救

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救 U+6551, 救
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-6551
← 敐
 		CJK Unified Ideographs 敒 →

Translingual

Stroke order
11 strokes

Han character

救 (Kangxi radical 66, 攴+7, 11 strokes, cangjie input 戈水人大 (IEOK), four-corner 48140, composition ⿰求攵)

Derived characters

References

  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 471, character 9
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 13221
  • Dae Jaweon: page 823, character 9
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1460, character 1
  • Unihan data for U+6551

Chinese

simp. and trad.
 救

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 救
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Small seal script
Characters in the same phonetic series (求) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
救 *kus
求 *ɡu
球 *ɡu
逑 *ɡu
賕 *ɡu
蛷 *ɡu
莍 *ɡu
殏 *ɡu
梂 *ɡu
俅 *ɡu
脙 *ɡu, *qʰu
絿 *ɡu
銶 *ɡu
毬 *ɡu
捄 *ɡu, *ko
觩 *ɡu

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *kus): phonetic 求 (OC *ɡu) + semantic 攴.

Etymology

Likely cognate with 求 (OC *ɡu, “to ask, seek”), Burmese ကူ (ku, “to help”) (STEDT).

Pronunciation

Rime
Character 救
Reading # 1/1
Initial (聲) 見 (28)
Final (韻) 尤 (136)
Tone (調) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) III
Fanqie 居祐切
Baxter kjuwH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/kɨuH/
Pan
Wuyun 		/kiuH/
Shao
Rongfen 		/kiəuH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/kuwH/
Li
Rong 		/kiuH/
Wang
Li 		/kĭəuH/
Bernhard
Karlgren 		/ki̯ə̯uH/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		jiù
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		gau3
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 救
Reading # 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin) 		jiù
Middle
Chinese 		‹ kjuwH ›
Old
Chinese 		/*s.k(r)u-s/
English help, save

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 救
Reading # 1/1
No. 10559
Phonetic
component 		求
Rime
group 		幽
Rime
subdivision 		1
Corresponding
MC rime 		救
Old
Chinese 		/*kus/

Definitions

救

  1. to aid; to support
  2. to save; to rescue
    只有民主主義能夠救中國。
    只有民主主义能够救中国。
    Zhǐyǒu mínzhǔzhǔyì nénggòu jiù Zhōngguó.
    Only democracy can save China.
  3. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to prohibit; to forbid
    女弗能救與？／女弗能救与？  ―  Nǚ fú néng jiù yǔ?  ―  Could you not stop him?

Synonyms

  • (to aid):
  • (to save):
  • (to prohibit):

Compounds

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (救):
  • → Japanese: 救(きゅう) (kyū)
  • → Korean: 구(救) (gu)
  • → Vietnamese: cứu (救)

Japanese

Kanji

救

(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji)

  1. salvation
  2. save
  3. help
  4. rescue
  5. reclaim

Readings

  • Go-on: く (ku)
  • Kan-on: きゅう (kyū, Jōyō)
  • Kun: すくう (sukuu, 救う, Jōyō)、すくい (sukui)

Korean

Hanja

救 (eumhun 건질 구 (geonjil gu))

  1. hanja form? of 구 (“save, rescue, relieve”)
  2. hanja form? of 구 (“help, aid”)

Compounds

Compounds

Vietnamese

Han character

救: Hán Việt readings: cứu

  1. chữ Hán form of cứu (“to help”)
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