柄

柄 (Kangxi radical 75, 木+5, 9 strokes, cangjie input 木一人月 (DMOB), four-corner 4192₇, composition ⿰木丙)

• 𫪲

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 518, character 8
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 14603
• Dae Jaweon: page 906, character 9
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1179, character 2
• Unihan data for U+67C4

Historical forms of the character 柄
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Small seal script

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *praŋʔ, *praŋs) : semantic 木 (“wood”) + phonetic 丙 (OC *pqraŋʔ) – a wooden handle.

柄

1. handle (of an axe, implement, etc.)

   手柄  ―  shǒubǐng  ―  handle

   椅柄 [Cantonese]  ―  ji¹ beng³   ―  seat handle

2. stem (of a flower, leaf, fruit, etc.)
3. (literary, or in compounds) mistake which can be used against someone
4. (literary, or in compounds) power; authority
5. (literary, or in compounds) to wield; to be in control of
6. (Cantonese, transitive) Alternative form of 偋 (bìng, “to hide”)
7. (dialectal) Classifier for something with a handle.

• (handle): 把 (bà)
• (power):

• (to wield):

• “柄”, 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–

(Jōyō kanji)

1. a handle, lever, knob
2. a design or pattern
3. one's build or character

• Go-on: ひょう (hyō)^{←ひやう (fyau, historical)}
• Kan-on: へい (hei, Jōyō)
• Kan’yō-on: ひ (hi)
• Kun: え (e, 柄, Jōyō)^{←え (e, 柄, historical)←𛀁 (ye, 柄, ancient)}、かび (kabi, 柄)、かい (kai, 柄)、から (kara, 柄)、がら (gara, 柄, Jōyō)、つか (tsuka, 柄)、つく (tsuku, 柄)
• Nanori: から (kara)、ら (ra)

Change in meaning from 枝 (e, historically ye, “branch, stem”).^[1]

• (Tokyo) え (Heiban – )^[2]
• IPA^(key):

柄(え) • (e) 

1. a handle, a grip, a shaft, a haft

   Synonyms: 取っ手 (totte), 取手 (totte), 把手 (totte)

   大(おお)鎌(がま)の柄(え)

   ōgama no e

   a snath, a scythe shaft

• 柄(え)の無(な)い所(ところ)に柄(え)をすげる (e no nai tokoro ni e o sugeru): “to attach a handle where there isn't one” → to strain credibility with one's words, to talk out one's ass

From Old Japanese. Used in the Kojiki. Generally regarded as cognate with 黴 (kabi, “mold”), from the shared idea of sprouts or shoots. Appears to be noun stem of Old Japanese verb かぶ (kabu) (source of modern Japanese 黴る, kabiru, “to go moldy”), with probable original meaning of to sprout.^[1]

• IPA^(key):

柄(かび) • (kabi) 

1. (archaic) a sprout

   Synonym: 芽 (me)

2. (archaic) an ear of grain, particularly of rice

   Synonyms: 穂 (ho), 穂先 (hosaki)

3. (archaic) the handle or grip of a tool, or hilt of a blade (by extension from the idea of “a smaller portion sticking out from the main body” like a sprout)

   Synonym: 柄 (tsuka) (see below)

The grain sense is more commonly spelled 穎.

/kabi/ → /kai/

Alteration of kabi.^[1]

• IPA^(key):

柄(かい) • (kai) ^{←かひ (kafi)?}

1. (archaic) see kabi above

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *kara. Origin of particle から (kara, “from, because”).^[1]

• IPA^(key):

柄(から) • (-kara) 

1. of the same lineage
2. the inherent qualities or characteristics of a thing

The lineage sense is often found embedded in other words, such as the first few of the following.

柄(から) • (kara) 

1. (archaic) (by extension from the qualities sense) an origin or source, a reason for something

Often followed by the particle に (ni). This usage evolved into the modern particle から (kara, “from, because”).^[1]

In light of the stem sense, probably derived semantically from origin, source meanings.

Compare also Korean 가락 (garak), similarly used as a counter for long and slender objects.

• IPA^(key):

柄(から) • (-kara) 

1. used to count items with shafts

柄(から) • (kara) 

1. the trunk or stem of a plant
2. the shaft of an arrow
3. the shaft, haft, or handle of a tool

柄(から) • (kara-) 

1. describes something with a stem, shaft, or handle

The shaft sense is often found embedded in other words, such as the following, which are often spelled with other kanji.

Alteration of kara, “qualities, characteristics”. Originally only found as a suffix. The kara changes to gara as an instance of rendaku (連濁). The rendaku pronunciation was then later used independently.^[1]

• (Tokyo) がら (Heiban – )^[2]
• IPA^(key):

柄(がら) • (-gara) 

1. the inherent qualities or characteristics of a thing
2. a shape, pattern, or design

柄(がら) • (gara) 

1. one's physical shape or build

   Synonyms: 体付き (karadatsuki), 体付 (karadatsuki), なり (nari)

   柄(がら)の大(おお)きいやつだな。

   Gara no ōkii yatsu da na.

   Wow, he's sure built big.

2. one's character, personality, or temperament

   柄(がら)の悪(わる)い人(ひと)

   gara no warui hito

   a person with a bad character

3. a pattern or design, such as on cloth

   Synonym: 模様 (moyō)

   あの柄(がら)は派手過(はです)ぎるよ。

   Ano gara wa hade-sugiru yo.

   That pattern is way too colorful.

• 柄(がら)にもない (gara ni mo nai): “not even in one's character” → just not in one, just not suitable for one's character or abilities

Cognate with 束 (tsuka, ancient unit of length, equivalent to the amount covered from pinky to forefinger when gripping something; analogous to English hand).^[1]

Both likely derive from verb 付く (tsuku, “to set to, to attach, to accompany”), particularly as seen in modern Japanese idioms such as 手を付ける (te o tsukeru, “to set one's hand to something”), 手が付く (te ga tsuku, “to start using something”, literally “one's hand sets on something”).

• (Tokyo) つか (Odaka – )^[2]
• IPA^(key):

柄(つか) • (tsuka) 

1. the hilt of a sword or knife, or the grip of a bow or staff
2. the portion of a brush pen held in the hand
3. a penis

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:陰茎

• 柄(つか)を握(にぎ)る (tsuka o nigiru): “to hold the grip” → to stay the course in a career or trade and become an old master
• 柄(つか)を取(と)る (tsuka o toru): “to take the grip” → to stay the course in a career or trade and become an old master

Nominalization of verb 付く (tsuku, “to attach”).

• IPA^(key):

柄(つく) • (tsuku) 

1. the nock on either end of a bow where the bowstring rests
2. a bent nail or other kind of spike attached to or driven through an iron staff or a truncheon to make the weapon more dangerous
3. the areas on either end of a yoke or other carrying pole where cordage or rope is attached, from which the load is carried
4. the grip of a tiller, boathook, or other pole
5. (as a pun on the verb sense of stick to, attach) a female entertainer's or prostitute's secret lover

   Synonyms: 隠し男 (kakushi otoko), 隠男 (kakushi otoko)

The grip sense is not spelled using the alternative forms, and is only spelled 柄 in kanji.

Ateji or misspelling for uncommon 表外字 (hyōgaiji, “off-the-chart character”, in reference to the chart of official educational kanji) character 枘 (hozo, “navel”, also generic term for something that protrudes slightly). Note that the right half of 柄 is 丙, with a top bar, while the right half of 枘 is 内, without a top bar.^[1]

• (Tokyo) ほぞ (Atamadaka – )^[2]
• (Tokyo) ほぞ (Atamadaka – )^[2]
• IPA^(key):

柄(ほぞ) • (hozo) 

1. a tenon, as in a mortise and tenon carpentry join
2. (slang) a penis

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:陰茎

柄 • (byeong) (hangeul 병, revised byeong, McCune–Reischauer pyŏng, Yale pyeng)

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柄: Hán Nôm readings: bính

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