正

𝍶 U+1D376, 𝍶 IDEOGRAPHIC TALLY MARK FIVE ← 𝍵 Counting Rod Numerals 𝍷 →

Stroke order

Stroke order

As a component of some complex characters, 正 is often written as 𤴓 with its last two strokes different. Compare 昰 and 是.

正 (Kangxi radical 77, 止+1, 5 strokes, cangjie input 一卜中一 (MYLM), four-corner 1010₁, composition ⿱一止)

1. Shuowen Jiezi radical №31

• (tally marks, 5): The successive strokes of 正 () are used in China, Taiwan, Japan, Korea and other areas where Chinese characters are prominent to designate tallies in votes, scores, points, sushi orders, and the like, much as is used in Africa, the Americas, Australia, and Europe. Tallies beyond five are written with a 正 for each group of five, followed by the remainder. For example, a tally of twelve is written as 正正丅.

• 征, 定, 昰, 是, 症, 整, 焉, 歪

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 574, character 2
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 16255
• Dae Jaweon: page 962, character 2
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1436, character 1
• Unihan data for U+6B63

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

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *tjeŋ, *tjeŋs) : phonetic 丁 (OC *rteːŋ, *teːŋ) + semantic 止 (“foot”) – to go on a long journey. Original form of 征 (OC *tjeŋ, “to go on long campaign”).

Later, 丁 was simplified into a horizontal stroke, as in 旦. Folk etymologies do not recognize 丁. Graphically, the modern version of the character is the reverse of 之.

Sino-Tibetan or area word: “centre; target; first (month); straight; correct”.

Compare Mizo dîng (“to go straight or direct (as person, arrow etc.); to go straight through without breaking the journey; straight; direct”). Matisoff sets up Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m-tjak/ŋ ~ tik/ŋ (“good; very; real; straight”) for this, which includes 正, 直 (OC *dɯɡ, “straight; right”) and 實 (OC *ɦliɡ, “solid; true”).

Additionally, Matisoff has Proto-Sino-Tibetan *t(r)waŋ (“straight; straighten”), whence Chepang धेङ्‌सा (dʰeŋ-, “straight”), Jingpho ding (“straight”), Tibetan དྲང་པོ (drang po, “straight; correct; upright; just; fair”), Burmese တန်း (tan:, “straight; to head straight for”). Also compare Khmer ទៀង (tiĕng, “accurate; correct; exact; precise; honest”) and Thai ดิ่ง (dìng, “vertically; straight; to plummet”).

Derivatives:

• 征 (OC *tjeŋ, “to go straight > to go on a journey”)
• 政 (OC *tjeŋs, “correct; to govern; government; to determine”)
• 整 (OC *tjeŋʔ, “orderly; to arrange; to dispose”)

For etymology of pronunciation 正 (zhĕng) in the month 正月 (zhēngyuè)'s name, see there.

正

1. straight; upright in proper position; middle

   正門／正门  ―  zhèngmén  ―  front door

   把畫掛正。／把画挂正。  ―  Bǎ huà guà zhèng.  ―  Hang the painting straight.

   Antonym: 歪 (wāi)

2. right; proper; correct; upright

   正路  ―  zhènglù  ―  right way; correct path

   正派  ―  zhèngpài  ―  decent; upright; proper

   公正  ―  gōngzhèng  ―  just; fair

   他作風不正。／他作风不正。  ―  Tā zuòfēng bù zhèng.  ―  He behaves with impropriety.

   行得正企得正 [Cantonese, trad. and simp.]

   haang⁴ dak¹ zeng³ kei⁵ dak¹ zeng³

   to act in a proper manner

3. obverse; right

   25美分硬幣的正面是華盛頓總統的頭像。 [MSC, trad.]
   25美分硬币的正面是华盛顿总统的头像。 [MSC, simp.]

   25 měifēn yìngbì de zhèngmiàn shì Huáshèngdùn zǒngtǒng de tóuxiàng.

   The obverse of a quarter shows the profile of George Washington.

   Antonym: 反

4. regular; standard

   正規／正规  ―  zhèngguī  ―  regular; standard

   正楷  ―  zhèngkǎi  ―  regular script

5. precisely; directly; perfectly

   正前方  ―  zhèng qiánfāng  ―  straight ahead

   正南  ―  zhèng nán  ―  due south

   張床喺正張書檯隔籬。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   张床喺正张书台隔篱。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   zoeng¹ cong⁴ hai² zeng³ zoeng¹ syu¹ toi^4-2 gaak³ lei⁴.

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

6. primary; chief; main; full

   正文  ―  zhèngwén  ―  main body

   正副主任  ―  zhèng fù zhǔrèn  ―  director and deputy director

   正省級／正省级  ―  zhèngxǐngjí  ―  provincial level

7. pure; unmixed; authentic; true

   正紅色／正红色  ―  zhèng hóngsè  ―  pure red

8. pretty; attractive; beautiful
9. (Cantonese) awesome; fantastic

   依間餐廳正呀！ [Cantonese, trad.]
   依间餐厅正呀！ [Cantonese, simp.]

   ji¹ gaan¹ caan¹ teng¹ zeng³ aa³!

   This restaurant is awesome!

10. just now; right now; in the process of

    我正等著呢。／我正等着呢。  ―  Wǒ zhèng děng zhe ne.  ―  I'm waiting.

    外面正在下雪。  ―  Wàimiàn zhèngzài xiàxuě.  ―  It's snowing outside.

    那時候我正在上海讀書。 [MSC, trad.]
    那时候我正在上海读书。 [MSC, simp.]

    Nà shíhòu wǒ zhèng zài Shànghǎi dúshū.

    At that time I was studying in Shanghai

11. just; exactly; precisely

    正如你剛才說的。 [MSC, trad.]
    正如你刚才说的。 [MSC, simp.]

    Zhèngrú nǐ gāngcái shuō de.

    Precisely as you have said just now

12. to straighten; to make straight

    把帽子正一正  ―  bǎ màozǐ zhèng yī zhèng  ―  to straighten out one’s hat

    • 君子正其衣冠，尊其瞻視，儼然人望而畏之，斯不亦威而不猛乎？ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
      君子正其衣冠，尊其瞻视，俨然人望而畏之，斯不亦威而不猛乎？ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

      From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

      Jūnzǐ zhèng qí yīguān, zūn qí zhānshì, yǎnrán rén wàng ér wèi zhī, sī bù yì wēi ér bù měng hū?

      He adjusts his clothes and cap, and throws a dignity into his looks, so that, thus dignified, he is looked at with awe - is not this to be majestic without being fierce?

13. to make right; to rectify; to correct

    正音  ―  zhèngyīn  ―  to correct one's pronunciation

14. (numeral) ten duodecillion(10⁴⁰)
15. (mathematics) regular

    正六邊形／正六边形  ―  zhèng liùbiānxíng  ―  regular hexagon

    正四面體／正四面体  ―  zhèng sìmiàntǐ  ―  regular tetrahedron

16. (mathematics) positive; plus

    正整數／正整数  ―  zhèng zhěngshù  ―  positive integer

17. (physics) positive

    正極／正极  ―  zhèngjí  ―  positive pole

18. (time) sharp; on the dot

    正午  ―  zhèngwǔ  ―  noon

    而家係五點正。 [Cantonese, trad.]
    而家系五点正。 [Cantonese, simp.]

    ji⁴ gaa¹ hai⁶ ng⁵ dim² zing³.

    It's 5 o'clock on the dot.

19. (Hakka, Teochew) only; merely
20. (Hakka, Teochew) just; just now
21. (Hakka, Teochew) only then; only after
22. (Hakka, Teochew) Used to emphasize that something is/is not.
23. (Southern Min) right (direction)
24. a surname
25. (tally marks) five (successive strokes of 正 are added in writing sequence to tally a count of five per character)

• (antonym(s) of “right”): (Hokkien, Teochew) 倒 (tò, “left”)

正

1. first (month of the lunar year)

   新正  ―  xīnzhēng  ―  first month of the lunar new year

2. ^† bull's eye; centre of target
3. ^† target; goal
4. ^† Original form of 征 (zhēng, “to levy”).
5. ^† Original form of 征 (zhēng, “to go on a punitive expedition”).

Others:

• Lao: ຈຽງ (chīang, “first month of the lunar year”)
• Lü: ᦵᦈᧂ (ṫseng, “first month in Dai lunar calendar, starting in November”)
• Northern Thai: ᨠ᩠ᨿᨦ (“first month of the lunar year”)
• Shan: ၸဵင် (tsǎeng, “first month of the Shan year, starting December-January”)
• Ahom: 𑜋𑜢𑜂𑜫 (chiṅ, “first month of the lunar year”)
• Vietnamese: giêng (“first month of the Vietnamese lunar year, starting January-February”)

(First grade kyōiku kanji)

1. correct
2. justice
3. (arithmetic) positive
4. (geometry) regular

• Go-on: しょう (shō, Jōyō)^{←しやう (syau, historical)}
• Kan-on: せい (sei, Jōyō)
• Kun: ただしい (tadashii, 正しい, Jōyō)、ただす (tadasu, 正す, Jōyō)、まさ (masa, 正, Jōyō)、まさに (masani, 正に)
• Nanori: おお (ō)、くに (kuni)、ま (ma)、まさし (masashi)、ただし (tadashi)

正(せい) • (sei) 

1. correctness

正(せい) • (sei) 

1. 生: (humble) I or me, the first person singular (used by males)

正(せい) • (sei) 

1. A number of ten-duodecillion (10⁴⁰) in modern Japanese since 17th century.
2. 5, as tally marks. Similar to four vertical lines followed by a slanted horizontal line crossing through them, this character is used to count to 5 stroke by stroke. Thus this kanji written up to the third stroke represents 3. After the fifth and final stroke, when this character is completed, one starts writing this character again to count to higher numbers.

正(しょう) • (shō-) 

1. (history) "senior" ranking for 位 (-i, “Japanese courtier rank”)

   Antonym: 従 (ju-)

   正(しょう)一(いち)位(い)

   shōichī

   senior rank 1

   正(しょう)三(さん)位(み)

   shōsanmi

   senior rank 3

   正(しょう)九(く)位(い)

   shōkui

   senior rank 9

2. 正: exactly (of a number)

正(しょう) • (shō) -na (adnominal 正(しょう)な (shō na), adverbial 正(しょう)に (shō ni))

1. proper; straight, direct; genuine, true

正(しょう) • (shō) 

1. ten-duodecillion (10⁴⁰)

正(まさし) or 正(ただし) or 正(たゞし) • (Masashi or Tadashi) 

1. a male given name

From Middle Chinese 正 (MC tsyengH).

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key):
• Phonetic hangul:
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

正

Wikisource

正 (eumhun 바를 정 (bareul jeong))

1. Hanja form^? of 정 (“straight; upright; erect”).