指

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

指 (Kangxi radical 64, 手+6, 9 strokes, cangjie input 手心日 (QPA), four-corner 5106₁, composition ⿰扌旨)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 429, character 20
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 12034
• Dae Jaweon: page 778, character 15
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 1873, character 5
• Unihan data for U+6307

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 指
Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *kjiʔ) : semantic 手 + phonetic 旨 (OC *kjiʔ).

Pronunciation

Definitions

指

1. finger

   手指  ―  shǒuzhǐ  ―  finger

2. to point; to point out; to aim

   指出  ―  zhǐchū  ―  to point out

   指人  ―  zhǐ rén  ―  to point at a person

3. to indicate; to show; to demonstrate
4. to refer to; to mean

   春天指的是冬天後面的那個季節。 [MSC, trad.]
   春天指的是冬天后面的那个季节。 [MSC, simp.]

   Chūntiān zhǐ de shì dōngtiān hòumiàn de nàge jìjié.

   Spring refers to the season after winter.

5. to rely on; to depend on
6. to criticize; to rebuke
7. to make one’s hair stand on end
8. Classifier for fingerwidths.

Synonyms

• (finger): 手指 (shǒuzhǐ)
• (to point): 點明／点明 (diǎnmíng)
• (to rely on):

Compounds

Descendants

• → Thai: ชี้ (chíi, “to point”)

Japanese

Kanji

(grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: し (shi, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: し (shi, Jōyō)
• Kun: ゆび (yubi, 指, Jōyō); さす (sasu, 指す, Jōyō)
• Nanori: むね (mune)

Etymology

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *oyonpE.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ゆび​ (Odaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

指(ゆび) • (yubi)  (counter 本)

1. a finger (including thumb)
2. 938, Minamoto no Shitagō, Wamyō Ruijushō, volume 2, page 38:

   指 唐韵云、指. 音旨、由比、俗云於與比

   Finger The Tangyun calls it a finger, sound shi, yubi, commonly called oyobi

(alternative reading hiragana および, rōmaji oyobi)

1. a finger
2. 938, Minamoto no Shitagō, Wamyō Ruijushō, volume 2, page 38:

   指 唐韵云、指. 音旨、由比、俗云於與比

   Finger The Tangyun calls it a finger, sound shi, yubi, commonly called oyobi

Derived terms

• 親(おや)指(ゆび) (oyayubi): thumb
• 人(ひと)差(さ)し指(ゆび) (hitosashiyubi): forefinger, index finger
• 中(なか)指(ゆび) (nakayubi): long finger, middle finger
• 薬(くすり)指(ゆび) (kusuriyubi): ring finger, medical finger, the third finger (UK), the fourth finger (US)
• 小(こ)指(ゆび) (koyubi): little finger, ear-finger, pinkie
• 指(ゆび)関(かん)節(せつ) (yubikansetsu): knuckle, finger joint
• 足(あし)指(ゆび) (ashiyubi), 足(あし)の指(ゆび) (ashi no yubi): toe

References

• Minamoto, Shitagō with Kyōto Daigaku Bungakubu Kokugogaku Kokubungaku Kenkyūshitu (931–938) Shohon Shūsei Wamyō Ruijushō: Honbunhen (in Japanese), Kyōto: Rinsen, published 1968, →ISBN.

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 指 (MC tsyijX). Recorded as Middle Korean 지〮 (cí) (Yale: ci) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

指

Wikisource

指 (eumhun 손가락 지 (son'garak ji))

1. Hanja form^? of 지 (“finger”).

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.

Okinawan

Kanji

(grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• Kun: いーび (ībi, 指)

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʔiːbi/

Noun

指(いーび) (ībi) 

1. finger

Derived terms

• 指(いーび)ぬ先(さち) (ībinusachi, “fingertip”)
• 大(うふ)指(いーび) (ufuībi, “thumb, big toe”)
• 中(なか)指(いーび) (nakaībi, “middle finger”)
• 薬(くすい)指(いーび) (kusuīibi, “ring finger”)
• 差(さ)し指(いーび) (sashīibi), 差(さ)し(ち)指(いーび) (sachīibi, “index finger”)
• 人(っちゅ)差(さ)し指(いーび) (tchusashīibi, “index finger”)
• 均(なら)し指(いーび), 平(なら)し指(いーび) (narashīibi, “ring finger”)
• 指(いーび)小(んぐゎー), 指(いーび)子(んぐゎー), 指(いーび)んぐゎー (ībingwā, “little finger, pinkie”)

Southern Amami-Oshima

Kanji

(grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Noun

指(っいぃーび) ('yiibi) 

1. finger

Vietnamese

Han character

指: Hán Nôm readings: chỉ, xỉ, chỏ

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