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See also: 疲
波 U+6CE2, 波
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-6CE2
← 泡
 		CJK Unified Ideographs 泣 →

Translingual

Han character

波 (Kangxi radical 85, 水+5, 8 strokes, cangjie input 水木竹水 (EDHE), four-corner 34147, composition ⿰氵皮)

Derived characters

Descendants

  • Japanese: は (ha)

References

  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 617, character 8
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 17308
  • Dae Jaweon: page 1012, character 6
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 1597, character 7
  • Unihan data for U+6CE2

Chinese

Wikipedia has articles on:
水面波

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 波
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Small seal script
Characters in the same phonetic series (皮) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
陂 *pral, *prals
詖 *pral, *prals
彼 *pralʔ
柀 *pralʔ
佊 *pralʔ, *prals
貱 *prals
跛 *prals, *paːlʔ
披 *pʰral, *pʰralʔ
鈹 *pʰral
帔 *pʰral, *pʰrals
鮍 *pʰral
耚 *pʰral
狓 *pʰral
翍 *pʰral
旇 *pʰral, *brals
秛 *pʰral, *pʰrals
紴 *pʰralʔ, *paːl
皮 *bral
疲 *bral
被 *bralʔ, *brals
髲 *brals
鞁 *brals
骳 *mbralʔ
波 *paːl
碆 *paːl, *baːl
菠 *paːl
簸 *paːlʔ, *paːls
駊 *paːlʔ, *pʰaːlʔ
頗 *pʰaːl, *pʰaːlʔ, *pʰaːls
坡 *pʰaːl
玻 *pʰaːl
破 *pʰaːls
婆 *baːl
蔢 *baːl

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *paːl): semantic 氵 (“water”) + phonetic 皮 (OC *bral, “surface”).

Etymology 1

simp. and trad.
 波

“wave; undulation”
Debated.
STEDT and Starostin derive it from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *r/m-ba (“wave; ripple”). Cognate with Tibetan རྦ (rba), དབའ (dba', “wave”).
Schuessler (2007) notes a mismatch of the vowels in the above comparanda, and instead posits a root *paj (“slanted; not level”), also subsuming 陂 (OC *pral, “slope; slanting”).
Wang (1982) relates it to 播 (OC *paːls, “to winnow”), 簸 (OC *paːlʔ, *paːls, “to winnow”).

Pronunciation

Note: 7poq - only used in 寧波.
  • Dialectal data
Variety Location 波
Mandarin Beijing /pʰo⁵⁵/
/po⁵⁵/
Harbin /pɤ⁴⁴/
/pʰɤ⁴⁴/
Tianjin /pʰo²¹/
Jinan /pə²¹³/
Qingdao /pə²¹³/
Zhengzhou /pʰo²⁴/
Xi'an /pʰo²¹/
Xining /pɔ⁴⁴/
Yinchuan /puə⁴⁴/
Lanzhou /pə³¹/
Ürümqi /pɤ⁴⁴/
Wuhan /po⁵⁵/
Chengdu /po⁵⁵/
Guiyang /po⁵⁵/
Kunming /po⁴⁴/
Nanjing /po³¹/
Hefei /pʊ²¹/
Jin Taiyuan /pɤ¹¹/
Pingyao /pʰɔ¹³/
/pɔ¹³/
Hohhot /pɤ³¹/
Wu Shanghai /pu⁵³/
Suzhou /pu⁵⁵/
Hangzhou /po³³/
Wenzhou /pu³³/
Hui Shexian /pɔ³¹/
Tunxi /po¹¹/
Xiang Changsha /po³³/
Xiangtan /po³³/
Gan Nanchang /po⁴²/
Hakka Meixian /po⁴⁴/
Taoyuan /po²⁴/
Cantonese Guangzhou /pɔ⁵³/
Nanning /pɔ⁵⁵/
Hong Kong /pɔ⁵⁵/
Min Xiamen (Hokkien) /po⁵⁵/
Fuzhou (Eastern Min) /pʰo⁴⁴/
Jian'ou (Northern Min) /pɔ⁵⁴/
Shantou (Teochew) /po³³/
Haikou (Hainanese) /ʔbo²³/
Rime
Character 波
Reading # 1/1
Initial (聲) 幫 (1)
Final (韻) 戈 (95)
Tone (調) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Closed
Division (等) I
Fanqie 博禾切
Baxter pa
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/puɑ/
Pan
Wuyun 		/puɑ/
Shao
Rongfen 		/puɑ/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/pwa/
Li
Rong 		/puɑ/
Wang
Li 		/puɑ/
Bernhard
Karlgren 		/puɑ/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		bō
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		bo1
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 波
Reading # 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin) 		bō
Middle
Chinese 		‹ pa ›
Old
Chinese 		/*pˁaj/
English wave (n.)

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 波
Reading # 1/1
No. 9719
Phonetic
component 		皮
Rime
group 		歌
Rime
subdivision 		1
Corresponding
MC rime 		波
Old
Chinese 		/*paːl/

Definitions

波

  1. wave; breaker
  2. undulation
  3. (physics) wave
    聲波／声波  ―  shēngbō  ―  sound wave
    微波  ―  wēibō  ―  microwave
  4. (Sichuanese, including Chongqing and Neijiang) elderly person
  5. Short for 波蘭／波兰 (Bōlán, “Poland”).
  6. Short for 波斯 (Bōsī, “Persia”).
  7. a surname
  8. Used in 波羅／波罗 (bōluó), alternative form of 菠蘿 / 菠萝 (bōluó)
Synonyms
Compounds

Etymology 2

simp. and trad.
 波

Borrowed from English ball.

Pronunciation

Note: bo1 - in compounds.

Definitions

波

  1. (Cantonese, Leizhou Min, Hainanese) ball (Classifier: 個／个 c; 粒 c)
  2. (Cantonese) ball game, especially football (Classifier: 場／场 c)
  3. (Cantonese) team in a ball game, especially football (Classifier: 隊／队 c)
  4. (Cantonese) goal (act of scoring with the ball) in a ball game, especially football (Classifier: 球 c)
  5. (Cantonese) automotive gear, gearbox; transmission
    低波 [Cantonese]  ―  dai1 bo1   ―  low gear
  6. (Hong Kong Cantonese) typhoon signal (issued by the Hong Kong Observatory)
    八號波／八号波 [Hong Kong Cantonese]  ―  baat3 hou6 bo1   ―  Typhoon Signal No. 8
  7. (chiefly Hong Kong Cantonese, figurative) boob; breast (Classifier: 對／对 c; 個／个 c)
    波大冇腦／波大冇脑 [Hong Kong Cantonese]  ―  bo1 daai6 mou5 nou5   ―  with big boobs but brainless
  8. (Hong Kong Cantonese) ball; dance party (Classifier: 個／个 c)
  9. (Hong Kong Cantonese, figuratively, always with the classifier) responsibility (Classifier: 個／个 c)
Synonyms
  • (ball):
Dialectal synonyms of 球 (“ball”)
Variety Location Words
Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 球
Northeastern Mandarin Beijing 球
Taiwan 球
Singapore 球
Jilu Mandarin Jinan 球
Central Plains Mandarin Xi'an 球
Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan) 蛋子
Masanchin (Shaanxi Dungan) 蛋子
Southwestern Mandarin Chengdu 球
Wuhan 球
Lancang 球
Guilin 球
Dagudi (Maliba) 球
Reshuitang (Longling) 球
Mae Salong (Lancang) 球
Mae Sai (Tengchong) 球
Jianghuai Mandarin Yangzhou 球
Hefei 球
Cantonese Guangzhou 波, 球
Hong Kong 波
Taishan 波
Dongguan 波
Rongxian 球
Hepu (Lianzhou) 球, 波
Hepu (Shatian) 球, 波
Qinzhou (Xiniujiao) 球
Beihai 波
Beihai (Nankang) 球
Beihai (Yingpan) 球
Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô) 球, 波
Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà) 球, 波
Fangchenggang (Fangcheng) 球
Singapore (Guangfu) 波
Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu) 波
Móng Cái 球
Bangkok (Guangfu) 波
Betong (Rongxian) 球, 波
Gan Nanchang 球
Hakka Meixian 球
Jiexi 球
Miaoli (N. Sixian) 球仔
Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) 球仔
Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) 球仔
Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) 球
Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) 球仔
Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) 球
Hong Kong 波
Bangkok (Meixian) 球
Bangkok (Jiexi) 球
Jin Taiyuan 球
Northern Min Jian'ou 球
Eastern Min Fuzhou 球
Southern Min Xiamen 球
Singapore (Hokkien) 球
Chaozhou 球
Shantou 球
Jieyang 球
Bangkok (Teochew) 球
Chiang Mai (Teochew) 球
Hat Yai (Teochew) 球
Singapore (Teochew) 球
Pontianak (Teochew) 球
Leizhou 波
Haikou 波
Zhongshan Min Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi) 波
Wu Shanghai 球
Suzhou 球
Wenzhou 球
Xiang Changsha 球
Shuangfeng 球
Dialectal synonyms of 乳房 (“breast”)
Variety Location Words
Classical Chinese 乳
Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 乳房
Northeastern Mandarin Beijing 咂兒, 咂咂兒, 咂兒咂兒, 媽媽, 奶膀子, 奶子, 㜷㜷
Taiwan 奶子, 咪咪 slang, ㄋㄟㄋㄟ slang, 長輩 slang
Langfang 咂咂兒
Ulanhot 咂兒, 奶頭, 媽媽
Tongliao 咂兒, 奶頭
Chifeng 乳房
Hulunbuir (Hailar) 咂咂兒
Harbin 奶子, 奶膀子, 咂兒, 咂咂兒, 媽兒媽兒
Singapore 乳房
Olginsky (Mikhaylovka) 奶膀子
Jilu Mandarin Tianjin 個個
Tangshan 悶兒
Cangzhou 媽媽
Baoding 媽媽
Shijiazhuang 媽媽
Jinan 媽媽, 奶
Jiaoliao Mandarin Yantai (Muping) 奶子
Qingdao 奶子
Central Plains Mandarin Luoyang 奶
Daming 媽媽
Wanrong 奶
Zhengzhou 媽
Xi'an 奶頭, 奶
Xining 奶頭
Xuzhou 媽媽
Lanyin Mandarin Yinchuan 高高
Bayanhot 高高, 奶頭
Lanzhou 苶苶
Ürümqi 奶子, 高高
Southwestern Mandarin Chengdu 奶奶, 包子 humorous
Wuhan 媽, 媽媽, 奶
Guiyang 咪咪, 奶
Kunming 奶
Guilin 奶
Liuzhou 奶
Mae Salong (Lancang) 奶
Mae Sai (Tengchong) 奶
Jianghuai Mandarin Nanjing 奶兒, 奶子
Yangzhou 奶子
Nantong 奶子
Hefei 奶頭
Chuzhou 媽頭子
Mandarin Nanping (Yanping) 奶奶
Cantonese Guangzhou 𢆡
Hong Kong 𢆡, 胸, 波, 車頭燈
Hong Kong (San Tin; Weitou) 媽仔
Hong Kong (Kam Tin; Weitou) 媽仔
Hong Kong (Ting Kok) 𢆡姑
Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau) 𢆡姑
Macau 奶
Guangzhou (Panyu) 𢆡, 奶
Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu) 𢆡
Guangzhou (Conghua) 𢆡
Guangzhou (Zengcheng) 𢆡
Foshan 𢆡
Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai) 奶
Foshan (Shunde) 乳房
Foshan (Sanshui) 𢆡
Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming) 𢆡
Zhongshan (Shiqi) 𢆡
Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou) 𢆡, 呢仔
Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka) 𢆡, 奄
Zhuhai (Doumen) 𢆡
Jiangmen (Baisha) 奶
Jiangmen (Xinhui) 𢆡
Taishan 𢆡
Kaiping (Chikan) 𢆡
Enping (Niujiang) 𢆡
Heshan (Yayao) 𢆡
Dongguan 𢆡, 奶
Shaoguan 奶
Yunfu 𢆡
Yangjiang 𢆡
Xinyi 𢆡
Nanning 奶
Wuzhou 奶
Yulin 𢆡
Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) 𢆡, 奶
Singapore (Guangfu) 波
Gan Nanchang 奶
Lichuan 奶
Pingxiang 奶
Hakka Meixian 奶菇, 奶牯
Xingning 奶菇, 奶
Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua) 奶
Huiyang 奶菇
Huidong (Daling) 奶菇, 奶
Dongguan (Qingxi) 奶牯
Boluo (Bendihua) 奶
Shenzhen (Shatoujiao) 奶牯
Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui) 奶
Wuhua (Huacheng) 奶菇
Heyuan (Bendihua) 奶
Longchuan (Tuocheng; Bendihua) 奶牯
Heping (Linzhai; Bendihua) 奶
Lianping (Longjie; Bendihua) 奶牯
Shaoguan (Qujiang) 奶
Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang) 奶房, 奶
Liannan 奶
Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua) 奶
Jiexi 奶菇
Changting 奶
Wuping 奶菇
Wuping (Pingyu) 奶菇
Ninghua 奶菇
Yudu 奶
Ruijin 奶
Shicheng 奶菇, 奶
Shangyou (Shexi) 波
Miaoli (N. Sixian) 奶菇
Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) 奶菇
Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) 奶菇
Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) 奶菇
Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) 奶菇
Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) 奶
Hong Kong 奶菇
Luchuan 奶
Luchuan (Daqiao) 奶
Sabah (Longchuan) 奶
Senai (Huiyang) 奶菇
Singkawang 奶, 奶菇
Huizhou Jixi 奶, 奶脯
Shexian 奶, 媽
Huangshan (Tunxi) 奶
Jin Taiyuan 奶, 奶奶
Xinzhou 奶, 奶奶, 奶牛, 奶牛牛
Taibus (Baochang) 奶
Linhe 奶頭
Jining 奶
Hohhot 牛牛
Baotou 奶
Dongsheng 奶
Haibowan 奶頭
Zhangjiakou 媽媽
Handan 妹妹
Northern Min Jian'ou 奶, 奶脬, 奶座
Eastern Min Fuzhou 奶奶, 奶
Fuzhou (Changle) 奶奶
Fuqing 奶奶
Yongtai 奶
Gutian 奶
Fu'an 奶
Ningde 奶
Shouning 奶
Zhouning 奶
Fuding 奶
Southern Min Xiamen 奶, 奶仔
Quanzhou 奶, 奶仔
Zhangzhou 奶, 奶仔
Taipei 奶
New Taipei (Sanxia) 奶仔
Kaohsiung 奶
Yilan 奶
Changhua (Lukang) 奶
Taichung 奶
Taichung (Wuqi) 奶
Tainan 奶
Taitung 奶
Hsinchu 奶
Kinmen 奶
Penghu (Magong) 奶
Penang (Hokkien) 奶
Singapore (Hokkien) 奶, 奶仔, 奶奶
Manila (Hokkien) 奶仔
Pingnan (Shangdu) 奶
Chaozhou 奶
Shantou 奶
Jieyang 奶
Johor Bahru (Teochew) 奶
Singapore (Teochew) 奶
Wenchang 奶
Haikou 奶
Puxian Min Putian 奶
Xianyou 奶
Zhongshan Min Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi) 𢆡
Southern Pinghua Nanning (Tingzi) 奶頭
Northern Pinghua Guilin (Dahe) 奶
Wu Shanghai 奶, 奶奶
Shanghai (Chongming) 奶
Suzhou 奶奶
Danyang 奶奶
Hangzhou 奶奶
Ningbo 奶奶脯, 奶脯, 奶奶
Wenzhou 奶奶, 奶
Jinhua 奶, 奶窠
Xiang Changsha 奶子, 奶, 奶唧唧 childish, 唧唧 childish
Xiangtan 奶痣婆
Loudi 奶婆
Shuangfeng 奶婆
Hengyang 奶婆
Quanzhou 奶婆, 奶

Compounds

Etymology 3

For pronunciation and definitions of 波 – see 簸 (“to winnow; to bump; to jerk; to jolt”).
(This character is the second-round simplified form of 簸).
Notes:

References

Japanese

Kanji

波

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

  • Go-on: は (ha, Jōyō)
  • Kan-on: は (ha, Jōyō)
  • Kun: なみ (nami, 波, Jōyō)
  • Nanori: ぽ (po, 波)

Compounds

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
波
なみ
Grade: 3
kun'yomi
Alternative spellings
浪 (uncommon)
涛 (rare)

⟨nami1⟩ → /namʲi/ → /nami/

From Old Japanese 浪 (nami1), from Proto-Japonic *nami.

Pronunciation

Noun

波(なみ) • (nami) 

  1. a wave
    そのサーファーは一番(いちばん)大(おお)きな波(なみ)に乗(の)った。
    Sono sāfā wa ichiban ōkina nami ni notta.
    That surfer rode the biggest wave.
Derived terms

Proper noun

波(なみ) • (Nami) 

  1. a female given name

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
波
は
Grade: 3
on'yomi

/pa/ → /ɸa/ → /ha/

From Middle Chinese 波 (MC pa).

Affix

波(は) • (ha) 

  1. wave
Derived terms
Compounds

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
波
ぽ
Grade: 3
irregular

Short form of ateji (当て字) spelling 波蘭 (Pōrando).

Proper noun

波(ぽ) • (Po) 

  1. Short for ポーランド (Pōrando): Poland

References

  1. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  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 波 (MC pa). Recorded as Middle Korean 파 (pha) (Yale: pha) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

Wikisource

波 (eumhun 물결 파 (mulgyeol pa))

  1. hanja form? of 파 (“wave, undulation”)

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.

Vietnamese

Han character

波: Hán Nôm readings: ba

Noun

波

  1. chữ Hán form of ba (“(only in compounds) wave; ripple”).
Derived terms
Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia