虹

A rainbow.

虹 (Kangxi radical 142, 虫+3, 9 strokes, cangjie input 中戈一 (LIM), four-corner 5111₀, composition ⿰虫工)

• 渱, 𬁅, 𫕩, 𬀒

• KangXi: page 1076, character 40
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 32830
• Dae Jaweon: page 1545, character 23
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2834, character 8
• Unihan data for U+8679

Historical forms of the character 虹
Shang	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Oracle bone script	Small seal script

Originally pictographic (象形) in the oracle bone script. The ancient Chinese regarded the rainbow as a two-headed creature.

In the seal script, it has become a phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *kroːŋs, *koːŋs, *ɡoːŋ) : semantic 虫 (“insect; creature”) + phonetic 工 (OC *koːŋ).

Probably non-Sino-Tibetan; compare Proto-Mien *kluŋᴬ (“rainbow”), Thai รุ้ง (rúng, “rainbow”), Zhuang duzdoengz (“rainbow”), saidoengz (“rainbow”) (Schuessler, 2007).

Benedict (1986) and Carr (1990) relate this to 龍 (OC *b·roŋ, *mroːŋ, “dragon”) and 紅 (OC *ɡoːŋ, “red”).

虹

1. rainbow; primary rainbow (Classifier: 條／条 m; 道 m)

   彩虹  ―  cǎihóng  ―  rainbow

   天上出虹了。  ―  Tiānshàng chū jiàng le.  ―  There's a rainbow in the sky.

2. (literary, figurative) bridge

• (rainbow):

• 霓 (ní)

虹

1. ^† to fester
2. Only used in 虹洞.

虹

1. (historical) A county in modern Anhui, China

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

• Go-on: ぐ (gu); ぐう (gū); こう (kō)
• Kan-on: こう (kō)^{←かう (kau, historical)}; こう (kō)
• Kun: にじ (niji, 虹, Jōyō)

虹 (niji): a rainbow.

⟨nizi⟩ → /niʑi/

From Old Japanese 虹 (nizi),[1] first attested in the Kojiki of 712 CE.[2]

Also attested as man’yōgana form 爾自 in the 金光明最勝王経音義 (Konkōmyō Saishōō-kyō Ongi) of 1079. May be a shift from earlier ぬじ (nuji) or のじ (noji) readings.

• (Tokyo) にじ [nìjí] (Heiban – [0])[3]
• IPA^(key): [ɲ̟iʑi]

虹(にじ) • (niji) 

1. a rainbow
   • 931–938, Minamoto no Shitagō, Wamyō Ruijushō (book 1)

     虹　毛詩註云：「螮蝀虹也帝董。」二音螮又作蝃。［和名：爾之］
     　　兼名苑云：「虹，一名蜺。」五稽反與鯢同又五結倪撃二反。
     　　今按雄曰虹雌曰蜺也。

     Rainbow - according to the annotated Mao Commentary, a bridge becomes a rainbow by the Emperor’s direct command. 螮 with 蝃 makes two syllables; Japanese name, niji.
     According to the Jianming Yuan, 虹 is also written as 蜺. Chinese fanqie: 五稽...
     _{(please add an English translation of the rest of this usage example)}
     Today, males call the rainbow 虹 while females 蜺.

   春雨(はるさめ)がやんだ途(と)端(たん)に、美(うつく)しい虹(にじ)が現(あらわ)れた。

   Harusame ga yanda totan ni, utsukushii niji ga arawareta.

   Just as the spring shower passed, a beautiful rainbow appeared.

   Synonym: 虹霓 (kōgei)

From Middle Chinese 虹 (MC ɦuŋ). Recorded as Middle Korean 호ᇰ (hwong) (Yale: hwong) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Wikisource 虹 (eumhun 무지개 홍 (mujigae hong))

1. Hanja form^? of 홍 (“rainbow”).

   Synonym: 霓 (예 (ye))

From Middle Chinese 虹 (MC kuŋ^H).

虹 (eumhun 고을 이름 공 (go'eul ireum gong))

1. Hanja form^? of 공 (“a placename”).

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

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

• Kun: ぬーじ (nūji)

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

• (Shuri-Naha) ぬ​ーじ [núꜜùjì] (Kakō - [1])[1]
• IPA^(key): [nuːʑi]

虹 (hiragana ぬーじ, rōmaji nūji)

1. a rainbow

From Proto-Japonic *nensi. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

虹 (nizi) (kana にじ)

1. a rainbow
   • 711–712, Kojiki (Second scroll, Emperor Ōjin)

     此沼之邊、一賤女晝寢、於是日耀如_レ虹、指_二其陰上_一。

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   Synonyms: ぬじ (nuzi), のじ (no₁zi)

• Japanese: 虹 (niji)

虹: Hán Việt readings: hồng[1]
虹: Nôm readings: vồng[1]

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