千

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See also: 于, 仟, 壬, 干, 韆, チ, and 手
千 U+5343, 千
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5343
← 卂
 		CJK Unified Ideographs 卄 →

Translingual

Stroke order
3 strokes
Stroke order

Han character

千 (Kangxi radical 24, 十+1, 3 strokes, cangjie input 竹十 (HJ), four-corner 20400, composition ⿱丿十)

Derived characters

Descendants

Further reading

  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 155, character 19
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 2697
  • Dae Jaweon: page 351, character 2
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 59, character 1
  • Unihan data for U+5343

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 千
Shang Western Zhou Warring States Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Chu slip and silk script Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts
Characters in the same phonetic series (人) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
千 *sn̥ʰiːn
仟 *sn̥ʰiːn
芊 *sn̥ʰiːn, *sn̥ʰiːns
阡 *sn̥ʰiːn
汘 *sn̥ʰiːn
迁 *sn̥ʰiːn
杄 *sn̥ʰiːn
人 *njin
仁 *njin
朲 *njin
佞 *neːŋs

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *sn̥ʰiːn) : semantic 一 (“one, signifying a number”) + phonetic 人 (OC *njin). The Old Chinese pronunciations of 千 (OC *sn̥ʰiːn) and 人 (OC *njin) were similar. For the component 人, compare its combining form 亻.

The traditional explanation holds that the extra line indicates an extension (see the etymologies of 年 and 延). 千 has the meaning one thousand because one thousand is a number that is reached by extending one's counting.

Etymology 1

simp. and trad.
 千
alternative forms 仟 financial

Unclear. Schuessler (2007) notes similar forms in Mon-Khmer, though their initials and finals do not match Old Chinese; compare Vietnamese nghìn and Old Mon lṅim (whence Mon လ္ၚီ (ŋìm)), all meaning "thousand". Also compare Proto-Hlai *C-ŋin.

Pronunciation

Note:
Note:
  • cain1 - Huilai, Jieyang, Chaoyang;
  • coin1 - other places.
  • Dialectal data
Variety Location 千
Mandarin Beijing /t͡ɕʰian⁵⁵/
Harbin /t͡ɕʰian⁴⁴/
Tianjin /t͡ɕʰian²¹/
Jinan /t͡ɕʰiã²¹³/
Qingdao /t͡sʰiã²¹³/
Zhengzhou /t͡sʰian²⁴/
Xi'an /t͡ɕʰiã²¹/
Xining /t͡ɕʰiã⁴⁴/
Yinchuan /t͡ɕʰian⁴⁴/
Lanzhou /t͡ɕʰiɛ̃n³¹/
Ürümqi /t͡ɕʰian⁴⁴/
Wuhan /t͡ɕʰiɛn⁵⁵/
Chengdu /t͡ɕʰian⁵⁵/
Guiyang /t͡ɕʰian⁵⁵/
Kunming /t͡ɕʰiɛ̃⁴⁴/
Nanjing /t͡sʰien³¹/
Hefei /t͡ɕʰiĩ²¹/
Jin Taiyuan /t͡ɕʰie¹¹/
Pingyao /t͡ɕʰie̞¹³/
Hohhot /t͡ɕʰie³¹/
Wu Shanghai /t͡ɕʰi⁵³/
Suzhou /t͡sʰiɪ⁵⁵/
Hangzhou /t͡ɕʰiẽ̞³³/
Wenzhou /t͡ɕʰi³³/
Hui Shexian /t͡sʰe³¹/
Tunxi /t͡sʰiɛ¹¹/
Xiang Changsha /t͡sʰiẽ³³/
Xiangtan /t͡sʰiẽ³³/
Gan Nanchang /t͡ɕʰiɛn⁴²/
Hakka Meixian /t͡sʰien⁴⁴/
Taoyuan /t͡sʰien²⁴/
Cantonese Guangzhou /t͡sʰin⁵³/
Nanning /t͡sʰin⁵⁵/
Hong Kong /t͡sʰin⁵⁵/
Min Xiamen (Hokkien) /t͡sʰian⁵⁵/
/t͡sʰiŋ⁵⁵/
Fuzhou (Eastern Min) /t͡sʰieŋ⁴⁴/
Jian'ou (Northern Min) /t͡sʰaiŋ⁵⁴/
Shantou (Teochew) /t͡sʰõi³³/
Haikou (Hainanese) /sin²³/
/sai²³/
Rime
Character 千
Reading # 1/1
Initial (聲) 清 (14)
Final (韻) 先 (85)
Tone (調) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) IV
Fanqie 蒼先切
Baxter tshen
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/t͡sʰen/
Pan
Wuyun 		/t͡sʰen/
Shao
Rongfen 		/t͡sʰɛn/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/t͡sʰɛn/
Li
Rong 		/t͡sʰen/
Wang
Li 		/t͡sʰien/
Bernard
Karlgren 		/t͡sʰien/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		qiān
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		cin1
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 千
Reading # 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin) 		qiān
Middle
Chinese 		‹ tshen ›
Old
Chinese 		/*s.n̥ˁi/
English thousand

Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system:

* Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence;
* Square brackets "" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. * as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p;
* Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix;
* Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary;

* Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 千
Reading # 1/1
No. 10792
Phonetic
component 		人
Rime
group 		眞
Rime
subdivision 		1
Corresponding
MC rime 		千
Old
Chinese 		/*sn̥ʰiːn/
Notes 小徐人聲，甲文乃借人加一

Definitions

千

  1. thousand
    幾千／几千  ―  jǐ qiān  ―  several thousand
  2. many; numerous
    千山萬水／千山万水  ―  qiānshānwànshuǐ  ―  many rivers and mountains
  3. (Cantonese) to swindle; to defraud
See also
Chinese numbers
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 102 103 104 106 108 1012
Normal
(小寫／小写) 		〇, 零, 空 一, 蜀 二, 兩／两 三 四 五 六 七 八 九 十 百 千 萬／万,
十千 (Malaysia, Singapore) 		百萬／百万,
桶(Philippines),
面桶 (Philippines) 		億／亿 兆 (Taiwan)
萬億／万亿 (Mainland China)
Financial
(大寫／大写) 		零 壹 貳／贰 參／叁 肆 伍 陸／陆 柒 捌 玖 拾 佰 仟

Compounds

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (千):
  • → Japanese: 千(せん) (sen)
  • → Korean: 천(千) (cheon)
  • → Vietnamese: thiên (千)

Others:

  • → Zhuang: cien (“thousand”)

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of 千 – see 韆 (“swing”).
(This character is the simplified form of 韆).
Notes:

Further reading

Japanese

Kanji

千

(grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

Compounds

Alternative forms

Kanji in this term
千
せん
Grade: 1
on’yomi

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese 千 (MC tshen).

Pronunciation

Numeral

千(せん) • (sen) 

  1. a thousand, 1000
Derived terms
Derived terms
Japanese numerical compounds with 千(せん) (sen)
1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000 Thousands of
千(せん) (sen)
一(いっ)千(せん) (issen) 		二(に)千(せん) (nisen) 三(さん)千(ぜん) (sanzen) 四(よん)千(せん) (yonsen) 五(ご)千(せん) (gosen) 六(ろく)千(せん) (rokusen) 七(なな)千(せん) (nanasen) 八(はっ)千(せん) (hassen) 九(きゅう)千(せん) (kyūsen) 何(なん)千(ぜん) (nanzen)
数(すう)千(せん) (sūsen)
Idioms

Affix

千(せん) • (sen) 

  1. thousand
  2. (by extension) very large number
Derived terms
Derived terms

Proper noun

千(せん) • (Sen) 

  1. a surname, especially from the line of tea ceremony masters

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
千
ち
Grade: 1
kun’yomi

⟨ti⟩ → /t͡ɕi/

From Old Japanese.

Pronunciation

Numeral

千(ち) • (chi) 

  1. a thousand, 1000

Coordinate terms

Derived terms
Derived terms
Japanese numerals from Old Japanese using 千(ち) (chi)
1,000 2,000 3,000 4,000 5,000 6,000 7,000 8,000 9,000
千(ち) (chi) 二(ふた)千(ち) (futachi) 三(み)千(ち) (michi) 四(よ)千(ち) (yochi) 五(い)千(ち) (ichi) 六(む)千(ち) (muchi) 七(なな)千(ち) (nanachi) 八(や)千(ち) (yachi) 九(ここの)千(ち) (kokonochi)

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  2. ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 千 (MC tshen).

Historical Readings
Dongguk Jeongun Reading
Dongguk Jeongun, 1448 쳔 (Yale: chyèn)
Middle Korean
Text Eumhun
Gloss (hun) Reading
Hunmong Jahoe, 1527 즈〮믄〮 (Yale: cúmún) 쳔 (Yale: chyèn)

Pronunciation

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

Wikisource

千 (eumhun 일천(一千) 천 (ilcheon cheon))

  1. Hanja form? of 천 (“thousand”).

Compounds

Compounds

References

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

Old Japanese

Etymology

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

Numeral

千 (ti) (kana ち)

  1. a thousand, 1000
    • c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 12, poem 3059:
      , text here
      百爾千爾人者雖言月草之移情吾將持八方
      momo ni ti ni pi1to2 pa ipu to2 mo tuki2kusa no2 uturo2pu ko2ko2ro2 ware motame2 ya mo
      (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Derived terms

Descendants

  • Japanese: 千 (chi)

Vietnamese

Han character

千: Hán Việt readings: thiên (倉(thương)先(tiên)切(thiết))
千: Nôm readings: thiên, xiên

  1. chữ Hán form of thiên (“thousand”).

Compounds

Compounds

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Nguyễn (2014).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Nguyễn et al. (2009).
  3. ^ Trần (2004).
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Bonet (1899).
  5. ^ Génibrel (1898).
  6. ^ Taberd & Pigneau de Béhaine (1838).
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