根

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

根 (Kangxi radical 75, 木+6, 10 strokes, cangjie input 木日女 (DAV), four-corner 4793₂, composition ⿰木艮)

Derived characters

• 𬓓 𬕤 𦶠 𡏒 𬻩

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 524, character 7
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 14745
• Dae Jaweon: page 912, character 9
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1208, character 2
• Unihan data for U+6839

Chinese

Glyph origin

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *kɯːn) : semantic 木 + phonetic 艮 (OC *kɯːns).

Etymology

Possibly of Austroasiatic origin (Schuessler, 2007). Compare Proto-Mon-Khmer *(d)kər (“tree, plant”) (whence Proto-Vietic *kəl > Vietnamese cây, Muong câl), *d₂gəl ~ d₂g(əə)l (“trunk; stump”) (whence Khmer គល់ (kŭəl, “stump; floating log”), Proto-Monic *t(l)gəl (“stump”)).

Alternatively, Smith (2011) proposes a derivation from 荄 (OC *kɯː, “grassroot”) with redundant nominalizing suffix *-n. See 荄 for more.

Pronunciation

Definitions

根

1. (botany) root (Classifier: 條／条 m)

   樹根／树根  ―  shùgēn  ―  root of a tree

2. base; basis; foundation
3. family root; ancestors

   尋根／寻根  ―  xúngēn  ―  to search for one's ancestral roots

4. (figurative) descendant; offspring
5. source; origin
6. (figurative) penis (Classifier: 條／条 m)
7. (Buddhism) indriya; faculty; spiritual faculty
8. (arithmetic) root

   均方根  ―  jūnfānggēn  ―  root mean square

9. (mathematics) solution to an algebraic equation (Classifier: 個／个 m)
10. (chemistry) radical
11. (computing) root

    根目錄／根目录  ―  gēn mùlù  ―  root directory

    根分區／根分区  ―  gēn fēnqū  ―  root partition

12. completely; from the source
13. Classifier for long, slender objects, such as cigarettes, fingers, candles, ropes, and guitar strings. ⇒ all nouns using this classifier

Synonyms

• (descendant):

• (source):

• (arithmetic root): 方根 (fānggēn)
• (classifier):

Compounds

References

• “根”, 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

(grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji)

1. root
2. base, foundation

Readings

• Go-on: こん (kon, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: こん (kon, Jōyō)
• Kun: ね (ne, 根, Jōyō)

Compounds

Etymology 1

From Old Japanese. First cited to the Kojiki of 712.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ね​ (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Noun

根(ね) • (ne) 

1. a root of a plant
2. (by extension) the source or root of something
3. the cause or basis for something
4. one's nature, the character one has by birth

Synonyms

• 根(ね)っ子(こ) (nekko)

Etymology 2

From Middle Chinese 根 (MC kon). First cited in Japanese contexts in the 法華義疏 (Hokke Gisho) dated to 615, a commentary on the Buddhist Lotus Sutra that was written in Classical Chinese.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) こ​ん (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

• (Tokyo) こん (Heiban – ) for the sense of "perseverance, patience"
• IPA^(key):

Noun

根(こん) • (kon) 

1. (Buddhism) the original motive force leading to perception of something by the five senses or by thought
2. genitals; more commonly, the male genitals
3. perseverance, patience

   Synonym: 根気 (konki)

4. (mathematics) a root, such as a square root (calque of English root)

References

Korean

Hanja

根 (eumhun 뿌리 근 (ppuri geun))

1. Hanja form^? of 근 (“root; base; stump”).

Compounds

• 根源 (근원, geunwon)

Okinawan

Kanji

(grade 3 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Compounds

Etymology

Cognate with Japanese 根 (ne).

Noun

根(にー) (nī) 

1. root

Vietnamese

Han character

根: Hán Nôm readings: căn, cằn, cỗi

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