爪

See also: 爫, 瓜, 手, and 寸

爪	U+722A, 爪 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-722A

← 爩

CJK Unified Ideographs

爫 →

⽖	U+2F56, ⽖ KANGXI RADICAL CLAW

← ⽕

Kangxi Radicals

⽗ →

⺥	U+2EA5, ⺥ CJK RADICAL PAW TWO

← ⺤

CJK Radicals Supplement

⺦ →

Translingual

Stroke order

Alternative forms

爫 – when used as a top radical

Han character

爪 (Kangxi radical 87, 爪+0, 4 strokes, cangjie input 竹中人 (HLO), four-corner 7223₀, composition ⿸𠂆⿰丨乀)

Kangxi radical #87, ⽖.

Derived terms

Appendix:Chinese radical/爪
𫩜, 𢁬, 抓, 沠, 𤜶, 枛, 𤣺, 𥄄, 𮄨, 𧘷, 䖣, 𧠘, 𧦐, 䝖, 𬦦, 𮠜, 釽(𬬲), 𤔗, 𩨢, 𪗢
𦧍, 𧠙, 坕, 𦥝, 𫵕, 𦬔, 𢦞, 𪽫, 𮃹, 𤰰, 笊, 𮍕, 𢦼, 𤰲, 𩬐

References

Kangxi Dictionary: page 688, character 26
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 19653
Dae Jaweon: page 1101, character 12
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 2030, character 1
Unihan data for U+722A

Chinese

Glyph origin

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

Characters in the same phonetic series (爪) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
抓	ʔsruː, ʔsruːʔ, *ʔsruːs
爪	*ʔsruːʔ
笊	ʔsruːʔ, ʔsruːs
找	*ʔsruːʔ

Pictogram (象形) – a hand grabbing from above (in earlier forms from side); compare 手, 寸, 九.

Etymology 1

trad.		爪
simp. ^#		爪
alternative forms		㕚 ancient

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): zhuǎ, zhǎo (zhua³, zhao³)

(Zhuyin): ㄓㄨㄚˇ, ㄓㄠˇ

(Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): zao³
Cantonese (Jyutping): zaau²
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): cháu
Jin (Wiktionary): zua²
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): cháu / chiáu / liáu / niáu / jiáu

(Teochew, Peng'im): riao² / riou²
Wu (Wugniu)
- (Northern): ⁵tsau / ³tsau

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, vernacular)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: zhuǎ
  - Zhuyin: ㄓㄨㄚˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: jhuǎ
  - Wade–Giles: chua³
  - Yale: jwǎ
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: joa
  - Palladius: чжуа (čžua)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂu̯ä²¹⁴/
- (Standard Chinese, erhua-ed)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: zhuǎr
  - Zhuyin: ㄓㄨㄚˇㄦ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: jhuǎr
  - Wade–Giles: chua³-ʼrh
  - Yale: jwǎr
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: joal
  - Palladius: чжуар (čžuar)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂu̯ɑɻ²¹⁴/
- (Standard Chinese, literary)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: zhǎo
  - Zhuyin: ㄓㄠˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: jhǎo
  - Wade–Giles: chao³
  - Yale: jǎu
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jao
  - Palladius: чжао (čžao)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʈ͡ʂɑʊ̯²¹⁴/

Note:

zhuǎ - “claw; claw-like object”.

(Chengdu)
- Sichuanese Pinyin: zao³
- Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: zao
- Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sau⁵³/

Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: zaau²
  - Yale: jáau
  - Cantonese Pinyin: dzaau²
  - Guangdong Romanization: zao²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡saːu̯³⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: cháu
  - Hakka Romanization System: zau`
  - Hagfa Pinyim: zau³
  - Sinological IPA: /t͡sau̯³¹/
Jin
- (Taiyuan)⁺
  - Wiktionary: zua²
  - Sinological IPA (old-style): /t͡sua⁵³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: cháu
  - Tâi-lô: tsáu
  - Phofsit Daibuun: zao
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sau⁵⁵⁴/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /t͡sau⁵³/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chiáu
  - Tâi-lô: tsiáu
  - Phofsit Daibuun: ciao
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /t͡siau⁵³/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡siau⁵⁵⁴/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: liáu
  - Tâi-lô: liáu
  - Phofsit Daibuun: liao
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /liau⁵⁵⁴/
- (Hokkien: Taipei, Xiamen)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: niáu
  - Tâi-lô: niáu
  - Phofsit Daibuun: niao
  - IPA (Taipei, Xiamen): /niãu⁵³/
- (Hokkien: Kaohsiung, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: jiáu
  - Tâi-lô: jiáu
  - Phofsit Daibuun: jiao
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /d͡ziau⁵³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /ziau⁴¹/

Note:

cháu - literary;
chiáu/liáu/niáu/jiáu - vernacular.

(Teochew)
- Peng'im: riao² / riou²
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: jiáu / jióu
- Sinological IPA ^(key): /d͡ziau⁵²/, /d͡ziou⁵²/

Note:

riao2 - Shantou;
riou2 - Chaozhou.

Wu
- (Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁵tsau
  - MiniDict: tsau^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²tsau
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /t͡sɔ³⁴/
- (Suzhou)
  - Wugniu: ³tsau
  - MiniDict: tsau^上
  - Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /t͡sæ⁵¹/

Middle Chinese: tsraewX

Rime
Character	爪
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	莊 (18)
Final (韻)	肴 (90)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	II
Fanqie	側絞切
Baxter	tsraewX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/t͡ʃˠau^X/
Pan Wuyun	/ʈ͡ʂᵚau^X/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡ʃau^X/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ʈ͡ʂaɨw^X/
Li Rong	/t͡ʃau^X/
Wang Li	/t͡ʃau^X/
Bernard Karlgren	/ʈ͡ʂau^X/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	zhǎo
Expected Cantonese Reflex	zaau²

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*ˤ<r>uʔ/

(Zhengzhang): /*ʔsruːʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	爪
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	zhǎo
Middle Chinese	‹ tsræw^X ›
Old Chinese	/*ˁ<r>uʔ/
English	claw
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	爪
Reading #	1/1
No.	17658
Phonetic component	爪
Rime group	幽
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	爪
Old Chinese	/*ʔsruːʔ/

Definitions

爪

claw (of animal, bird); talon; paw; nail
(Hakka) to grab with claws
claw-like object; foot (of an item)
(derogatory or humorous) hand (of a person)
(Quanzhou and Xiamen Hokkien) nail (of a person)
a surname

Usage notes

爪 (zhuǎ) ― paws or claws of vertebrates, except for humans, bears, ducks, geese and swans
鉗／钳 (qián) ― claws of arthropods (crabs, clawed lobsters, scorpions, etc.)
掌 (zhǎng) ― hands, paws or claws of humans (only in compounds), bears, ducks, geese or swans
手 (shǒu) ― hands or hooves of humans or swine (only for culinary swine hooves)
蹄 (tí) ― hooves

Synonyms

(claw):

Dialectal synonyms of 爪子 (“claw; paw”)

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		爪
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		爪子
Mandarin	Beijing	爪子, 爪兒
	Taiwan	爪子
	Harbin	爪子
	Yantai (Muping)	爪子
	Jinan	爪子
	Luoyang	爪兒
	Wanrong	爪子
	Xi'an	爪子, 爪爪兒
	Yinchuan	爪子
	Xining	爪子
	Ürümqi	爪爪子, 爪子
	Wuhan	爪子
	Chengdu	爪爪, 爪子
	Guiyang	爪爪
	Liuzhou	爪
	Xuzhou	爪子
	Yangzhou	爪子
	Nanjing	爪子
	Hefei	爪子
	Nantong	爪子
Cantonese	Guangzhou	爪
	Hong Kong	爪
	Yangjiang	爪, 腳爪
Gan	Nanchang	爪子
	Lichuan	爪
	Pingxiang	腳爪
Hakka	Meixian	腳爪, 爪
	Yudu	腳爪
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	爪
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	爪
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	爪
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	爪
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	爪
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	爪
Huizhou	Jixi	腳爪
Jin	Taiyuan	爪爪, 爪子
Jin	Xinzhou	爪子
Northern Min	Jian'ou	跤爪, 爪
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	跤爪
Southern Min	Xiamen	跤爪, 爪, 爪仔
	Quanzhou	跤爪, 爪
	Jinjiang	跤爪
	Zhangzhou	跤爪, 爪
	Chaozhou	爪
	Shantou	爪
	Leizhou	跤爪
	Haikou	跤爪
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	撓, 爪
Wu	Shanghai	腳爪
	Shanghai (Chongming)	腳爪
	Suzhou	腳爪
	Danyang	腳爪
	Hangzhou	腳爪兒
	Ningbo	腳爪
	Wenzhou	腳爪, 爪
	Jinhua	腳鈀
Xiang	Changsha	爪子, 腳爪子
	Loudi	腳爪爪
	Shuangfeng	爪子

Compounds

Etymology 2

trad.		爪
simp. ^#		爪
alternative forms		抓

Pronunciation

Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): niàu / liàu / jiàu

Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Taipei, Xiamen)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: niàu
  - Tâi-lô: niàu
  - Phofsit Daibuun: niaux
  - IPA (Xiamen): /niãu²¹/
  - IPA (Taipei): /niãu¹¹/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: liàu
  - Tâi-lô: liàu
  - Phofsit Daibuun: liaux
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /liau⁴¹/
- (Hokkien: Kaohsiung, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: jiàu
  - Tâi-lô: jiàu
  - Phofsit Daibuun: jiaux
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /ziau²¹/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /d͡ziau²¹/

Definitions

爪

(Southern Min) to claw; to scratch (with one's claw or nail)
(Quanzhou and Xiamen Hokkien) Classifier for claw or scratch mark.

Compounds

References

“爪”, 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

爪

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

nail, claw

Readings

Go-on: しょう (shō)^{←せう (seu, historical)}
Kan-on: そう (sō)^{←さう (sau, historical)}
Kun: つめ (tsume, 爪, Jōyō); つま (tsuma, 爪, Jōyō ^†)

Etymology 1

Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:

爪

Wikipedia ^ja

Kanji in this term
爪
つめ Grade: S
kun’yomi

From Old Japanese, in turn from Proto-Japonic *tumay. The standalone form of tsuma below.

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) つめ (Heiban – )
IPA^(key):

Noun

爪(つめ) • (tsume)

nail; claw

Derived terms

鷹(たか)の爪(つめ) (taka no tsume)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
爪
つま Grade: S
kun’yomi

From Old Japanese. The root form of tsume above, generally only used in compounds. Cognate with 端 (tsuma, “edge, side of something”) and 妻 (tsuma, “wife”, original sense of “spouse”).

Affix

爪(つま) • (tsuma)

(only in compounds) nail; claw

Derived terms

爪(つま)音(おと) (tsumaoto, “the sound of a stringed instrument when plucked with a pick or plectrum; the sound of a horse's hoofbeat”)
爪(つま)弾(び)く (tsumabiku, “to pluck with one's fingernail, such as a stringed instrument”)
爪(つま)折(お)る (tsumaoru, “to pick or break something off with one's fingernails”)
爪(つま)隠(かくし), 爪(つま)隠(かく)し (tsumakakushi, “hiding one's claws; a kind of zōri grass sandal, where the front end extends and folds over the tops of the toes”)
爪(つま)先(さき) (tsumasaki, “tiptoe”)
摘(つ)まむ (tsumamu, “to pinch; to pick at; to pick something up with the tips of one's fingers”)
摘(つ)む (tsumu, “to pick something up with the tips of one's fingers; to snip the tip off of something”)
躓(つまず)く (tsumazuku, “to stumble”)
爪(つま)楊(よう)枝(じ) (tsuma yōji, “a small toothpick”)

References

↑ ^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
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN