丹

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

丹 (Kangxi radical 3, 丶+3, 4 strokes, cangjie input 月卜 (BY), four-corner 7744₀, composition ⿻⺆亠 or ⿻⺆⿱丶一)

Derived characters

• 坍
• 青

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 80, character 16
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 99
• Dae Jaweon: page 162, character 22
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 44, character 1
• Unihan data for U+4E39

• Unihan data for U+F95E

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 丹
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts
Oracle bone script j12547 j12548 j12549 Bronze inscriptions b07719 Small seal script s03655 Transcribed ancient scripts L06505 L06506 L06507 L06508 L06509 L06510 L06511 L06512 L06513
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).

Etymology 1

Schuessler (2007) suggests a Kam-Tai origin, comparing it to Proto-Kam-Sui *h-lanꟲ (“red”). 矸, as in 丹矸, may be a variant; see there for more.

Alternatively, it may be from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *t(j)a-n ~ *tsa-n (“red”), whence Burmese တာ (ta, “very red”) (Matisoff, 2003; Hill, 2014); however, STEDT currently does not compare this to 丹.

Possibly related to 旃 (OC *tjan, “a plain red flag”), as well as 袒 (OC *daːnʔ, “to bare; to strip oneself naked to the waist”), as skin color is often associated with "red". See these entries for more.

Pronunciation

Definitions

丹

1. cinnabar
2. red
3. refined medical substance
4. a surname

Synonyms

• (red): See 紅／红
• (cinnabar):

Compounds

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Definitions

丹

1. (Catholicism) Dan

Synonyms

References

• “丹”, 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–

Japanese

Kanji

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

1. cinnabar
2. red
3. elixir made with cinnabar (e.g. Chinese elixir of life)
4. improvised medicine
5. devotion
6. Short for 丹波国 (Tanba-koku, “Tanba Province”)

Readings

• Go-on: たん (tan, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: たん (tan, Jōyō)
• Kun: あか (aka, 丹); あかい (akai, 丹い); に (ni, 丹)
• Nanori: あかし (akashi); あきら (akira); まこと (makoto)

Compounds

Etymology 1

From Old Japanese, also used as 借音 (shakuon) kana for ⟨ni⟩.

Cognate with 土 (ni, “earth, ground”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) に​ (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

丹(に) • (ni) 

1. the color red

   Synonyms: 赤色 (akairo), 丹色 (niiro)

2. red earth

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Middle Chinese 丹 (MC tan).

Used in the Man'yōshū (c. 759 CE) as 借音 (shakuon) kana for ⟨ta⟩.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) た​ん (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

丹(たん) • (tan) 

1. cinnabar

   Synonym: 辰砂 (shinsha)

2. a yellowish-red pigment made from lead oxide, used, for example, in nihonga
3. medicine, especially one for inducing immortality

   Synonym: 薬 (yaku)

4. a yellow-red color, as of cinnabar

Derived terms

• 丹(たん)緑(ろく)本(ぼん) (Tanrokubon), 丹(たん)緑(りょく)本(ぼん) (Tanryokubon)

Proper noun

丹(たん) • (Tan) 

1. a surname

References

Korean

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese 丹 (MC tan).

Hanja

丹 (eumhun 붉을 단 (bulgeul dan))

1. Hanja form^? of 단 (“red”).

Compounds

• 단풍 (丹楓, danpung, “maple; autumn leaves”)
• 단념 (丹念, dannyeom, “assiduity; diligence; application”)

Etymology 2

Hanja

丹 (eumhun 정성스러울 란 (jeongseongseureoul ran), South Korea 정성스러울 난 (jeongseongseureoul nan))

1. Hanja form^? of 란 (“devotion”).

Compounds

• 모란 (牡丹, moran, “peony”)
• 거란 (契丹, Georan, “the Khitans”)

References

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

Vietnamese

Han character

丹: Hán Việt readings: đan (都(đô)艱(gian)切(thiết)), đơn
丹: Nôm readings: đơn, đan

1. chữ Hán form of đan/đơn (“cinnabar”).
2. chữ Hán form of đan/đơn (“red color”).

Compounds

References