict (1990) suggests is the native Sino-Tibetan root.

cog

禿鷹／秃鹰

雀鷹／雀鹰 ― quèyīng ― sparrowhawk

貓頭鷹／猫头鹰

a bird of prey of Accipitriformes (eagles, hawks, kites, vultures), Falconiformes (falcons) or Strigiformes (owls)


鷺

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *raːɡs) : phonetic 路 (OC *ɡ·raːɡs) + semantic 鳥 (“bird”).
Compare Khmer ក្រក (krɑɑk, “species of heron”), Thai ร้า (ráa, “species of heron”) (Schuessler, 2007).


鱉

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ped) : phonetic 敝 (OC *beds, *bed) + semantic 魚.

Han compound

Pelodiscus sinensis
Wikispecies:Pelodiscus sinensis

soft-shell turtle (any turtle in the family Trionychidae, especially Pelodiscus sinensis)


鴉

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *qraː) : phonetic 牙 (OC *ŋraː) + semantic 鳥 (“bird”).
From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ka-n (“crow”). Doublet of 烏 (OC *qaː, “crow; raven”) . The Middle Chinese of 鴉 retains the earlier vowel.
Schuessler (2007) disputes Old Chinese reconstructions with medial *-r-, reasoning that 鴉's place among Division II syllables (often from Old Chinese syllables containing *-r-) results rather from archaism which preserves the original vowel's quality.

Han compound

民食芻豢，麋鹿食薦，蝍且甘帶，鴟鴉耆鼠，四者孰知正味？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
民食刍豢，麋鹿食荐，蝍且甘带，鸱鸦耆鼠，四者孰知正味？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: Zhuangzi, circa 3ʳᵈ – 2ⁿᵈ centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

Men eat animals that have been fed on grain and grass; elaphures feed on the thick-set grass; centipedes enjoy small snakes; owls and crows delight in mice; but does any one of the four know the right taste?

Mín shí chúhuàn, mílù shí jiàn, jíqiě gān dài, chīyā qí shǔ, sì zhě shú zhī zhèngwèi? [Pinyin]

枯藤老樹昏鴉，小橋流水人家。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
枯藤老树昏鸦，小桥流水人家。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: 13ᵗʰ century – 14ᵗʰ century, 馬致遠 (Ma Zhiyuan), 秋思 (Autumn Thoughts)

Withered vines, an old tree, evening crows; small bridges, flowing stream, family houses.

Kūténg lǎoshù hūnyā, xiǎoqiáo liúshuǐ rénjiā. [Pinyin]


鵝

→ Guiqiong: wo

/ᵑɡᵘɔ²²⁻²²⁵/

/ᵑɡᵘɔ²²⁻²²⁵/

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ŋaːl) : phonetic 我 (OC *ŋaːlʔ) + semantic 鳥.
From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ŋa-n (“goose”); cognate with Tibetan ངང་པ (ngang pa), Burmese ငန်း (ngan:). However, the final consonants of the proposed cognates are possibly irreconcilable; they could instead be independently coined through onomatopoeia (Schuessler, 2007; Hill, 2019).
Related to 雁 (OC *ŋraːns, “wild goose”); see there for more.

Han compound

domestic goose (as opposed to a wild goose – 雁 (yàn)) (Classifier: 隻／只 m c mn)


𨈓

(Sichuanese, of a body) thin; slender; skinny


𨃅

From 跛 (OC *paːlʔ). The Mandarin pronunciation are borrowings from Southern Min.

(Southwestern Mandarin, Xiang) lame; crippled


𣲩

(Sichuanese) Classifier for bodily fluids and excrement: pool; puddle


𫏁

(Sichuanese) Alternative form of 跍 (gu¹, ku², “to squat; to stay”)


𡎚

程𡎚 ― Chéngpiǎn ― a village in Leshan, Sichuan

任河𡎚 ― Rènhépiǎn ― a village in Qionglai, Sichuan

長河𡎚／长河𡎚

(Sichuanese) A narrow and flat piece of land (usually along a river). A character mostly used in toponyms in Sichuan and Chongqing.


𬂁

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声) : semantic 肉 (“meat”) + phonetic 君.


𩛲

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声) : semantic 食 (“food”) + phonetic 芒.

(Sichuanese, childish) to feed (a child something)


𮰵

/tä⁵¹ t͡ɕi³⁵/

/ta²¹³ t͡ɕi²¹/

/taːi̯²² kɐt̚⁵/

/tʰaɪ⁵³⁻⁵⁵ kit̚¹/

/tai²²⁻²¹ kiɛt̚³²/

/tai⁴¹⁻²² kiɛt̚⁵/

/tai²²⁻²¹ kiɛt̚³²/

/tai³³⁻¹¹ kiɛt̚³²/

/tai³³⁻²¹ kiɛt̚³²/

/tä⁵¹ t͡ɕi³⁵/

/ta²¹³ t͡ɕi²¹/

/taːi̯²² kɐt̚⁵/

/tʰaɪ⁵³⁻⁵⁵ kit̚¹/

/tai²²⁻²¹ kiɛt̚³²/

/tai⁴¹⁻²² kiɛt̚⁵/

/tai²²⁻²¹ kiɛt̚³²/

/tai³³⁻¹¹ kiɛt̚³²/

/tai³³⁻²¹ kiɛt̚³²/