半
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Translingual
    
| Stroke order | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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Alternative forms
    
Han character
    
半 (Kangxi radical 24, 十+3, 5 strokes, cangjie input 火手 (FQ), four-corner 90500, composition ⿻丷𰀁(GHTJV) or ⿻八𰀁(K))
- Shuowen Jiezi radical №18
References
    
- KangXi: page 156, character 7
- Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 2707
- Dae Jaweon: page 354, character 6
- Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 46, character 1
- Unihan data for U+534A
Chinese
    
| simp. and trad. | 半 | |
|---|---|---|
Glyph origin
    
Ideogrammic compound (會意) : 八 (“to divide”) + 牛 (“cow”) – to cut a cow into two halves.
Etymology
    
From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *par. Related to 畔 (OC *baːns, “bank between fields”), which is an endopassive of 半 (OC *paːns, “half”), lit. "be separated from".
Pronunciation
    
Usage notes
    
半 (bàn) + classifier + noun indicate half of something, while number + classifier + 半 (bàn) + noun means "and a half".
Compounds
    
| 
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Further reading
    
- “Entry #1397”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (in Chinese and Min Nan), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2011.
Japanese
    
| Shinjitai | 半 | |
| Kyūjitai [1] | 半󠄁 半+ 󠄁?(Adobe-Japan1) |  | 
| 半󠄃 半+ 󠄃?(Hanyo-Denshi) (Moji_Joho) | ||
| The displayed kanji may be different from the image due to your environment. See here for details. | ||
Readings
    
Compounds
    
Suffix
    
半 • (-han)
- and a half
- 四倍半- yon-bai han
- four and a half times
 
- 二十二年半- nijūni-nen han
- twenty-two and a half years
 
 
- 四倍半
References
    
- “半”, in 漢字ぺディア (Kanjipedia) (in Japanese), 日本漢字能力検定協会, 2015—2023
Korean
    
    Etymology
    
From Middle Chinese 半 (MC puɑnH). Recorded as Middle Korean 반 (pan) (Yale: pan) in Sinjeung Yuhap (新增類合 / 신증유합), 1576.
Pronunciation
    
- (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [pa̠(ː)n]
- Phonetic hangul: [반(ː)]- Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.
 
Compounds
    
Vietnamese
    
    Han character
    
半: Hán Việt readings: bán (
半: Nôm readings: bán[1][2][3][4][5][6], bớn[3][4][5][6], bướng[3][7], vắn[1], búng[2], bận[3], ban[3], bướn[5]  
References
    
- Nguyễn (2014).
- Nguyễn et al. (2009).
- Trần (2004).
- Bonet (1899).
- Génibrel (1898).
- Taberd & Pigneau de Béhaine (1838).
- Hồ (1976).