界

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See also: 畍
界 U+754C, 界
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-754C
← 畋
 		CJK Unified Ideographs 畍 →

Translingual

Stroke order
9 strokes
Stroke order (Japan)
9 strokes

Han character

界 (Kangxi radical 102, 田+4, 9 strokes, cangjie input 田人中中 (WOLL), four-corner 46128, composition ⿱田介(G) or ⿳田八⿰丿丨(HTJKV))

Derived characters

References

  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 760, character 18
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 21775
  • Dae Jaweon: page 1170, character 11
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2534, character 2
  • Unihan data for U+754C

Chinese

simp. and trad.
 界
alternative forms 畍

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 界
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Small seal script
Characters in the same phonetic series (介) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
妎 *ɡaːds, *ɡeːds
芥 *kreːds
尬 *kreːds
界 *kreːds
介 *kreːds
疥 *kreːds
玠 *kreːds
砎 *kreːds, *kreːd, *ɡraːd
魪 *kreːds
价 *kreːds
衸 *kreːds, *ɡreːds
齘 *ɡreːds
骱 *ɡaːd, *kreːd
扴 *kreːd
圿 *kreːd
忦 *kreːd

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *kreːds) : semantic 田 (“field”) + phonetic 介 (OC *kreːds).

Etymology

Compare perhaps Burmese ခြား (hkra:, “to keep separated”).[1]

Pronunciation

Note:
  • kài - literary;
  • kè/kòe - vernacular.
Note:
  • 5ka - vernacular;
  • 5cia - literary;
  • 5cie - main pronunciation in Hangzhounese, literary in Haiyanese;
  • 5kau - only in 過年過界／过年过界.
    Rime
    Character 界
    Reading # 1/1
    Initial (聲) 見 (28)
    Final (韻) 皆 (33)
    Tone (調) Departing (H)
    Openness (開合) Open
    Division (等) II
    Fanqie 古拜切
    Baxter keajH
    Reconstructions
    Zhengzhang
    Shangfang         		/kˠɛiH/
    Pan
    Wuyun         		/kᵚæiH/
    Shao
    Rongfen         		/kɐiH/
    Edwin
    Pulleyblank         		/kəɨjH/
    Li
    Rong         		/kɛiH/
    Wang
    Li         		/kɐiH/
    Bernhard
    Karlgren         		/kăiH/
    Expected
    Mandarin
    Reflex         		jiè
    Expected
    Cantonese
    Reflex         		gaai3
    Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
    Character 界
    Reading # 1/1
    Modern
    Beijing
    (Pinyin)         		jiè
    Middle
    Chinese         		‹ kɛjH ›
    Old
    Chinese         		/*kˁr-s/
    English boundary

    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 界
    Reading # 1/1
    No. 6524
    Phonetic
    component         		介
    Rime
    group         		祭
    Rime
    subdivision         		2
    Corresponding
    MC rime         		誡
    Old
    Chinese         		/*kreːds/

    Definitions

    界

    1. boundary
      境界  ―  jìngjiè  ―  boundary; state
      中華人民共和國省界糾紛 [MSC, trad.]
      中华人民共和国省界纠纷 [MSC, simp.]
      Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó shěngjiè jiūfēn
      PRC provincial boundary dispute
    2. domain; realm; zone; area
    3. circle; world; industry
      音樂界／音乐界  ―  yīnyuèjiè  ―  the music world; music circles
    4. (taxonomy) kingdom

    Compounds

    See also

    References

    1. ^ Luce, G. H. (1981) “-A Finals (17. to Separate; Boundary; Different)”, in A Comparative Word-List of Old Burmese, Chinese and Tibetan, London: School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, →ISBN, page 1

    Further reading

    Japanese

    Kanji

    界

    (Third grade kyōiku kanji)

    1. world
    2. border

    Readings

    (Can we verify(+) this pronunciation?)

    • Go-on: け (ke)
    • Kan-on: かい (kai, Jōyō)
    • Kun: さかい (sakai, 界)←さかひ (sakafi, 界, historical)

    Etymology 1

    Kanji in this term
    界
    かい
    Grade: 3
    on'yomi

    From Middle Chinese 界 (MC keajH, “boundary”).

    In Buddhist contexts, derived from the Middle Chinese term used as a translation of Sanskrit धातु (dhātu, “layer, stratum”).[1]

    Pronunciation

    Noun

    界(かい) • (kai) 

    1. boundary
    2. a bounded area or region
    3. a bounded group of people, a society, a world as a social grouping, such as business, celebrities, or finance
      Used both as a standalone noun, and in compounds. Use in compounds is more common in this sense.
      自然(しぜん)の界(かい)、自然(しぜん)界(かい)
      shizen no kai, shizenkai
      the natural world
      美術界(びじゅつかい)
      bijutsukai
      the art world
    4. the border edge of a thing
    5. (Buddhism) the category of a thing
    6. (Buddhism) the world or realm of a thing
    7. lines drawn between the lines of a text, as on lined writing paper
    8. lines drawn to lay out a draft of a piece of artwork: a sketch
    9. (biology, taxonomy) a kingdom
    10. (geology) a stratum corresponding to a geologic age
    Coordinate terms
    Derived terms
    Derived terms

    Etymology 2

    Kanji in this term
    界
    さかい
    Grade: 3
    kun'yomi
    For pronunciation and definitions of 界 – see the following entry.
    【境さかい】5
    border, boundary, limits
    a surname
    (This term, 界, is an alternative spelling (less common) of the above term.)

    Usage notes

    • More commonly spelled 境. Derived terms primarily use that spelling, so see that entry for more details.

    References

    1. ^ “界”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
    2. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

    Korean

    Etymology

    From Middle Chinese 界 (MC keajH). Recorded as Middle Korean 계〯 (kyěy) (Yale: kyey) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

    Hanja

    Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

    Wikisource

    界 (eumhun 지경 계 (jigyeong gye))

    1. hanja form? of 계 (“boundary”)

    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

    界: Hán Nôm readings: giới

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