貝

See also: 贝, 目, 見, 具, 頁, and 員

貝	U+8C9D, 貝 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-8C9D

← 貜

CJK Unified Ideographs

貞 →

⾙	U+2F99, ⾙ KANGXI RADICAL SHELL

← ⾘

Kangxi Radicals

⾚ →

Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

Han character

貝 (Kangxi radical 154, 貝+0, 7 strokes, cangjie input 月山金 (BUC), four-corner 6080₀, composition ⿱目八)

Kangxi radical #154, ⾙.

Derived characters

Appendix:Chinese radical/貝
𰂇, 唄, 垻, 㛝, 孭, 𫸳, 𭜼, 𢭲, 浿, 狽, 䢙, 𣇜, 梖, 𪸭, 㸽, 珼, 𬒹, 𥆘, 𦁀, 蛽, 𧧾, 𧳒, 𧼀, 䟺, 鋇, 𩗗, 鼰
則, 郥, 戝, 敗, 㲘, 𨿎, 鵙, 𪔡, 𠭁, 𬹠, 頁, 員, 𦮷, 𭶰, 𪽾, 𥦎, 筫, 𡪛, 𮦒, 䩀, 𦺲, 𫂢, 𥴶, 𥴹, 寶, 𧂟, 𫴩, 𠩠, 屓, 𬟫, 𢊾, 𪊾, 閴, 齎

References

Kangxi Dictionary: page 1204, character 1
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 36656
Dae Jaweon: page 1665, character 2
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 6, page 3622, character 1
Unihan data for U+8C9D

Chinese

trad.		貝
simp.		贝

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 貝
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

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

	Old Chinese
貝	*paːds
狽	*paːds
鋇	*paːds
浿	pʰaːds, pʰreːds
垻	*praːs
敗	praːds, braːds
唄	*braːds

Pictogram (象形) – cowrie used as currency in ancient China. Unrelated to the original version of 則. See also the top component of 得. Unrelated to 目.

Etymology

Cowries were used as money in ancient China (shell money).

Possibly from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *bwap (“snail”); cognate with Jingpho pawp, lapawp (“snail”), Chepang बोप् (bop, “snail”) (STEDT; Starostin; Schuessler, 2007).

Alternatively, Guo (1945) proposes that it is an ancient loanword from languages of the south (which call it bia). Since the species of sea snail used as decoration and currency—Monetaria moneta (money cowry)—is not native to the eastern seashores of China, he proposes that cowries used by the ancient Chinese dynasties in Central China must have come from the southeastern shores of China and areas further south. Compare Malay bia (“cowry”), Thai เบี้ย (bîia, “cowry shell; money”), Proto-Mon-Khmer *ɓa(a)j (“bean, small weight or coin”) > Khasi sbâi (“cowry; shell; money”), Khmer ពៃ (pɨy, “obsolete small coin”) (Schuessler, 2007). Note also Burmese ပဲ (pai:, “bean”).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): bèi (bei⁴)

(Zhuyin): ㄅㄟˋ

(Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): bei⁴
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): bui³

(Taishan, Wiktionary): boi¹
Gan (Wiktionary): bi⁴
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): pi

(Hailu, HRS): bui^ˇ

(Meixian, Guangdong): bi⁴
Jin (Wiktionary): bei³
Northern Min (KCR): bo̿
Eastern Min (BUC): buói
Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): bue⁴
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): pòe

(Teochew, Peng'im): buê⁶

(Leizhou, Leizhou Pinyin): bue³ / bui³
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁵pe
Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): bei⁴

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: bèi
  - Zhuyin: ㄅㄟˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: bèi
  - Wade–Giles: pei⁴
  - Yale: bèi
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bey
  - Palladius: бэй (bɛj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /peɪ̯⁵¹/
- (Chengdu)
  - Sichuanese Pinyin: bei⁴
  - Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: bei
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pei²¹³/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: bui³
  - Yale: bui
  - Cantonese Pinyin: bui³
  - Guangdong Romanization: bui³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /puːi̯³³/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: boi¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pᵘɔi³³/
Gan
- (Nanchang)
  - Wiktionary: bi⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pi³⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: pi
  - Hakka Romanization System: bi
  - Hagfa Pinyim: bi⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /pi⁵⁵/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: bui^ˇ
  - Sinological IPA: /pui¹¹/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: bi⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /pi⁵³/
Jin
- (Taiyuan)⁺
  - Wiktionary: bei³
  - Sinological IPA (old-style): /pei⁴⁵/
Northern Min
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: bo̿
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /po³³/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: buói
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pui²¹³/
Puxian Min
- (Putian, Xianyou)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: bue⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /puei⁴²/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pòe
  - Tâi-lô: puè
  - Phofsit Daibuun: poex
  - IPA (Xiamen): /pue²¹/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /pue⁴¹/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /pue²¹/
  - IPA (Taipei): /pue¹¹/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /pue²¹/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: buê⁶
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: puĕ
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pue³⁵/
- (Leizhou)
  - Leizhou Pinyin: bue³ / bui³
  - Sinological IPA: /puɛ²¹/, /pui²¹/

Note:

bue3 - vernacular;
bui3 - literary.

Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁵pe
  - MiniDict: pe^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²pe
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /pe³⁴/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: bei⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /pe̞i̯⁴⁵/

Middle Chinese: pajH

Rime
Character	貝
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	幫 (1)
Final (韻)	泰 (25)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	愽蓋切
Baxter	pajH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/pɑi^H/
Pan Wuyun	/pɑi^H/
Shao Rongfen	/pɑi^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/paj^H/
Li Rong	/pɑi^H/
Wang Li	/pɑi^H/
Bernhard Karlgren	/pɑi^H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	bèi
Expected Cantonese Reflex	bui³

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*pˤa-s/

(Zhengzhang): /*paːds/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	貝
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	bèi
Middle Chinese	‹ paj^H ›
Old Chinese	/*pˁa-s/
English	cowry shell
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	貝
Reading #	1/1
No.	415
Phonetic component	貝
Rime group	祭
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	貝
Old Chinese	/*paːds/

Definitions

貝

shellfish; cowrie
^† money; currency
a surname
貝聿銘／贝聿铭 ― Bèi Yùmíng ― Ieoh Ming Pei (Chinese-American architect)

Compounds

References

“貝”, 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

貝

(First grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

Go-on: はい (hai)
Kan-on: はい (hai)
Kan’yō-on: ばい (bai)
Kun: かい (kai, 貝, Jōyō)^{←かひ (kafi, 貝, historical)}

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
貝
かい Grade: 1
kun'yomi

Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:

貝

Wikipedia ^ja

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Shellfish

Wikipedia

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Mollusca

Wikipedia

⟨kapi₁⟩ → */kapʲi/ → /kaɸi/ → /kawi/ → /kai/

From Old Japanese,^[1] from Proto-Japonic *kapi. Appears voiced in the Kojiki of 712 CE in a compound, with the phonetic man'yōgana spelling 賀比,^[2] and in the Man'yōshū, completed some time after 759 CE.^[3]

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) かい (Atamadaka – )^[4]^[5]^[6]
IPA^(key):

Noun

貝(かい) • (kai) ^{←かひ (kafi)^?}

an aquatic shellfish (generally limited to mollusks with calcareous shells such as clams or snails, and excluding crustaceans such as shrimp or crabs)

Derived terms

貝(かい)殻(がら) (kaigara, “shell, seashell”)
一(いち)枚(まい)貝(がい) (ichimaigai, “univalve”)
貝(かい)合(あ)わせ (kaiawase, “tribadism”)
二(に)枚(まい)貝(がい) (nimaigai, “bivalve”)
帆(ほ)立(たて)貝(がい) (hotategai, “scallop”)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
貝
ばい Grade: 1
kan'yōon

Alternative spellings
蛽海蠃 (rare) 海螄 (rare)

Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:

バイ

Wikipedia ^ja

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Babylonia japonica

Wikipedia

Probably ultimately from Middle Chinese 貝 (MC pajH). Compare modern Min Nan pronunciation buê⁶, Cantonese bui³, Mandarin bèi.

First attested in 1284.^[7]

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) ばい (Atamadaka – )^[4]
IPA^(key):

Noun

貝(ばい) or 貝(バイ) • (bai) ^{←ばい (bai)^?}

Babylonia japonica (Japanese babylon or Japanese ivory shell)

Usage notes

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary).

References

^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
^ Frellesvig, Bjarke, Stephen Wright Horn, et al. (eds.) (2023) “Old Japanese kapi”, in Oxford-NINJAL Corpus of Old Japanese‎
^
c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 15, poem 3709:
, text here
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1974), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Second edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō
^ “貝・蛽・海蠃”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006

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

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): ~
Phonetic hangul:

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

貝

Wikisource

貝 (eumhun 조개 패 (jogae pae))

hanja form^? of 패 (“clam, shellfish”)

Vietnamese

Han character

貝: Hán Nôm readings: bối, buổi, bói, búi, với, mấy, mới, vuối, thói

chữ Hán form of bối (“seashell”).
寶貝 ― bảo bối ― precious thing (literally, “precious seashell”)

[KDJ-1] Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[ONCOJ-2] Frellesvig, Bjarke, Stephen Wright Horn, et al. (eds.) (2023) “Old Japanese kapi”, in Oxford-NINJAL Corpus of Old Japanese‎

[MYS-3] 
c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 15, poem 3709:
, text here

[DJR-4] 4.0 ^4.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-5] NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

[SMK2-6] Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1974), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Second edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō

[KDJ2-7] “貝・蛽・海蠃”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

貝

Contents

Translingual

Han character

Derived characters

References

Chinese

Glyph origin

Etymology

Pronunciation

Definitions

Compounds

References

Japanese

Kanji

Readings

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Noun

Usage notes

References

Korean

Etymology

Pronunciation

Hanja

Vietnamese

Han character

Wikious

Boobota

Sagapedia