困

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word 困. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word 困, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say 困 in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word 困 you have here. The definition of the word 困 will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of困, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: 睏
困 U+56F0, 困
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-56F0
← 囯
 		CJK Unified Ideographs 囱 →

Translingual

Stroke order
7 strokes

Han character

困 (Kangxi radical 31, 囗+4, 7 strokes, cangjie input 田木 (WD) or 難田木 (XWD), four-corner 60904, composition ⿴囗木)

Derived characters

References

  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 217, character 20
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 4717
  • Dae Jaweon: page 445, character 3
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 714, character 7
  • Unihan data for U+56F0

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 困
Shang Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts
Characters in the same phonetic series (困) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
硱 *kʰɯŋ, *kʰuːnʔ
梱 *ŋɡuːn, *kʰuːnʔ
捆 *kʰuːnʔ
綑 *kʰuːnʔ
閫 *kʰuːnʔ
悃 *kʰuːnʔ
稛 *kʰuːnʔ
裍 *kʰuːnʔ
齫 *kʰuːnʔ
困 *kʰuːns
涃 *kʰuːns

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 囗 (“surround”) + 木 (“wood”). Probably the original form of 梱 (OC *ŋɡuːn, *kʰuːnʔ, “doorsill”) and 閫 (OC *kʰuːnʔ, “doorsill”).

Etymology 1

simp. and trad.
 困

Pronunciation

Note: wan3 - vernacular.
Rime
Character 困
Reading # 1/1
Initial (聲) 溪 (29)
Final (韻) 魂 (55)
Tone (調) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Closed
Division (等) I
Fanqie 苦悶切
Baxter khwonH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/kʰuənH/
Pan
Wuyun 		/kʰuonH/
Shao
Rongfen 		/kʰuənH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/kʰwənH/
Li
Rong 		/kʰuənH/
Wang
Li 		/kʰuənH/
Bernhard
Karlgren 		/kʰuənH/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		kùn
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		fan3
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 困
Reading # 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin) 		kùn
Middle
Chinese 		‹ khwonH ›
Old
Chinese 		/*kʰˁu-s/
English obstruct; distress

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 困
Reading # 1/1
No. 7554
Phonetic
component 		困
Rime
group 		文
Rime
subdivision 		2
Corresponding
MC rime 		困
Old
Chinese 		/*kʰuːns/

Definitions

困

  1. to surround; to besiege
  2. to be surrounded; to be trapped
    困𨋢／困䢂 [Cantonese]  ―  wan3 lip1   ―  to be trapped in an elevator
  3. (Cantonese) to lock up; to detain
  4. difficult
  5. 47th hexagram of the I Ching
  6. (Teochew, Hainanese) hungry
Synonyms
Dialectal synonyms of 餓 (“hungry”)
Variety Location Words
Classical Chinese 飢, 餓
Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 餓, 飢餓
Northeastern Mandarin Beijing 餓
Taiwan 餓
Chengde 餓
Chifeng 餓
Hulunbuir (Hailar) 餓
Heihe 餓
Qiqihar 餓
Harbin 餓
Jiamusi 餓
Baicheng 餓
Changchun 餓
Tonghua 餓
Shenyang 餓
Jinzhou 餓
Singapore 餓
Jilu Mandarin Tianjin 餓
Tangshan 餓
Cangzhou 餓
Baoding 餓
Shijiazhuang 餓
Lijin 飢困
Jinan 餓
Jiaoliao Mandarin Dalian 餓
Dandong 餓
Yantai 餓, 飢困
Qingdao 餓, 飢困
Central Plains Mandarin Lingbao 飢
Jining 餓
Linfen 飢
Shangqiu 餓, 飢
Yuanyang 餓
Zhengzhou 飢
Xinyang 餓
Baihe 餓
Xi'an 飢, 餓
Baoji 飢
Tianshui 餓
Xining 餓
Xuzhou 餓
Fuyang 餓
Lanyin Mandarin Yinchuan 餓
Lanzhou 餓
Dunhuang 餓
Hami 餓
Ürümqi 餓
Southwestern Mandarin Chengdu 餓
Nanchong 餓
Dazhou 餓
Hanyuan 餓
Xichang 餓
Zigong 餓
Chongqing 餓
Wuhan 餓
Yichang 餓
Xiangyang 餓
Tianmen 餓
Guiyang 餓
Zunyi 餓
Bijie 餓
Liping 餓
Zhaotong 餓
Dali 餓
Kunming 餓
Mengzi 餓
Guilin 餓
Liuzhou 餓
Jishou 餓
Changde 餓
Hanzhong 餓
Jianghuai Mandarin Nanjing 餓
Yangzhou 餓
Lianyungang 餓
Lianshui 餓
Nantong 餓
Anqing 餓
Hefei 餓
Hong'an 餓
Cantonese Guangzhou 肚餓, 餓
Hong Kong 肚餓, 餓
Hong Kong (San Tin; Weitou) 肚餓
Hong Kong (Kam Tin; Weitou) 肚餓
Hong Kong (Ting Kok) 肚胈餓
Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau) 肚胈餓
Macau 餓
Guangzhou (Panyu) 肚餓
Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu) 肚餓
Guangzhou (Conghua) 肚餓
Guangzhou (Zengcheng) 肚餓
Foshan 肚餓
Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai) 肚餓
Foshan (Shunde) 餓
Foshan (Sanshui) 肚餓
Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming) 肚餓
Zhongshan (Shiqi) 餓
Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou) 餓
Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka) 肚餓
Zhuhai (Doumen) 肚餓
Jiangmen (Baisha) 肚飢
Jiangmen (Xinhui) 肚餓
Taishan 肚飢
Kaiping (Chikan) 肚餓
Enping (Niujiang) 肚餓
Heshan (Yayao) 肚餓
Dongguan 屎肚餓
Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an) 肚餓
Shenzhen (Dapeng) 餓
Shaoguan 肚餓
Yunfu 肚餓
Yangjiang 餓
Xinyi 肚餓
Lianjiang 肚餓
Nanning 肚餓
Hepu (Lianzhou) 飢
Hepu (Shatian) 飢, 餓
Beihai 餓
Beihai (Nankang) 餓
Beihai (Yingpan) 飢
Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô) 肚餓
Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà) 肚餓
Fangchenggang (Fangcheng) 肚餓
Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) 餓
Singapore (Guangfu) 餓, 肚餓
Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu) 餓
Móng Cái 肚餓
Gan Nanchang 餓
Hakka Meixian 肚飢, 餓
Xingning 餓
Dabu (Xihe) 豺
Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua) 肚胈餓
Huidong (Daling) 餓
Dongguan (Qingxi) 肚胈餓
Shenzhen (Shatoujiao) 肚胈餓
Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui) 餓
Wuhua (Shuizhai) 肚𤸁
Wuhua (Huacheng) 肚飢, 肚胈餓
Wuhua (Changbu) 肚胈飢
Wuhua (Mianyang) 肚𤸁
Wuhua (Meilin) 𤸁
Shaoguan (Qujiang) 肚飢
Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang) 肚胈餓
Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua) 餓
Jiexi 肚屎𤸁
Changting 腹飢, 餓
Longyan (Yongding) 肚飢
Longyan (Xiayang, Yongding) 豺
Longyan (Hukeng, Yongding) 肚飢
Wuping 肚飢
Wuping (Pingyu) 肚飢
Liancheng 腹飢
Liancheng (Peitian) 腹底飢, 腹飢, 餓
Liancheng (Juxi) 腹裡飢, 腹飢, 飢
Liancheng (Zhongbao) 腹飢
Liancheng (Laiyuan) 腹飢, 餓肚屎, 肚屎空
Ninghua 腹飢
Ruijin 肚飢, 肚籮捏飢
Shicheng 肚飢
Shangyou (Shexi) 肚飢
Miaoli (N. Sixian) 肚飢, 肚枵
Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) 肚飢
Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) 肚屎枵, 肚枵
Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) 肚飢, 肚屎枵, 肚枵
Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) 肚屎枵, 肚枵
Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) 屎肚枵
Hong Kong 餓
Sabah (Longchuan) 肚胈餓
Kuala Lumpur (Dabu) 肚餓
Senai (Huiyang) 餓
Sungai Tapang, Batu Kawa (Hepo) 肚屎枵, 肚屎飢, 𤸁
Singkawang 肚屎飢
Bangkok (Meixian) 肚飢
Bangkok (Fengshun) 肚𤸁
Huizhou Shexian 餓
Jin Taiyuan 餓
Yangyuan 餓, 飢
Datong 飢
Xinzhou 餓
Lüliang (Lishi) 餓
Changzhi 飢
Linhe 餓
Jining 餓
Hohhot 餓
Erenhot 餓, 飢
Pingshan 餓
Zhangjiakou 餓
Handan 餓, 飢
Linzhou 飢
Suide 餓
Northern Min Jian'ou 腹飢, 餓
Eastern Min Fuzhou 空, 枵 dated
Southern Min Xiamen 枵
Xiamen (Tong'an) 腹肚枵
Quanzhou 枵
Shishi 枵
Zhangzhou 枵
Zhao'an 枵, 腹肚枵
Taipei (Wanhua) 枵
Kaohsiung 枵
Yilan 枵
Changhua (Lukang) 枵
Taichung 枵
Taichung (Wuqi) 枵
Tainan 枵
Taitung 枵
Hsinchu 枵
Penghu (Magong) 枵
Penang (Hokkien) 枵
Singapore (Hokkien) 枵, 腹肚枵
Manila (Hokkien) 枵, 腹肚枵
Chaozhou 枵, 肚困, 肚枵
Shantou 肚困, 枵
Shantou (Chenghai) 肚困, 枵
Shantou (Chaoyang) 肚困
Jieyang 枵
Haifeng 肚枵
Johor Bahru (Teochew) 枵
Singapore (Teochew) 肚困, 枵
Wenchang 肚困
Haikou 困, 肚困
Singapore (Hainanese) 困, 肚困
Zhongshan Min Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi) 肚餓
Zhongshan (Sanxiang) 餓, 肚餓
Wu Shanghai 餓
Suzhou 餓
Ningbo 肚飢
Wenzhou 餓
Jinhua 肚飢
Xiang Changsha 餓, 䐬
Shuangfeng 肚䐬, 餓 intensified

Compounds

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of 困 – see 睏 (“sleepy; tired; to sleep”).
(This character is the simplified and variant form of 睏).
Notes:

References

Japanese

Kanji

困

(Sixth grade kyōiku kanji)

  1. trouble

Readings

  • Go-on: こん (kon, Jōyō)
  • Kan-on: こん (kon, Jōyō)
  • Kun: こまる (komaru, 困る, Jōyō)、くるしむ (kurushimu, 困しむ)

Korean

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Middle Korean readings, if any”)

Pronunciation

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

Wikisource

困 (eumhun 괴로울 곤 (goeroul gon))

  1. hanja form? of 곤 (“suffer”)
  2. hanja form? of 곤 (“surround, besiege”)

Compounds

Vietnamese

Han character

困: Hán Nôm readings: khốn, khuôn

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