京

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

京 (Kangxi radical 8, 亠+6, 8 strokes, cangjie input 卜口火 (YRF), four-corner 0090₆, composition ⿳亠口小)

Derived characters

• 倞 惊 掠 弶 涼(凉) 猄 婛 𠶛 𡌿 𡹡 𡬱 琼 晾 椋 㹁 稤 䁁 䃄 綡(𫟅) 翞 諒(谅) 輬(辌) 䝶 䣼 𨂙 鍄 鯨(鲸) 黥 剠 勍 就 鶁 𡹞 景 麖

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 88, character 19
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 299
• Dae Jaweon: page 187, character 11
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 284, character 6
• Unihan data for U+4EAC

Chinese

Wikipedia has articles on:

• 京 (Written Standard Chinese^?)
• 京 (Cantonese)
• 京 (Classical)

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 京
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 j13492 j13493 j13494 j13495 j13496 j13497 j13498 j13499 j13500 j13501 j13502 j13503 j13504 j13505 j13506 j13507 j13508 Bronze inscriptions b08306 b08307 b08308 b08309 b08310 b08311 b08312 b08313 b08314 b08315 b08316 b08317 b08318 b08319 b08320 b08321 b08322 b08323 b08324 Small seal script s03835 Transcribed ancient scripts L33123 L33124 L33125 L33126 L33127 L33128 L33129 L33130 L33131 L10565 L10566 L10567 L10568 L10569 L10570 L10571 L10572 L10573 L10574 L10575 L10576 L10577 L10578 L10579 L10580 L10581
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).

According to Shuowen, from 高 (gāo), where the lower 口 (kǒu) is reduced to 丨 (gǔn).

Etymology 1

Either from:

• Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-gaŋ (“hill, ridge, mountain”) (STEDT), cognate with 岡 (OC *klaːŋ, “hill, crest”), 鯨 (OC *ɡraŋ, “whale”), Tibetan སྒང་ (sgang, “ridge; mound”), Burmese ခင် (hkang, “ridge”), Burmese အခေါင် (a.hkaung, “summit”), Lahu qhɔ³³ (“mountain”), Sulung gɹaŋ³³ (“mountain”), Proto-Tamangic *ᴬgaŋ ("hill, mountain"); or
• of Austroasiatic origin, compare Proto-Mon-Khmer *graŋ (“hill, peak”) (Schuessler, 2007), whence Mon ဂြၚ် (krɛ̀aŋ, “peak”) and Old Khmer grāṅ (“hill on flat land”).

Within Chinese, cognate with 景 (OC *kraŋʔ, “large”), 鯨 (OC *ɡraŋ, “whale”) (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation

Definitions

京

1. ^⁜ capital (city)

   京城  ―  jīngchéng  ―  capital city

   京畿  ―  jīngjī  ―  capital city and its surrounding area

   泰京  ―  Tàijīng  ―  (Thailand) Bangkok (the capital city of Thailand)

   墨京  ―  Mòjīng  ―  (dated) Mexico City (the capital city of Mexico)

   • 三后在天，王配于京。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Sān hòu zài tiān, wáng pèi yú jīng.

     The three sovereigns were in heaven; and king was their worthy successor in his capital.

2. Short for 北京 (Běijīng, “Beijing”). after 1949

   京劇／京剧  ―  jīngjù  ―  Beijing opera

   京腔  ―  jīngqiāng  ―  Beijing accent

3. Short for 南京 (Nánjīng, “Nanjing”). during 1927 - 1948
4. Short for 京都 (jīngdū, “Kyoto”). when referring Japan-related topics
5. ^† tall mound

   • 曾孫之庾，如坻如京。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]
     曾孙之庾，如坻如京。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11^th – 7^th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Céngsūn zhī yǔ, rú dǐ rú jīng.

     The stacks of the distant descendant, will stand like islands and mounds.

6. ^† large barn
7. ^† large; great

   • 有媯之後，將育于姜，五世其昌，並于正卿，八世之後，莫之與京。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     有妫之后，将育于姜，五世其昌，并于正卿，八世之后，莫之与京。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

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

     Yǒuguī zhīhòu, jiāng yù yú Jiāng, wǔshìqíchāng, bìng yú zhèngqīng, bā shì zhīhòu, mò zhī yǔ jīng.

     The posterity of this scion of the Gui will be nourished among the Jiang . In five generations they will be prosperous, and the highest ministers in Qi; in eight, there will be none to compare with them for greatness.

8. ^† ten million, 10⁷
9. ^† ten quadrillion, 10¹⁶
10. ^† septillion, 10²⁴
11. ^† A hundred nonillion, 10³²

See also

Compounds

Descendants

References

• “京”, 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–
• Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A00065

Etymology 2

From Vietnamese Kinh, via Cantonese.

Adjective

京

1. ethnic Vietnamese from China

Compounds

Japanese

Kanji

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. capital city
2. ten quadrillion (short scale); ten thousand billion (long scale); 10¹⁶
3. Tokyo
4. Kyoto

Readings

• Go-on: きょう (kyō, Jōyō)^{←きやう (kyau, historical)}
• Kan-on: けい (kei, Jōyō)
• Tō-on: きん (kin)
• Kun: みやこ (miyako, 京)
• Nanori: あつ (atsu); たか (taka)

Compounds

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese 京 (MC kjaeng).

Noun

京(きょう) • (kyō) ^{←きやう (kyau)?}

1. capital city
2. Short for 京都 (Kyōto, “Kyōto (a city in Kyōto, Japan)”).

   京言葉(きょうことば) (kyōkotoba)

   京(きょう)の着倒(きだお)れ、大阪(おおさか)の食(く)い倒(だお)れ

   Kyō no kidaore, Ōsaka no kuidaore

   Spend Your Money on Fashion in Kyoto, eat till you’re broke in Osaka

Affix

京(きょう) • (kyō) ^{←きやう (kyau)?}

1. capital city

   Synonym: (literary) 洛 (raku)

2. (specifically) Kyōto (a city in Kyōto, Japan)

   Synonym: (literary) 洛 (raku)

3. (especially) Tōkyō (a province of Japan)

   上京(じょうきょう) (jōkyō)

Etymology 2

宮 (miya, “imperial palace”) +‎ 処 (ko, “place”).

Noun

京(みやこ) • (miyako) 

1. the place where the emperor resides
2. a city that acts as an economic and political center; capital
3. metropolis

Etymology 3

Number

京(けい) • (kei) 

1. 10,000,000,000,000,000, 10¹⁶, (US) ten quadrillion, (UK) ten thousand billion

See also

Korean

Alternative forms

• 경 (亰, gyeong)

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 京 (MC kjaeng). (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “what is its historical reading?”)

Hanja

京 (eumhun 서울 경 (seoul gyeong))
京 (eumhun 경 경 (gyeong gyeong))

1. Hanja form^? of 경 (“capital”).
2. Hanja form^? of 경 (“10,000,000,000,000,000, 10¹⁶, (US) ten quadrillion, (UK) ten thousand billion”).

Compounds

See also

• 서울 (Seoul, “capital; Seoul”)
• 수도 (首都, sudo, “capital”)

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.
• Supreme Court of the Republic of Korea (대한민국 대법원, Daehanmin'guk Daebeobwon) (2018). Table of hanja for personal names (인명용 한자표 / 人名用漢字表, Inmyeong-yong hanja-pyo), page 3.

Vietnamese

Han character

京: Hán Việt readings: kinh, nguyên
京: Nôm readings: kinh, kiêng, kềnh, kình

Noun

京 • (kinh)

1. chữ Hán form of kinh (“capital city”).

Adjective

京 • (Kinh)

1. chữ Hán form of Kinh (“ethnically Vietnamese”).

Verb

京 • (kiêng)

1. Nôm form of kiêng (“to respect”).

References