誰

Translingual

Stroke order (Japan)

Han character

誰 (Kangxi radical 149, 言+8, 15 strokes, cangjie input 卜口人土 (YROG), four-corner 0061₄, composition ⿰訁隹)

Derived characters

• 𩽀, 𧀣, 䜃, 𪇻

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1165, character 11
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 35686
• Dae Jaweon: page 1630, character 27
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 6, page 3987, character 10
• Unihan data for U+8AB0

Chinese

Glyph origin

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *djul) : semantic 言 (“speak”) + phonetic 隹 (OC *tjul).

Etymology 1

From *du + *-i (“suffix in independent pronouns”); cognate with 疇 (OC *du, “who”), 孰 (OC *djɯwɢ, “which one; who”) (Schuessler, 2007). In other Sino-Tibetan languages, compare Mizo tû (“who; which”), Chepang दोह् (“what”), Proto-Kuki-Chin *tuu (“who; which (relativizer)”) (Schuessler, 2007; STEDT).

Pronunciation

Definitions

誰

1. who; whom

   他是誰？／他是谁？  ―  Tā shì shéi?  ―  Who is he?

   我們的老師是誰？ [MSC, trad.]
   我们的老师是谁？ [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒmen de lǎoshī shì shéi?

   Who is our teacher?

   誰來了？／谁来了？  ―  Shéi lái le?  ―  Who has come?

   我們遲到是誰的過失？ [MSC, trad.]
   我们迟到是谁的过失？ [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒmen chídào shì shéi de guòshī?

   Whose fault is it that we are late?

   他們邀請誰了？／他们邀请谁了？  ―  Tāmen yāoqǐng shéi le?  ―  Whom did they invite?

2. someone; anyone

   誰能幫我解開安全帶？ [MSC, trad.]
   谁能帮我解开安全带？ [MSC, simp.]

   Shéi néng bāng wǒ jiěkāi ānquándài?

   Can someone help me to undo my seat belt?

   有誰願意跟我一起去嗎？ [MSC, trad.]
   有谁愿意跟我一起去吗？ [MSC, simp.]

   Yǒu shéi yuànyì gēn wǒ yīqǐ qù ma?

   Does anyone want to go with me?

3. anyone; whoever

   誰想學英文，我就教他。 [MSC, trad.]
   谁想学英文，我就教他。 [MSC, simp.]

   Shéi xiǎng xué yīngwén, wǒ jiù jiāo tā.

   I'll teach English to whoever wants to learn it.

4. a surname

Compounds

Etymology 2

Contraction of 啥人 (siáⁿ-lâng).

Pronunciation

Definitions

誰

1. (Southern Min) who; whom

Etymology 3

Contraction of 底人 (tī-lâng).

Pronunciation

Definitions

誰

1. (Hokkien, including Xiamen, Kinmen, Magong and Singapore Hokkien; Teochew; Hainanese) who; whom

Etymology 4

Contraction of 是誰／是谁 (chī-chūi).

Pronunciation

Definitions

誰

1. (Hokkien, chiefly Xiamen and Quanzhou Hokkien) who; whom

Etymology 5

From shortening of 是誰／是谁 (chī-choa̍h), from 是誰仔／是谁仔 (chī-chūi-á).

Pronunciation

Definitions

誰

1. (Hokkien, including Zhangzhou and Taichung Hokkien) who; whom

Synonyms

See also

Question words

• 嗎／吗 (ma, “yes/no question particle”)
• 什麼／什么 (shénme, “what”)
• 怎麼／怎么 (zěnme, “how”)
• 什麼時候／什么时候 (shénme shíhou, “when”)
• 哪 (nǎ, “what, which”)
• 哪裡／哪里 (nǎlǐ), 哪兒／哪儿 (nǎr) (where)
• 呢 (ne, “reciprocal questions particle”)

Japanese

Kanji

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: ずい (zui)
• Kan-on: すい (sui)
• Kun: だれ (dare, 誰, Jōyō); た (ta, 誰); たれ (tare, 誰)

Compounds

• 誰(すい)何(か) (suika)

Etymology 1

/tare/ → /dare/

From earlier tare.

The dare form appears from around the Edo period. The voicing of the initial /t-/ to /d-/ is likely by analogy with other interrogative demonstratives 何れ (dore, “which one”), 何処 (doko, “where”).

Now the primary form, replacing earlier tare.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) だ​れ (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

• Audio

  (file)

Pronoun

誰(だれ) • (dare) 

1. interrogative personal pronoun: who, whom

   誰(だれ)が誰(だれ)を作(つく)ったのか

   dare ga dare o tsukutta no ka

   Who made who?

   • 2016, Makoto Shinkai, director, 君の名は。 [your name.], spoken by Taki Tachibana (Ryūnosuke Kamiki), Toho:

     お前は…誰だ？俺は　どうしてここに来た？あいつに…あいつに会うために来た。助けるために来た。生きていてほしかった。誰だ？誰？誰に会いに来た？大事な人、忘れたくない人、忘れちゃダメな人！誰だ？誰だ？誰だ…誰だ⁉名前は⁉

     O-mae wa… dare da? Ore wa dōshite koko ni kita? Aitsu ni… Aitsu ni au tame ni kita. Tasukeru tame ni kita. Ikite ite hoshikatta. Dare da? Dare da? Dare ni ai ni kita? Daiji na hito, wasuretakunai hito, wasurecha dame na hito! Dare da? Dare da? Dare da… Dare da⁉ Namae wa⁉

     Who… are you? Why did I come here? To see her… I came to see her. I came to save her. I wanted her to live. Who was it? Who? Who did I come to see? Someone dear to me, someone I don't wanna forget, someone I must not forget! Who was it? Who was it? Who was it… Who⁉ What's your name⁉

   • 2016, Makoto Shinkai, director, 君の名は。 [your name.], spoken by Mitsuha Miyamizu (Mone Kamishiraishi), Toho:

     誰？誰？あの人は誰？大事な人、忘れちゃダメな人、忘れたくなかった人！誰？誰？君は誰？君の名前は⁉

     Dare? Dare? Ano hito wa dare? Daiji na hito, wasurecha dame na hito, wasuretakunakatta hito! Dare? Dare? Kimi wa dare? Kimi no namae wa⁉

     Who was it? Who? Who was he? Someone I hold dear, someone I must not forget, someone I did not want to forget! Who was he? Who? Who are you? What is your name⁉

Derived terms

Idioms

• 誰言(だれい)うとなく (dare iu to naku)
• 誰(だれ)とはなしに (dare to hanashi ni)
• 誰(だれ)の目(め)にも (dare no me ni mo)

Etymology 2

From Old Japanese, first attested in the Kojiki (712 CE) alongside its older form ta (see below).

Derived from older 誰 (ta, “who”) + れ (re, “thing”, demonstrative nominalizer ending). Compare the formation of これ (kore, “this”) from 此 (ko, “this”) + れ, 彼 (kare, “that one, that person”) from 彼 (ka, “that”) + れ (​re), etc.

Superseded by dare above starting from around the Edo period. The tare form does not appear to be used anymore outside of poetry or intentionally archaic text.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) た​れ (Atamadaka – )
• IPA^(key):

Pronoun

誰(たれ) • (tare) 

1. (archaic) interrogative personal pronoun: who, whom

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:誰.

Derived terms

Idioms

• 誰(たれ)かある (tare ka aru)

Proverbs

• 誰(たれ)か烏(からす)の雌(し)雄(ゆう)を知(し)らん (tare ka karasu no shiyū o shiran)

See also

Etymology 3

From Old Japanese, first attested in the Kojiki, completed roughly 712 CE.

Appears to be the oldest form.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key):

Pronoun

誰(た) • (ta) 

1. (obsolete, persists in some fossilized expressions) interrogative personal pronoun: who, whom

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:誰.

Derived terms

See also

See also

• 何方(どなた) (donata, “who”, honorific)
• 何(ど)れ (dore), 何(いず)れ (izure, “which”)

References

Korean

Hanja

誰 • (su) (hangeul 수)

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

Vietnamese

Han character

誰: Hán Nôm readings: thùy/thuỳ

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