妹
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See also: 妺
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Translingual
Han character
妹 (Kangxi radical 38, 女+5, 8 strokes, cangjie input 女十木 (VJD), four-corner 45490, composition ⿰女未)
| Stroke order | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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Derived characters
References
- Kangxi Dictionary: page 257, character 28
- Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6138
- Dae Jaweon: page 522, character 23
- Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1034, character 6
- Unihan data for U+59B9
Chinese
| trad. | 妹 | |
|---|---|---|
| simp. # | 妹 | |
Glyph origin
| Historical forms of the character 妹 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Shang | Western Zhou | Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) |
| Oracle bone script | Bronze inscriptions | Small seal script |
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Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *mɯːds) : semantic 女 (“female, woman”) + phonetic 未 (OC *mɯds).
Etymology
Probably Sino-Tibetan. Proposed etymologies:
- STEDT relates it to Proto-Sino-Tibetan *mi (“girl; female; feminine suffix”), whence Apatani nyimii (“girl; woman; female”), Proto-Loloish *C-mi² (“woman”), Proto-Karen *hmɨᴮ (“female; woman”).
- Schuessler (2007) compares it to Burmese မ (ma., “sister”) (whence အစ်မ (acma., “elder sister”), ညီမ (nyima., “younger sister”)), Miju ku-mai- (“woman”), Tibetan བུད་མེད (bud med, “woman”), and also Mizo hmei (“concubine”) (> Mizo hmei-chhia (“woman; wife”)), which STEDT relates to Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-maj (“widow, widower”) instead.
Pronunciation
- Mandarin
- (Standard)
- (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): mei4
- Cantonese
- Gan (Wiktionary): mi5
- Hakka
- Jin (Wiktionary): mei3
- Northern Min (KCR): mṳē / mṳē→mā̤
- Eastern Min (BUC): muói
- Southern Min
- Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): 6me
- Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): mei5 / mei4
- Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Hanyu Pinyin:
- Zhuyin: ㄇㄟˋ
- Tongyong Pinyin: mèi
- Wade–Giles: mei4
- Yale: mèi
- Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mey
- Palladius: мэй (mɛj)
- Sinological IPA (key): /meɪ̯⁵¹/
- (Chengdu)
- Sichuanese Pinyin: mei4
- Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: mei
- Sinological IPA (key): /mei²¹³/
- (Standard Chinese)+
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
- Jyutping: mui6 / mui6-1 / mui6-2
- Yale: muih / mūi / múi
- Cantonese Pinyin: mui6 / mui6-1 / mui6-2
- Guangdong Romanization: mui6 / mui6-1 / mui6-2
- Sinological IPA (key): /muːi̯²²/, /muːi̯²²⁻⁵⁵/, /muːi̯²²⁻³⁵/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
- Wiktionary: moi2
- Sinological IPA (key): /ᵐbᵘɔi⁵⁵/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
- Gan
- (Nanchang)
- Wiktionary: mi5
- Sinological IPA (key): /mi¹¹/
- (Nanchang)
- Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
- Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: moi
- Hakka Romanization System: moi
- Hagfa Pinyim: moi4
- Sinological IPA: /moi̯⁵⁵/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
- Hakka Romanization System: moiˇ
- Sinological IPA: /moi¹¹/
- (Meixian)
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
- Jin
- (Taiyuan)+
- Wiktionary: mei3
- Sinological IPA (old-style): /mei⁴⁵/
- (Taiyuan)+
- Northern Min
- (Jian'ou)
- Kienning Colloquial Romanized: mṳē / mṳē→mā̤
- Sinological IPA (key): /myɛ⁵⁵/, /mɛ⁵⁵/
- (Jian'ou)
- Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
- Bàng-uâ-cê: muói
- Sinological IPA (key): /mui²¹³/
- (Fuzhou)
- Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Taipei, Magong, Hsinchu, Singapore)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bē
- Tâi-lô: bē
- Phofsit Daibuun: be
- IPA (Xiamen, Singapore): /be²²/
- IPA (Taipei): /be³³/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Sanxia, Kinmen, Hsinchu, Singapore)
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: māi
- Tâi-lô: māi
- Phofsit Daibuun: mai
- IPA (Zhangzhou): /mãi²²/
- (Hokkien: Kaohsiung, Tainan, Yilan, Taichung)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: mōe
- Tâi-lô: muē
- Phofsit Daibuun: moe
- IPA (Kaohsiung, Tainan, Yilan): /muẽ³³/
- (Hokkien: Lukang)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: běr
- Tâi-lô: běr
- IPA (Lukang): /bə³³/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bōe
- Tâi-lô: buē
- Phofsit Daibuun: boe
- IPA (Xiamen): /bue²²/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: mūi
- Tâi-lô: muī
- Phofsit Daibuun: mui
- IPA (Quanzhou): /muĩ⁴¹/
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī: moāi
- Tâi-lô: muāi
- Phofsit Daibuun: moai
- IPA (Zhangzhou): /muãi²²/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Taipei, Magong, Hsinchu, Singapore)
Note:
- Xiamen:
- bē - vernacular;
- bōe - literary.
- Quanzhou:
- bēr - vernacular;
- mūi - literary.
- Zhangzhou:
- māi - vernacular;
- moāi - literary.
- (Teochew)
- Peng'im: muê6 / muê7
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: muĕ / muē
- Sinological IPA (key): /mue³⁵/, /mue¹¹/
Note:
- muê6 - literary;
- muê7 - vernacular.
Note:
- mei5 - vernacular;
- mei4 - literary.
- Middle Chinese: mwojH
- Old Chinese
- (Baxter–Sagart): /*C.mˤə-s/
- (Zhengzhang): /*mɯːds/
Definitions
妹
Synonyms
Dialectal synonyms of 妹妹 (“younger sister”)
Dialectal synonyms of 女孩子 (“young girl”)
Dialectal synonyms of 女兒 (“daughter”)
Compounds
- 乾妹妹 / 干妹妹
- 令妹 (lìngmèi)
- 伊妹 (yīmèi)
- 伊妹兒 / 伊妹儿 (yīmèir, “(humorous, obsolete) email”)
- 你妹 (nǐmèi, “(Mandarin) my arse”)
- 兄妹 (xiōngmèi)
- 兄弟姐妹 (xiōngdì jiěmèi, “brothers and sisters”)
- 內妹 / 内妹
- 十姊妹 (shízǐmèi)
- 嘉麗妹妹 / 嘉丽妹妹
- 堂妹 (tángmèi)
- 堂姊妹
- 大陸妹 / 大陆妹 (dàlùmèi)
- 太妹 (tàimèi)
- 女妹
- 妹丈 (mèizhàng)
- 妹仔
- 妹夫 (mèifū)
- 妹妹 (“younger sister”)
- 姊妹 (“sisters”)
- 姐妹 (jiěmèi, “sisters”)
- 妻姊妹婚
- 姊妹市 (zǐmèishì)
- 姊妹校
- 姊妹盟
- 姐妹花 (jiěmèihuā)
- 姊妹行
- 妹婿 (mèixù)
- 妹子 (mèizi)
- 妹紙 / 妹纸 (mèizhǐ)
- 姨妹 (yímèi)
- 學生妹 / 学生妹
- 小妹 (xiǎomèi, “(Min Nan) younger sister”)
- 師妹 / 师妹 (shīmèi)
- 弟妹 (dìmèi)
- 恐龍妹 / 恐龙妹 (kǒnglóngmèi)
- 手帕姊妹
- 把妹 (bǎmèi)
- 架妹
- 歸妹 / 归妹 (guīmèi)
- 祭妹文
- 細妹 / 细妹 (“(dialectal) younger sister”)
- 老姐妹兒 / 老姐妹儿
- 胞妹 (bāomèi)
- 胞姊妹
- 花小妹
- 蘇小妹 / 苏小妹
- 蜆妹 / 蚬妹
- 表妹 (biǎomèi)
- 表姐妹 (biǎojiěmèi)
- 賓妹 / 宾妹
- 辣妹 (làmèi, “hot babe”)
- 酷妹
- 鍾馗嫁妹 / 钟馗嫁妹
- 阿妹 (āmèi, “(Wu) younger sister”)
- 香火姊妹
- 鬼妹 (guǐmèi, “(Cantonese) a Caucasian girl”)
- 鹹水妹 / 咸水妹 (xiánshuǐmèi)
Descendants
- → Khmer: មួយ (muəy, “you”) (used with people of Chinese ethnicity)
- → Thai: หมวย (mǔai, “younger sister”) (said by Chinese ethnicity)
References
- “妹”, 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
妹
Readings
- Go-on: まい (mai, Jōyō)、め (me)
- Kan-on: ばい (bai)
- Kun: いもうと (imōto, 妹, Jōyō)、いも (imo, 妹)、いもと (imoto, 妹)
- Nanori: せ (se)
Compounds
Compounds
Etymology 1
| Kanji in this term |
|---|
| 妹 |
| いも Grade: 2 |
| kun'yomi |
⟨imo1⟩ → */imʷo/ → /imo/
From Old Japanese 妹 (imo1). First cited in the Kojiki of 712.[1]
Speculatively, may be related to terms such as 女 (me1, womi1na, “woman”), 嫗 (omi1na, “elderly woman”), and 母 (omo, “mother”), wherein the medial /-m-/ appears to signify woman, female.[1] However, the difference in vowel values presents a difficulty.
Pronunciation
Noun
- (archaic, said from a male speaker) a close female companion
- one's sister regardless of age difference
- one's lover or sweetheart who is the subject of marriage or is already married
- 905–914, Kokin Wakashū (book 11, poem 485)
- かりごもの思ひ乱れて我恋ふといも知るらめや人し告げずは
- karigomo no omoimidarete ware kou to imo shirurame ya hito shi tsugezu wa
- (please add an English translation of this example)
- かりごもの思ひ乱れて我恋ふといも知るらめや人し告げずは
- 905–914, Kokin Wakashū (book 11, poem 485)
- (archaic, said from a female speaker) a close female companion
Antonyms
Derived terms
Etymology 2
| Kanji in this term |
|---|
| 妹 |
| いもうと Grade: 2 |
| kun'yomi |
/imo ɸito/ → /imowito/ → */imowuto/ → /imoːto/
Originally a compound of 妹 (imo, “sister, close female companion”) + 人 (hito, “person”).[1][2][3][4] First cited in The Tales of Ise of the early 900s.[1]
This is an instance of ウ音便 (u onbin, “u sound shift”), found in terms with bilabial consonants (/m/, /b/, /w/) followed by i; commonly seen in terms such as 玄人 (kurōto, “professional”), 素人 (shirōto, “amateur”), or possibly, 相撲 (sumō, “sumo”).
Pronunciation
Noun
- one's own younger sister
- Antonym: 姉 (ane, “older sister”)
- 2005 January 10, Izawa, Hiroshi with Yamada, Kotaro, “第34話 復讐の槍 [Chapter 34: The Lance of Vengeance]”, in ファイアーエムブレム 覇者の剣 [Fire Emblem: Sword of Champions], volume 9 (fiction), Tokyo: Shueisha, →ISBN, page 60:
- 妹の仇だ！何万人だろうが地獄へ送ってやる‼
- Imōto no kataki da! Nanmannin darō ga jigoku e okutte yaru‼
- This is for my sister! Keep coming, all of you! I’ll send you all straight to hell‼
- 妹の仇だ！何万人だろうが地獄へ送ってやる‼
- 2014 January 17, Ōima Yoshitoki, “第14話 西宮結絃 [Chapter 14: Nishimiya Yuzuru]”, in 聲の形 [A Silent Voice], volume 2 (fiction), Tokyo: Kodansha, →ISBN, page 60:
- 永束君 「少年」じゃない…西宮の妹だってよ
- Nagatsuka-kun “Shōnen” ja nai… Nishimiya no imōto da tte yo
- Nagatsuka-kun. That's not a "boy"… Nishimiya said that's her sister.
- 永束君 「少年」じゃない…西宮の妹だってよ
- the wife of one's younger brother; one's sister-in-law
- Synonym: 義妹 (gimai)
- a younger female
- (archaic, said from a male speaker) one's sister regardless of age difference
- Antonym: 兄人 (shōto)
(alternative reading hiragana いもっ, rōmaji imo')
- (Kagoshima) younger sister
Derived terms
Etymology 3
| Kanji in this term |
|---|
| 妹 |
| いもと Grade: 2 |
| kun'yomi |
Analyzed as a shortening of imōto, itself a compound 妹 (imo, “sister, close female companion”) + 人 (hito, “person”).[1][3][4][6]
Appears in The Tale of Heiji, written around the mid-12th century.[3] May be much older, as this reading is also included in kun'yomi glosses for the Nihon Shoki of 720 (although the manuscripts with the glosses themselves are not as old).[1]
Noun
- (rare) Synonym of 妹 (imōto, “one's own younger sister”)
Proper noun
Etymology 4
| Kanji in this term |
|---|
| 妹 |
| まい Grade: 2 |
| goon |
From Middle Chinese 妹 (MC mwojH).
Affix
- one's own younger sister
Proper noun
- a female given name
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 “妹”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 “妹”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
- ^ 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), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
- ^ Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 [Kōjien] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
Korean
Hanja
Old Japanese
Etymology 1
Speculatively, may be related to terms such as 女 (me1, womi1na, “woman”), 嫗 (omi1na, “elderly woman”), and 母 (omo1, “mother”), wherein the medial /-m-/ appears to signify woman, female.[1] However, the difference in vowel values presents a difficulty.
Noun
妹 (imo1 → imo) (kana いも)
- said from a male speaker:
- one's sister regardless of age difference
- , text here
- 言不問木尚妹與兄有云乎直獨子尓有之苦者
- ko2to2 to1panu ki2 sura imo to2 se ari to2 ipu wo tada pi1to2riko1 ni aru ga kurusisa
- (please add an English translation of this usage example)
- , text here
- one's lover or sweetheart who is the subject of marriage or is already married
- one's sister regardless of age difference
- said from a female speaker:
- a daughter
- 711–712, Kojiki, poem 51:
- ...母登弊波岐美袁淤母比傅須恵幣波伊毛袁淤母比傅...
- ...mo2to2pe1 pa ki1mi1 wo omo2pi1de suwepe1 pa imo1 wo omo2pi1de...
- (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Antonyms
- 兄 (se)
Derived terms
Derived terms
- 妹ら (imora)
- 妹が家に (imo ga ipe1 ni, pillow word)
- 妹が髪 (imo ga *kami, pillow word)
- 妹が着る (imo ga ki1ru, pillow word)
- 妹が袖 (imo ga so1de, pillow word)
- 妹が手を (imo ga te wo, pillow word)
- 妹が紐 (imo ga pi1mo, pillow word)
- 妹が目を (imo ga me2 wo, pillow word)
- 妹許 (imogari)
- 妹に恋ひ (imo ni ko1pi2, pillow word)
- 汝妹 (nanimo1)
- 継妹 (mamaimo1)
- 吾妹 (wagi1mo1)
Descendants
- Japanese: 妹 (imo)
Etymology 2
Shortening of imo1,[1][2][3] due possibly to poetic reasons, haplology, or a reduction of vowel clusters to avoid hiatus, which was phonologically prohibited in Old Japanese. This hiatus avoidance is also seen in 吾妹 (wagi1mo1), which would otherwise have been wa ga imo1.
Noun
妹 (mo1 → mo) (kana も)
- same as いも (imo1) above
- , text here
- 多妣等弊等麻多妣爾奈理奴以弊乃母加枳世之己呂母爾阿加都枳爾迦理
- tabi1 to2 pe1do2 ma-tabi1 ni narinu ipe1 no2 mo ga ki1sesi ko2ro2mo ni aka tuki1nikari
- (please add an English translation of this usage example)
- , text here
Etymology 3
Eastern dialectal variant of imo1.[1]
Noun
妹 (imu) (kana いむ)
- (regional, Eastern Old Japanese) Same as いも (imo1) above
- , text here
- 可之古伎夜美許等加我布理阿須由利也加曳我牟多祢牟伊牟奈之爾志弖
- kasiko1ki1 ya mi1-ko2to2 kagapuri asu yuri ya kaye ga muta nemu imu nasi ni site
- (please add an English translation of this usage example)
- , text here
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 “妹”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
- ^ “妹”, in デジタル大辞泉 [Digital Daijisen] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, updated roughly every four months
- ^ Shinmura, Izuru, editor (1998), 広辞苑 [Kōjien] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
Vietnamese
Han character
- This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text
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