人

See also: 入 [U+5165 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5165], 𠆢 [U+201A2 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-201A2], ㅅ [U+3145 HANGUL LETTER SIOS], and 亻 [U+4EBB CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4EBB]

人 U+4EBA, 人
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4EBA
← 亹
[U+4EB9]
CJK Unified Ideographs 亻 →
[U+4EBB]
⼈ U+2F08, ⼈
KANGXI RADICAL MAN
← ⼇
[U+2F07]
Kangxi Radicals ⼉ →
[U+2F09]

Translingual

Stroke order
2 strokes
Stroke order

Alternative forms

  • 亻 (when used as a left radical)
  • 𠂉 (when used as an upper radical)

Han character

人 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+0, 2 strokes, cangjie input 人 (O), four-corner 80000, composition ⿸丿㇏)

  1. Kangxi radical #9, ⼈.

Derived characters

References

  • KangXi: page 91, character 1
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 344
  • Dae Jaweon: page 190, character 1
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 101, character 10
  • Unihan data for U+4EBA

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 人
Shang Western Zhou Spring and Autumn Warring States Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Hanjian (compiled in Song) Guwen Sishengyun (compiled in Song) Jizhuan Guwen Yunhai (compiled in Song) Liushutong (compiled in Ming) Libian (compiled in Qing) Tang Stone Classics Kangxi Dictionary (compiled in Qing)
Bronze inscriptions Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Bronze inscriptions Chu slip and silk script Qin slip script Odd character Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts Transcribed ancient scripts Transcribed ancient scripts Transcribed ancient scripts Clerical script Regular script Ming typeface





References:

Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation),
which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including:

  • Shuowen Jiezi (small seal),
  • Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions),
  • Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and
  • Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

Pictogram (象形) – side view of a standing man, highlighting the arms and legs. Compare 大.

Etymology 1

simp. and trad.
人
alternative forms
 
亻 component
𠆢 component
⺈ component
儿 component
𠂉 component
亻 component
𠆢 component
⺈ component
儿 component
𠂉 component
几
𠔽
𤯔
𦉫
寧/宁 Northern Wu

Sagart (1999) relates it to Tibetan ཉེན (nyen, “relative”), from ཉེ (nye, “near”) + nominalizing suffix -n; if so, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-naːj ~ s-nej (“near”).

Schuessler (2007) proposes two etymologies:

  • Same etymon as 仁 (OC *njin, “to be kind; to be good”), from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s/k-niŋ (“heart; brain; mind”). The semantic association of 仁 with 人 was somewhat late, dated to Mencius's time; later on, 仁 would be usually interpreted as "humane, acting like a human being".
  • Related to Proto-Mon-Khmer *ɲaʔ ~ *ɲah (“person”) with a nominalizing suffix -n, from the auto-ethnonym of a hostile, possibly Austroasiatic-speaking, eastern people, whom the Sinitic-speaking Shang referred to as 人方 (OC *njin paŋ).

Pronunciation


Note:
  • nyin4 - vernacular;
  • liin4 - literary.
Note:
  • rêng5 - Jieyang;
  • ring5 - other places.
  • Wu
    • (Shanghainese)
      • Wiktionary: 3nyin; 3zen
      • Sinological IPA (key): /n̠ʲɪɲ²³/, /z̥əɲ²³/
Note:
  • 3nyin - colloquial;
  • 3zen - literary.

  • Dialectal data
Variety Location 人
Mandarin Beijing /ʐən³⁵/
Harbin /ʐən²⁴/
/in²⁴/
Tianjin /in⁴⁵/
/ʐən⁴⁵/
Jinan /ʐẽ⁴²/
Qingdao /iə̃⁴²/
Zhengzhou /ʐən⁴²/
Xi'an /ʐẽ²⁴/
Xining /ʐə̃²¹³/
Yinchuan /ʐəŋ⁵³/
Lanzhou /ʐə̃n⁵³/
Ürümqi /ʐɤŋ⁵¹/
Wuhan /nən²¹³/
Chengdu /zən³¹/
Guiyang /zen²¹/
Kunming /ʐə̃³¹/
Nanjing /ʐən²⁴/
Hefei /ʐən⁵⁵/
Jin Taiyuan /zəŋ¹¹/
Pingyao /ʐəŋ¹³/
Hohhot /ʐə̃ŋ³¹/
Wu Shanghai /ȵiŋ²³/
/zəŋ²³/
Suzhou /zən¹³/
/ȵin¹³/
Hangzhou /zen²¹³/
Wenzhou /zaŋ³¹/ 文讀
/ȵaŋ³¹/ 白讀
/naŋ³¹/ 訓讀
Hui Shexian /iʌ̃⁴⁴/
/niʌ̃⁴⁴/
Tunxi /ian⁴⁴/
Xiang Changsha /ʐən¹³/
Xiangtan /in¹²/
Gan Nanchang /ȵin⁴⁵/
/lɨn⁴⁵/ ~參
Hakka Meixian /ŋin¹¹/
Taoyuan /ŋin¹¹/
Cantonese Guangzhou /jɐn²¹/
Nanning /jɐn²¹/
Hong Kong /jɐn²¹/
Min Xiamen (Min Nan) /lin³⁵/
Fuzhou (Min Dong) /iŋ⁵³/
Jian'ou (Min Bei) /neiŋ³³/
Shantou (Min Nan) /ziŋ⁵⁵/
/naŋ⁵⁵/ 訓讀
Haikou (Min Nan) /zin³¹/
/naŋ³¹/ 訓儂

Rime
Character 人
Reading # 1/1
Initial (聲) 日 (38)
Final (韻) 眞 (43)
Tone (調) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) III
Fanqie 如鄰切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang
/ȵiɪn/
Pan
Wuyun
/ȵin/
Shao
Rongfen
/ȵʑjen/
Edwin
Pulleyblank
/ȵin/
Li
Rong
/ȵiĕn/
Wang
Li
/ȵʑĭĕn/
Bernard
Karlgren
/ȵʑi̯ĕn/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex
rén
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex
jan4
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 人
Reading # 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)
rén
Middle
Chinese
‹ nyin ›
Old
Chinese
/*ni[ŋ]/
English (other) person

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 人
Reading # 1/1
No. 10800
Phonetic
component
人
Rime
group
眞
Rime
subdivision
1
Corresponding
MC rime
仁
Old
Chinese
/*njin/

Definitions

人

  1. man; person; people (Classifier: 個/个 m c; 隻/只 h)
    人類/人类  ―  rénlèi  ―  humans
    那人是誰?/那人是谁?  ―  Nà rén shì shéi?  ―  Who is that person?
    嗰個人係邊個嚟㗎? [Cantonese, trad.]
    嗰个人系边个嚟㗎? [Cantonese, simp.]
    go2 go3 jan4-2 hai6 bin1 go3 lai4 gaa3? [Jyutping]
    Who is that person?
    有人敲門了。/有人敲门了。  ―  Yǒurén qiāomén le.  ―  Someone knocked on the door.
  2. a person associated with a particular identity or trait; -er
    主持人  ―  zhǔchírén  ―  host
    北京人  ―  Běijīngrén  ―  Beijinger
    香港人 [Cantonese]  ―  hoeng1 gong2 jan4 [Jyutping]  ―  Hongkonger
  3. body
    人在心不在  ―  rén zài xīn bù zài  ―  the body is here but the heart is not
    這兩天人不大舒服。 [MSC, trad.]
    这两天人不大舒服。 [MSC, simp.]
    Zhè liǎng tiān rén bùdà shūfú. [Pinyin]
    I [lit. the body] haven't been feeling that well these few days.
    今天上午你人在哪? [MSC, trad. and simp.]
    Jīntiān shàngwǔ nǐ rén zài nǎ? [Pinyin]
    Where have you been this morning?
  4. everybody; everyone
    人手一冊/人手一册  ―  rénshǒu yīcè  ―  It's a bestseller. (lit. Everyone has a copy.)
    人所共知  ―  rénsuǒgòngzhī  ―  common knowledge
  5. other people; others
    人云亦云  ―  rényún yìyún  ―  to follow the crowd (lit. to say what others say)
    害人害己  ―  hàirénhàijǐ  ―  to harm others and onself
  6. physical, psychological or moral quality or condition; character; personality (Classifier: 份 c; 個/个 c)
    就我所知,他人不錯。 [MSC, trad.]
    就我所知,他人不错。 [MSC, simp.]
    Jiùwǒsuǒzhī, tā rén bùcuò. [Pinyin]
    As far as I know, he is kind (lit. his personality is not bad).
    我不知道他是什麼人。 [MSC, trad.]
    我不知道他是什么人。 [MSC, simp.]
    Wǒ bù zhīdào tā shì shénme rén. [Pinyin]
    I don't know what kind of person he is.
    佢到底係咩人嚟㗎? [Cantonese, trad.]
    佢到底系咩人嚟㗎? [Cantonese, simp.]
    keoi5 dou3 dai2 hai6 me1 jan4 lai4 gaa3? [Jyutping]
    Exactly what kind of person is he?
  7. manpower; worker; employee
    我們公司正缺人。/我们公司正缺人。  ―  Wǒmen gōngsī zhèng quē rén.  ―  Our company is short on manpower right now.
  8. talent; person of talent
  9. (obsolete) common people; commoner
  10. adult; grown-up
    長大成人/长大成人  ―  zhǎngdà chéng'rén  ―  to grow up to be an adult
  11. (obsolete) sexual intercourse
    人道  ―  réndào  ―  sexual intercourse
    人事  ―  rénshì  ―  sexual intercourse
  12. (obsolete) company; companion; friend
  13. artificial; man-made
    人禍/人祸  ―  rénhuò  ―  human disaster
  14. (obsolete) human affairs; ways of the world
  15. (obsolete) mortal world; earthly word
  16. (obsolete) Alternative form of 仁 (rén, “kernel”)
  17. (obsolete) Alternative form of 仁 (rén, “charity”)
  18. (obsolete) Alternative form of 仁 (rén, “loving; kind”)
  19. (Beijing) Lenition of 人家 (rénjia).
    別磨蹭啦,人在外頭等著我們呢! [dialectal Mandarin, trad.]
    别磨蹭啦,人在外头等着我们呢! [dialectal Mandarin, simp.]
    Bié móceng la, rén zǎi wàitou děng zhe wǒmen ne! [Pinyin]
    Stop dilly-dallying. He/She/They is/are waiting for us outside!
    哎呀,人孩子考上哈佛大學啦,多出息呀! [dialectal Mandarin, trad.]
    哎呀,人孩子考上哈佛大学啦,多出息呀! [dialectal Mandarin, simp.]
    Āiya, rén háizi kǎoshang Hāfó Dàxué la, duō chūxi ya! [Pinyin]
    Geez, his/her/their kid got into Harvard University. How promising!
    人別人都不吱聲兒,就他把這事兒給說出來了。 [dialectal Mandarin, trad.]
    人别人都不吱声儿,就他把这事儿给说出来了。 [dialectal Mandarin, simp.]
    Rén biéren dōu bù zīshengr, jiù tā bǎ zhèi shìr gěi shuō chulai le. [Pinyin]
    (please add an English translation of this example)
  20. (Taishanese) paternal grandmother
  21. A surname
Synonyms

Compounds

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (人):
  • → Japanese: 人(にん) (nin); 人(じん) (jin)
  • → Korean: 인(人) (in)
  • → Vietnamese: nhân (人)

Etymology 2

simp. and trad.
人
alternative forms 儂/侬
𠆧

The Min native word for “person”; used as a replacement character for 儂. Use of 人 is recommended by Taiwan's Ministry of Education.

Pronunciation 1


Definitions

人 (Coastal Min)

  1. man; person; people; human being; Homo sapiens (Classifier: 個/个 mn; 隻/只 md)
  2. a person associated with a particular identity or trait; -er
    臺灣人/台湾人 [Hokkien]  ―  Tâi-oân-lâng [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  Taiwanese
  3. physical, psychological or moral quality or condition
    伊人𣍐䆀。/伊人𫧃䆀。 [Hokkien]  ―  I lâng bē-bái. [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]  ―  He is kind. (literally, “His personality is not bad.”)
Compounds

Pronunciation 2


Definitions

人 (Coastal Min)

  1. other people
  2. I; me

References

Japanese

Kanji

人

(grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

Compounds

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
人
ひと
Grade: 1
kun’yomi

⟨pi1to2⟩ → */pʲitə/ → /fito/ → /hito/ → /çito/

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *pitə.

Pronunciation

Noun

人(ひと) • (hito)  (counter 人)

  1. a person, human
  2. an individual
    Synonym: 個人 (kojin)
  3. mankind, people
    Synonyms: 人類 (jinrui), 人間 (ningen)
  4. character, personality
    Synonyms: 人格 (jinkaku), 人柄 (hitogara)
  5. an average person
    Synonym: 世人 (sejin, yohito)
  6. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
    Synonyms: 方 (kata), 者 (mono)
  7. (law) This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
  8. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
  9. an adult
    Synonyms: 大人 (otona), 成人 (seijin)
  10. someone (else)
Usage notes
  • When scientifically referring to humans, this term is often spelled in katakana, as ヒト.
  • From Old Japanese or Middle Japanese development, hito is sometimes shifted to -uto, -udo, -to, -tto, or -do.
Derived terms

Pronoun

人(ひと) • (hito) 

  1. (archaic) second-person personal pronoun: you

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
人
にん
Grade: 1
goon

Go-on borrowing from Early Middle Chinese 人 (MC ȵiɪn). Compare Shanghainese nyin.

Pronunciation

Noun

人(にん) • (nin) 

  1. a personality
  2. the role of that person
Derived terms

Counter

人(にん) • (-nin) 

  1. counter for number of people

Affix

人(にん) • (nin) 

  1. man

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
人
じん
Grade: 1
kan’on

Kan-on borrowing from Late Middle Chinese 人 (MC ȵiɪn). Compare Mandarin /ʐən/.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [d͡ʑĩɴ]

Suffix

人(じん) • (-jin) 

  1. person from that group
    アジア人(じん)、イギリス人(じん)、スペイン人(じん)、ドイツ人(じん)、アメリカ人(じん)、スコットランド人(じん)
    Ajiajin, Igirisujin, Supeinjin, Doitsujin, Amerikajin, Sukottorandojin
    an Asian, an Englishman, a Spaniard, a German, an American, a Scot
  2. person who does the activity of the suffixed word
Usage notes

When compounding, makes the accent fall on the 自立拍 (jiritsuhaku, “autonomous mora”) immediately before itself. For example:

There is one notable exception:

Derived terms

Affix

人(じん) • (jin) 

  1. man
  2. Short for 人造 (jinzō): artificial, synthetic

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
人
Grade: 1
irregular

From Old Japanese. The proto-form may have been -ri or -tari, see 二人 (futari, literally “two people”).

Counter

人(り) • (-ri) 

  1. counter for number of people
Derived terms

References

  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
  2. 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 人 (MC ȵiɪn).

Historical Readings
Dongguk Jeongun Reading
Dongguk Jeongun, 1448ᅀᅵᆫ (Yale: zìn)
Middle Korean
TextEumhun
Gloss (hun)Reading
Hunmong Jahoe, 1527사〯ᄅᆞᆷ (Yale: sǎlòm)ᅀᅵᆫ (Yale: zìn)

Pronunciation

Hanja

Wikisource 人 (eumhun 사람 인 (saram in))

  1. Hanja form? of 인 (“human; person”).

Compounds

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

人

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /t͡ɕuː/

Noun

人 (hiragana ちゅー, romaji chū)

  1. person
  2. human

Miyako

Kanji

人

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ps̩tu/

Noun

人 (hiragana ぴぃとぅ, romaji psïtu)

  1. person
  2. human

Okinawan

Kanji

人

(grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

Compounds

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
人
っちゅ
Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /t̚t͡ɕu/

Noun

人 (hiragana っちゅ, rōmaji tchu)

  1. person
  2. human
Derived terms

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
人
ぴとぅ
Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Noun

人 (hiragana ぴとぅ, rōmaji pitu)

  1. people
  2. person
Derived terms
  • 八重山(いぇーやま)人(ぴとぅ) (yēyamapitu): Yaeyamans, Yaeyama people

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
人
にん
Grade: 1
on’yomi

Noun

人 (hiragana にん, rōmaji nin)

  1. person; type of person
Derived terms

Counter

人 (hiragana にん, rōmaji -nin)

  1. counter for number of people
Derived terms

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
人
たい
Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Counter

人 (hiragana い, rōmaji -i)

  1. counter for number of people
Derived terms

Etymology 5

Kanji in this term
人
い
Grade: 1
kun’yomi

Counter

人 (hiragana たい, rōmaji -tai)

  1. counter for number of people
Derived terms

Vietnamese

Hán tự in this term
人

Han character

人: Hán Việt readings: nhân (如(như)鄰(lân)切(thiết))[1][2]
人: Nôm readings: nhơn[1][2][3][4], nhân[1][4], người[1]

  1. (Northern Vietnam) chữ Hán form of nhân (“human”).
  2. (Southern Vietnam) chữ Hán form of nhơn (“human”).

References

  1. Nguyễn et al. (2009).
  2. Trần (2004).
  3. Bonet (1899).
  4. Génibrel (1898).

Yaeyama

Kanji

人

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /pɨtu/

Noun

人 (hiragana ぴぃとぅ, romaji pïtu)

  1. person
  2. human

Yonaguni

Kanji

人

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /tˀu/

Noun

人 (hiragana っとぅ, romaji ttu)

  1. person
  2. human
This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.