如

如 (Kangxi radical 38, 女+3, 6 strokes, cangjie input 女口 (VR), four-corner 4640₀, composition ⿰女口)

• 侞, 𢘾, 𫼰, 洳, 𬍣, 𥆃, 𥞚, 𦀌, 袽, 銣(铷), 𨚴, 𬷑, 茹, 㾒, 筎, 𩂰, 𬼤, 𭄥, 帤, 𭚯, 恕, 挐, 桇, 𤈟, 𤥏, 𤯥, 𥙦, 㖲, 𥹡, 絮, 𧊟, 䘫, 𧧏, 𨦔, 𨾵, 𩶯, 鴽(𫛪), 𩴿, 𫱖

• KangXi: page 255, character 21
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6060
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1025, character 9
• Unihan data for U+5982

Historical forms of the character 如
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Ideogrammic compound (會意) and phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *nja, *njas) : phonetic 女 (OC *naʔ, *nas, “woman”) + semantic 口 (“mouth”) – a woman obeying an order.

Sino-Tibetan; compare Mru [script needed] (na, “to be so”), Mizo na nâ nâ (“it being so; since”) (Schuessler, 2007). Also compare Old Mon [script needed] (ñaṅ, “resembling; like”) (ibid.).

如

1. to be like; as; as if; as though

   • 遂為母子如初。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     遂为母子如初。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE

     Suì wéi mǔzǐ rúchū. [Pinyin]

     Thus they were reconciled as mother and son just like before.

   • 神啊，我的心切慕你，如鹿切慕溪水。 [MSC, trad. and simp.]

     From: 新標點和合本 (Chinese Union Version with New Punctuation), 詩篇 (Psalm) 42:1

     Shén a, wǒ de xīn qièmù nǐ, rú lù qièmù xīshuǐ. [Pinyin]

     As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.

2. to comply with; to agree with; to fit

   如此  ―  rúcǐ  ―  accordingly; according to this

   • 凡諸侯有命告則書，不然則否。師出臧否，亦如之。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     凡诸侯有命告则书，不然则否。师出臧否，亦如之。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE

     Fán zhūhóu yǒu mìng gào zé shū, bùrán zé fǒu. Shī chū zāngfǒu, yì rú zhī. [Pinyin]

     As a general rule, the annals only keep the record of an event if a feudal prince legitimately announces such; otherwise no records are kept in the official annals. As for the result of a military expedition, it follows the same rule.

3. such as; for example; for instance

   比如  ―  bǐrú  ―  for instance

   • 孔子序列古之仁聖賢人，如吳太伯、伯夷之倫，詳矣。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     孔子序列古之仁圣贤人，如吴太伯、伯夷之伦，详矣。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Kǒngzǐ xùliè gǔ zhī rén shèng xián rén, rú Wú Tàibó, Bóyí zhī lún, xiáng yǐ. [Pinyin]

     Confucius has given detailed testimonials to ancient paragons of virtue and wisdom, such as Taibo of Wu, Boyi, and others of their kind.

4. (chiefly in the negative) to be as good as; to be comparable to

   我自愧不如你用功，成績不如你也是理所當然。 [MSC, trad.]
   我自愧不如你用功，成绩不如你也是理所当然。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ zìkuì bùrú nǐ yònggōng, chéngjì bùrú nǐ yěshì lǐsuǒdāngrán. [Pinyin]

   I admit, regrettably, that I did not work as hard as you did. It's only proper that my grades were nowhere as good as yours.

   • 與李斯俱事荀卿，斯自以為不如非。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     与李斯俱事荀卿，斯自以为不如非。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Yǔ Lǐ Sī jù shì Xúnqīng, Sī zìyǐwèi bùrú Fēi. [Pinyin]

     Han Fei and Li Si both studied as pupils of Xunzi, and Si considered himself inferior to Fei.

5. than; more than

   Synonym: 於／于 (yú)

   • 其民之親我也，歡若父母，好我芳如芝蘭。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     其民之亲我也，欢若父母，好我芳如芝兰。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Xunzi, c. 3^rd century BCE

     Qí mín zhī qīn wǒ yě, huān ruò fùmǔ, hào wǒ fāng rú zhǐlán. [Pinyin]

     Their people, who support me, delight in me as much as they delight in their parents. They, loving me, deem me more fragrant than angelicas and orchids. (A highly literal translation)

6. if; supposing

   作者水平有限，如有錯漏，望大家指正。 [MSC, trad.]
   作者水平有限，如有错漏，望大家指正。 [MSC, simp.]

   Zuòzhě shuǐpíng yǒuxiàn, rú yǒu cuòlòu, wàng dàjiā zhǐzhèng. [Pinyin]

   The author's ability has its limits; feedback regarding errors and omissions is welcome.

7. ^† postposition indicating an appearance, a state, or a condition; having the characteristic of

   突如其來／突如其来  ―  tūrúqílái  ―  all of a sudden (literally, "it comes, like charging")

   空空如也  ―  kōngkōngrúyě  ―  empty

   • 君召使擯，色勃如也，足躩如也。揖所與立，左右手，衣前後，襜如也。趨進，翼如也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     君召使摈，色勃如也，足躩如也。揖所与立，左右手，衣前后，襜如也。趋进，翼如也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Jūn zhào shǐ bīn, sè bórú yě, zú juérú yě. Yī suǒyǔ lì, zuǒyòu shǒu, yī qiánhòu, chānrú yě. Qū jìn, yìrú yě. [Pinyin]

     When the prince called him to employ him in the reception of a visitor, his countenance appeared to change, and his legs to move forward with difficulty. He inclined himself to the other officers among whom he stood, moving his left or right arm, as their position required, but keeping the skirts of his robe before and behind evenly adjusted. He hastened forward, with his arms like the wings of a bird.

8. (obsolete) you
9. a surname

May be related to 向 (OC *hljaŋs, *hlaŋs, “to face; to turn towards”) (Schuessler, 2007).

如

1. ^† to go to

   如廁／如厕  ―  rúcè  ―  to go to the toilet

   • 鄭伯如周，始朝桓王也。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     郑伯如周，始朝桓王也。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE

     Zhèng bó rú zhōu, shǐ cháo huánwáng yě. [Pinyin]

     Duke Zheng went to Zhou, and had an audience with King Huan of Zhou for the first time.

• Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A00885
• “如”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

1. likeness; such as; to seem; as if

• Go-on: にょ (nyo, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: じょ (jo, Jōyō)
• Kun: ごとし (gotoshi, 如し); しく (shiku, 如く)
• Nanori: ゆ (yu); ゆき (yuki)