東

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See also: 东 and 柬
東 U+6771, 東
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-6771
← 杰
 		CJK Unified Ideographs 杲 →

Translingual

Stroke order
8 strokes
Stroke order

Han character

東 (Kangxi radical 75, 木+4, 8 strokes, cangjie input 木田 (DW), four-corner 50906, composition ⿻木日 or ⿻束一)

Derived characters

References

  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 513, character 12
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 14499
  • Dae Jaweon: page 899, character 8
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1165, character 4
  • Unihan data for U+6771

Chinese

trad. 東
simp. 东
Wikipedia has articles on:

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 東
Shang Western Zhou Warring States Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Chu slip and silk script Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts
Characters in the same phonetic series (東) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
東 *toːŋ
菄 *toːŋ
鶇 *toːŋ
倲 *toːŋ
涷 *toːŋ, *toːŋs
蝀 *toːŋ, *toːŋʔ
凍 *toːŋ, *toːŋs
鯟 *toːŋ
崠 *toːŋ
埬 *toːŋ
棟 *toːŋs

Jiajie (假借) and Ideogram (指事) : 束 (OC *hljoɡ) or 橐 (OC *tʰaːɡ) borrowed for sound 東 (OC *toːŋ), with a horizontal stroke added as a distinguishing mark to differentiate the character from 束.

Alternatively, it is also thought to be a pictogram (象形) of either a bundle of faggots tied together or a bag tied at both ends (like a cellophane-wrapped candy with the ends twisted).

Interpreted in the Shuowen Jiezi as an ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意) the sun (日) rising behind a tree (木). According to Allan (1991) p. 47-50, the character represents the Fu Sang tree. However, the original form is rather different, hence any interpretation tied to a tree is most likely a folk etymology.

See the top component of 曹 in the original version. See also 柬, 熏, 西 and 鹵/卤.

Etymology

Cognate with Burmese ထွန်း (htwan:, “be bright”), Chepang थोङ्‌सा (thoŋ‑, “lighten; be bright”) and Chepang थोङ्‌ह (thoŋh, “awake time (as opposed to dream time)”) (Schuessler, 2007). Perhaps related to or influenced by 暾 (OC *tʰuːn, “rising sun”).

Pronunciation

Note:
  • dĕ̤ng - vernacular;
  • dŭng - literary.
Note:
  • dang1 - vernacular;
  • dorng1 - literary.
Note:
  • tang - vernacular;
  • tong - literary.
Note:
  • dang1 - vernacular;
  • dong1 - literary.
Rime
Character 東
Reading # 1/1
Initial (聲) 端 (5)
Final (韻) 東 (1)
Tone (調) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) I
Fanqie 德紅切
Baxter tuwng
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/tuŋ/
Pan
Wuyun 		/tuŋ/
Shao
Rongfen 		/tuŋ/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/təwŋ/
Li
Rong 		/tuŋ/
Wang
Li 		/tuŋ/
Bernhard
Karlgren 		/tuŋ/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		dōng
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		dung1
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 東
Reading # 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin) 		dōng
Middle
Chinese 		‹ tuwng ›
Old
Chinese 		/*tˁoŋ/ (< *tˁoŋʔ ?)
English east

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 東
Reading # 1/1
No. 2435
Phonetic
component 		東
Rime
group 		東
Rime
subdivision 		0
Corresponding
MC rime 		東
Old
Chinese 		/*toːŋ/
Notes 種（種籽）初文，甲金文象種皮甲坼萌生根芽，
參敕字陳字注

Definitions

東

  1. east
    東亞／东亚  ―  Dōngyà  ―  East Asia
    東德／东德  ―  Dōngdé  ―  East Germany
  2. host
    做東／做东  ―  zuòdōng  ―  to be host
  3. landlord; owner
    房東／房东  ―  fángdōng  ―  landlord
    股東／股东  ―  gǔdōng  ―  shareholder
  4. (Teochew) side
  5. (Korean Classical Chinese) Korea
    大東 [Korean Literary Sinitic]  ―  Daedong [Sino-Korean]  ―  Korea
  6. (～日) (telegraphy) the first day of a month

Coordinate terms

西北 (xīběi) 北 東北 / 东北 (dōngběi)
西 (xī) 東 / 东 (dōng)
西南 (xīnán) 南 東南 / 东南 (dōngnán)


Descendants

Sino-Xenic (東):
  • → Japanese: 東(とう) (tō)
  • → Korean: 동(東) (dong)
  • → Vietnamese: đông (東)

Others:

  • Japanese: 東(トン) (ton, “east wind (mahjong tile)”)

Compounds

Japanese

Kanji

東

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

Compounds

Compounds

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
東
ひがし
Grade: 2
kun'yomi

/ɸiŋɡaɕi/ → /ɸiɡaɕi/ → /hiɡaɕi/

Sound shift from hingashi (see Etymology 2 below).

Now the standard word for east.[1][2]

Pronunciation

Noun

東(ひがし) • (higashi) 

  1. the east (compass point)
    Antonym: 西 (nishi)
  2. the Orient
    Synonym: 東洋 (tōyō)
  3. an easterly (wind blowing from the east)
    Synonym: 東風 (kochi, kochikaze, tōfū, higashikaze)
  4. (sumo) higher-ranked wrestlers listed on the right of a banzuke
    Antonym: 西 (nishi)
  5. an Eastern Bloc country
    Synonym: 東側 (higashigawa)
    Antonym: 西 (nishi)
  6. (regional, historical) Kamakura and/or Edo, as opposed to Kyoto and Osaka
    Antonym: 西 (nishi)
  7. (theater) This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
Coordinate terms
  • (compass points) 方角 (hōgaku);
北西 (hokusei)
西北 (seihoku) 		北 (kita) 北東 (hokutō)
東北 (tōhoku)
西 (nishi) 東 (higashi)
西南 (seinan)
南西 (nansei) 		南 (minami) 東南 (tōnan)
南東 (nantō)


Derived terms
Derived terms
Descendants

Proper noun

Japanese Wikipedia has articles on:
Wikipedia jaWikipedia ja

東(ひがし) • (Higashi) 

  1. a historical red-light district in Edo located east of Edo Castle, today in Fukagawa, Kōtō, Tokyo prefecture
  2. (Buddhism) Short for 東本願寺 (Higashi Hongan-ji): a Buddhist temple in Shimogyō, Kyoto, Japan
    Synonym: お東 (o-Higashi)
  3. Higashi (multiple places throughout Japan, especially referring to a ward in Okayama, Kumamoto, Sakai, Sapporo, Nagoya, Niigata, Hamamatsu, Hiroshima and Fukuoka)
  4. A former ward of Osaka, Japan
  5. a surname
    東(ひがし)音(おと)高(たか)
    Higashi Ototaka
    Ototaka Higashi, pediatrician known for Chédiak–Higashi syndrome

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
東
ひんがし
Grade: 2
irregular

*⟨pi1 muka si⟩ → */pʲimukasi/ → /pimʉɡasi/ → /ɸimʉɡaɕi/ → /ɸiŋɡaɕi/ → /hiŋɡaɕi/

Shift from Old Japanese 東 (*pi1mukasi).[1][2]

Noun

東(ひんがし) • (hingashi) 

  1. (obsolete) the east
Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:東.

Derived terms
Derived terms

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
東
あずま
Grade: 2
kun'yomi
Alternative spellings
吾妻
吾嬬

⟨aduma⟩ → /ad͡zuma/ → /azuma/

From Old Japanese,[1][2] itself of unknown derivation.

Pronunciation

Noun

東(あずま) • (azuma) ←あづま (aduma)?

  1. (archaic) the east
  2. (archaic) the lands east of the 都 (miyako, “imperial capital”)
  3. (regional, historical) during the Kamakura and Muromachi periods, the Kamakura region or its titular 幕府 (bakufu, “shogunate”), as opposed to the imperial capital of Kyoto
  4. (regional, historical) during the Edo period, the region around Edo
  5. Short for 東つ (azumatsu): This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
  6. Short for 東琴 (azumagoto): a six-stringed Japanese zither
  7. Short for 東下駄 (azumageta): This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.
Derived terms
Derived terms

Proper noun

東(あずま) • (Azuma) ←あづま (Aduma)?

  1. a placename
  2. a female given name
  3. a surname

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
東
とう
Grade: 2
kan'on

From Middle Chinese 東 (MC tuwng).

Pronunciation

Proper noun

東(とう) • (Tō) 

  1. Short for 関東 (Kantō):: the Kantō region of Japan
  2. Short for 東国 (Tōgoku): a historical administrative division of Japan, corresponding to the modern Kantō and Tōkai regions
  3. Short for 東京 (Tōkyō): Tokyo
  4. a surname
Derived terms

Noun

東(とう) • (tō) 

  1. (music) This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Affix

東(とう) • (tō) 

  1. east
Derived terms
Derived terms

Etymology 5

Kanji in this term
東
とん
Grade: 2
sōon

From Mandarin 東 / 东 (dōng).

Compare Wu 東 / 东 (ton), Hakka 東 / 东 (tûng), Min Nan 東 / 东 (tong).

Pronunciation

Noun

東(トン) • (ton) 

  1. (mahjong) east wind (mahjong tile)
    Hypernym: 風牌 (kazehai, fanpai)
  2. (mahjong) a 役 (yaku, “winning hand”) with a triplet or quad of east wind tiles; depending on wind round and player's seat wind, it is worth either 1 or 2 翻 (han, “doubles”)
    Hypernym: 役牌 (yakuhai, yaku-pai)
Derived terms
See also

Proper noun

東(とん) • (Ton) 

  1. a surname

Etymology 6

Kanji in this term
東
Grade: 2
nanori

Nominalization of the stem of adjective 明らか (akiraka, “clear”).

Proper noun

東(あきら) • (Akira) 

  1. a surname
  2. a male given name

Etymology 7

Kanji in this term
東
Grade: 2
nanori

Nominalization of verb 上る, 登る (noboru, “to ascend, rise”).

Proper noun

東(のぼる) • (Noboru) 

  1. a male given name

Etymology 8

Kanji in this term
東
Grade: 2
nanori

Nominalization of the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of verb 始める (hajimeru, “to begin, start”).

Proper noun

東(はじめ) • (Hajime) 

  1. a surname
  2. a male given name

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 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), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 東 (MC tuwng).

Historical Readings
Dongguk Jeongun Reading
Dongguk Jeongun, 1448 도ᇰ (Yale: twòng)
Middle Korean
Text Eumhun
Gloss (hun) Reading
Hunmong Jahoe, 1527 도ᇰ녁 (Yale: twòngnyèk) 도ᇰ (Yale: twòng)

Pronunciation

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

Wikisource

東 (eumhun 동녘 동 (dongnyeok dong))

  1. hanja form? of 동 (“east; eastern”)

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.

Okinawan

Kanji

東

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

Compounds

Etymology

Kanji in this term
東
あがり
Grade: 2
kun'yomi

From 上り (agari, “ascent, rise”) in reference to the direction where the sun rises or ascends.

Pronunciation

Noun

東(あがり) (agari) 

  1. east

Old Japanese

Compounds

  • 東風 (ayu, *koti, *kotikaze)

Etymology 1

Ultimate derivation unknown.

A speculative origin might be a compound of 天 (ama, “sky, heavens”, combining form) +‎ 端 (tuma, “edge, beginning”), but the elision of the ma in ama does not follow normal patterns.

Alternative forms

Noun

東 (aduma) (kana あづま)

  1. the east
  2. the lands east of the 都 (mi1yako1, “imperial capital”)
Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:東.

Descendants
  • Japanese: 東 (azuma)

Etymology 2

Found in one poem of the Man'yōshū (c. 759 CE), but consistently spelled with this single kanji rather than in man'yōgana, thus leaving the reading unspecified.

Originally a compound of 日 (pi1, “sun”) +‎ 向か (muka, the 未然形 (mizenkei, “incomplete form”) of verb 向く (muku), “to face a direction”).[1][2] The final -si is possibly either the 風 (si) affix meaning “wind”, or a suffix indicating direction as in 昔 (mukasi, “past”).

Noun

東 (*pi1mukasi) (kana ひむかし)

  1. the east
Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:東.

Descendants
  • Japanese: 東 (hingashi → higashi)
See also

References

  1. ^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Vietnamese

Han character

東: Hán Việt readings: đông[1][2][3][4][5][6]
東: Nôm readings: đông[1][2][3], đang[3]

  1. chữ Hán form of đông (“east, eastern”).

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Nguyễn (2014).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Nguyễn et al. (2009).
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Trần (2004).
  4. ^ Trần (1999).
  5. ^ Nguyễn (1974).
  6. ^ Thiều Chửu (1942).

Yoron

Kanji

東

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

Etymology

From 上り (agari, “ascent, rise”) in reference to the direction where the sun rises or ascends.

Pronunciation

Noun

東(あがり) (agari) 

  1. east
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