始

始 U+59CB, 始 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-59CB ← 姊 [U+59CA] CJK Unified Ideographs 姌 → [U+59CC]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

始 (Kangxi radical 38, 女+5, 8 strokes, cangjie input 女戈口 (VIR), four-corner 4346₀, composition ⿰女台)

Derived characters

• 𡤔, 𪦲, 𦰯, 𠝔, 𤯯, 㗠, 𡤓

Further reading

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 258, character 16
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6166
• Dae Jaweon: page 523, character 22
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1041, character 12
• Unihan data for U+59CB

Chinese

trad.		始
simp. #		始
alternative forms		兘 乨 𠃭 𠙉

Glyph origin

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

	Old Chinese
胎	*l̥ʰɯː
台	*l̥ʰɯː, *l'ɯː, *l'ɯː, *lɯ
邰	*l̥ʰɯː
鮐	*l̥ʰɯː, *lɯ
孡	*l̥ʰɯː
苔	*l'ɯː
抬	*l'ɯː
駘	*l'ɯː, *l'ɯːʔ
炱	*l'ɯː
菭	*l'ɯː, *l'i
跆	*l'ɯː
殆	*l'ɯːʔ
怠	*l'ɯːʔ
迨	*l'ɯːʔ
紿	*l'ɯːʔ
詒	*l'ɯːʔ, *lɯ
軩	*l'ɯːʔ
咍	*hlɯː
佁	*lɯːʔ, *l̥ʰɯs, *lɯʔ
枲	*slɯʔ
辝	*ljɯ
鈶	*ljɯʔ
笞	*l̥ʰɯ
齝	*l̥ʰɯ, *hljɯ
眙	*l̥ʰɯs, *lɯ
治	*l'ɯ, *l'ɯs, *l'is
始	*hljɯʔ
怡	*lɯ
貽	*lɯ
飴	*lɯ
瓵	*lɯ
珆	*li

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *hljɯʔ) : semantic 女 (“woman”) + phonetic 台 (OC *l̥ʰɯː, *l'ɯː, *l'ɯː, *lɯ).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): shǐ (shi³)

  (Zhuyin): ㄕˇ

  (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): si³

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): ci²

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): ci²

• Gan (Wiktionary): si³
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): chhṳ́ / sṳ́

  (Meixian, Guangdong): ci³

• Jin (Wiktionary): sr²
• Northern Min (KCR): sǐ
• Eastern Min (BUC): sṳ̄ / sé̤ṳ
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): sí

  (Teochew, Peng'im): si²

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁵sy
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): shr³

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: shǐ
    • Zhuyin: ㄕˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: shǐh
    • Wade–Giles: shih³
    • Yale: shř
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyy
    • Palladius: ши (ši)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂʐ̩²¹⁴/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: si³
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: s
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sz̩⁵³/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: ci²
    • Yale: chí
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsi²
    • Guangdong Romanization: qi²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰiː³⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: ci²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰi⁵⁵/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: si³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sz̩²¹³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chhṳ́ / sṳ́
    • Hakka Romanization System: cii^ˋ / sii^ˋ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: ci³ / si³
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰɨ³¹/, /sɨ³¹/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: ci³
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰz̩³¹/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: sr²
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /sz̩⁵³/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: sǐ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /si²¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: sṳ̄ / sé̤ṳ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /sy³³/, /søy²¹³/

Note:

• sṳ̄ - vernacular;
• sé̤ṳ - literary.

• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Nan'an, Zhangpu, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sí
    • Tâi-lô: sí
    • Phofsit Daibuun: sie
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /si⁴¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Nan'an): /si⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Zhangpu, Taipei): /si⁵³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: si²
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: sí
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /si⁵²/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁵sy
    • MiniDict: sy^去
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²sr
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /sz̩³⁴/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: shr³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key) (old-style): /ʂʐ̩⁴¹/
    • Sinological IPA ^(key) (new-style): /sz̩⁴¹/

---

• Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 始
Mandarin	Beijing	/ʂʐ̩²¹⁴/
	Harbin	/ʂʐ̩²¹³/
	Tianjin	/sz̩¹³/
	Jinan	/ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/
	Qingdao	/ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/
	Zhengzhou	/ʂʐ̩⁵³/
	Xi'an	/sz̩⁵³/
	Xining	/sz̩⁵³/
	Yinchuan	/ʂʐ̩⁵³/
	Lanzhou	/ʂʐ̩⁴⁴²/
	Ürümqi	/sz̩⁵¹/
	Wuhan	/sz̩⁴²/
	Chengdu	/sz̩⁵³/
	Guiyang	/sz̩⁴²/
	Kunming	/ʂʐ̩⁵³/
	Nanjing	/ʂʐ̩²¹²/
	Hefei	/ʈ͡ʂʰʐ̩²⁴/
Jin	Taiyuan	/sz̩⁵³/
	Pingyao	/sz̩⁵³/
	Hohhot	/sz̩⁵³/
Wu	Shanghai	/sz̩³⁵/
	Suzhou	/sz̩ʷ⁵¹/
	Hangzhou	/sz̩⁵³/
	Wenzhou	/sz̩³⁵/
Hui	Shexian	/sz̩³⁵/
	Tunxi	/ɕi³¹/
Xiang	Changsha	/ʂʐ̩⁴¹/
	Xiangtan	/ʂʐ̩⁴²/
Gan	Nanchang	/sz̩²¹³/
Hakka	Meixian	/sz̩³¹/
	Taoyuan	/ʃï³¹/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/t͡sʰi³⁵/
	Nanning	/t͡sʰi³⁵/
	Hong Kong	/t͡sʰi³⁵/
Min	Xiamen (Hokkien)	/si⁵³/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/sy³²/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/si²¹/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/si⁵³/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/ti³¹/

---

• Middle Chinese: syiX

Rime
Character	始
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	書 (26)
Final (韻)	之 (19)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	詩止切
Baxter	syiX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɕɨX/
Pan Wuyun	/ɕɨX/
Shao Rongfen	/ɕieX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɕɨX/
Li Rong	/ɕiəX/
Wang Li	/ɕĭəX/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ɕiX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	shǐ
Expected Cantonese Reflex	si2

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*l̥əʔ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*hljɯʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	始
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	shǐ
Middle Chinese	‹ syiX ›
Old Chinese	/*l̥əʔ/
English	begin
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] 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	始
Reading #	1/1
No.	12291
Phonetic component	台
Rime group	之
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	始
Old Chinese	/*hljɯʔ/

Definitions

始

1. beginning; start
2. to begin; to start
3. initial; first
4. proto-; eo-
5. then; only then; only after

   Synonym: 才 (cái)

   • 千呼萬喚始出來，猶抱琵琶半遮面。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     千呼万唤始出来，犹抱琵琶半遮面。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 白居易, 《琵琶行》 (translated by Betty Tseng)

     Qiānhūwànhuàn shǐ chūlái, yóu bào pípá bàn zhē miàn. [Pinyin]

     It was after many invitations, call after call, before she showed herself. Even then, she held her pipa close and revealed only half of her countenance.

Antonyms

• (antonym(s) of “beginning”): 終／终 (zhōng)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (始):

• → Japanese: 始(し) (shi)
• → Korean: 시(始) (si)
• → Vietnamese: thuỷ (始)

Compounds

• 一元復始 / 一元复始 (yīyuánfùshǐ)
• 七始
• 下車之始 / 下车之始
• 下車伊始 / 下车伊始
• 乃始
• 伊始 (yīshǐ)
• 倡始
• 元始 (yuánshǐ)
• 元始天尊
• 先從隗始 / 先从隗始
• 全始全終 / 全始全终
• 初始 (chūshǐ)
• 創始 / 创始 (chuàngshǐ)
• 千里之行，始於足下 (qiānlǐ zhī xíng, shǐyú zú xià)
• 原始 (yuánshǐ)
• 原始主義 / 原始主义 (yuánshǐzhǔyì)
• 原始人 (yuánshǐrén)
• 原始佛教
• 原始反終 / 原始反终
• 原始林 (yuánshǐlín)
• 原始社會 / 原始社会 (yuánshǐ shèhuì)
• 原始程式 (yuánshǐ chéngshì)
• 原始藝術 / 原始艺术
• 原始要終 / 原始要终
• 原始見終 / 原始见终
• 厲精更始 / 厉精更始
• 古始
• 周而復始 / 周而复始 (zhōu'érfùshǐ)
• 善始令終 / 善始令终
• 善始善終 / 善始善终
• 四始
• 報本反始 / 报本反始
• 太始
• 始亂終棄 / 始乱终弃 (shǐluànzhōngqì)
• 始作俑者 (shǐzuòyǒngzhě)
• 始創 / 始创
• 始基
• 始料不及 (shǐliàobùjí)
• 始料未及 (shǐliàowèijí)
• 始末 (shǐmò)
• 始格 (shǐgé)
• 始業式 / 始业式
• 始生魄
• 始祖 (shǐzǔ)
• 始祖鳥 / 始祖鸟 (shǐzǔniǎo)
• 始終 / 始终 (shǐzhōng)
• 始終不易 / 始终不易
• 始終不渝 / 始终不渝 (shǐzhōng bùyú)
• 始終如一 / 始终如一 (shǐzhōngrúyī)
• 始終若一 / 始终若一
• 始願 / 始愿
• 建始 (Jiànshǐ)
• 從始至終 / 从始至终
• 慎始
• 慎始敬終 / 慎始敬终 (shènshǐjìngzhōng)
• 慎終如始 / 慎终如始
• 慎終若始 / 慎终若始
• 才始
• 旬始
• 曆始 / 历始
• 更始 (gēngshǐ)
• 有始有卒
• 有始有終 / 有始有终 (yǒushǐyǒuzhōng)
• 有始無終 / 有始无终 (yǒushǐwúzhōng)
• 未始 (wèishǐ)
• 本始 (běnshǐ)
• 正始之音
• 正始文學 / 正始文学
• 正始玄風 / 正始玄风
• 正始體 / 正始体
• 泰始
• 渝始
• 無始無終 / 无始无终
• 無始無邊 / 无始无边
• 甘始
• 福為禍始 / 福为祸始
• 秦始皇 (Qín Shǐhuáng)
• 秦始皇陵
• 終始 / 终始 (zhōngshǐ)
• 終始不渝 / 终始不渝
• 終始如一 / 终始如一
• 終而復始 / 终而复始
• 經始 / 经始
• 肇始 (zhàoshǐ)
• 自始至終 / 自始至终 (zìshǐzhìzhōng)
• 與民更始 / 与民更始
• 託始 / 托始
• 請自隗始 / 请自隗始
• 貫徹始終 / 贯彻始终 (guànchèshǐzhōng)
• 起始 (qǐshǐ)
• 開始 / 开始 (kāishǐ)
• 齠始 / 龆始

 

References

• “始”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Japanese

Kanji

始

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

1. to begin; to start

Readings

• Go-on: し (shi, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: し (shi, Jōyō)
• Kun: はじめる (hajimeru, 始める, Jōyō)、はじめ (hajime, 始め)、はじまる (hajimaru, 始まる, Jōyō)
• Nanori: とも (tomo)、はじめ (hajime)、はる (haru)、もと (moto)

Compounds

• 始(はじめ)値(ね) (hajimene)
• 書(ふみ)始(はじめ) (fumihajime)
• 講(こう)書(しょ)始(はじめ) (kōshohajime)
• 布(ほう)衣(い)始(はじめ) (hōihajime)

 

Etymology

Kanji in this term
始
し Grade: 3
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 始 (MC syiX).

Affix

始(し) • (shi) 

1. beginning; start
2. initial; first

Derived terms

• 始期(しき) (shiki)
• 始(し)業(ぎょう) (shigyō)
• 始(し)原(げん) (shigen)
• 始(し)終(じゅう) (shijū)
• 始祖(しそ) (shiso)
• 始(し)端(たん) (shitan)
• 始(し)点(てん) (shiten)
• 始(し)電(でん) (shiden)
• 始(し)動(どう) (shidō)
• 始(し)発(はつ) (shihatsu)
• 始(し)末(まつ) (shimatsu)
• 開(かい)始(し) (kaishi)
• 起始(きし) (kishi)
• 原(げん)始(し) (genshi)
• 元(げん)始(し) (genshi)
• 更(こう)始(し) (kōshi)
• 終(しゅう)始(し) (shūshi)
• 創(そう)始(し) (sōshi)
• 年(ねん)始(し) (nenshi)
• 無始(むし) (mushi)
• 始(し)球式(きゅうしき) (shikyūshiki)
• 始(し)新世(しんせい) (shishinsei)
• 始(し)生代(せいだい) (shiseidai)
• 始(し)端(たん)部(ぶ) (shitanbu)
• 始(し)発駅(はつえき) (shihatsueki)
• 始(し)末書(まつしょ) (shimatsusho)
• 始(し)末(まつ)屋(や) (shimatsuya)

 

See also

• 初(しょ) (sho)

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 始 (MC syiX). Recorded as Middle Korean 시 (si) (Yale: si) in Sinjeung Yuhap (新增類合 / 신증유합), 1576.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ɕʰi]
• Phonetic hangul: [시]

Hanja

Wikisource

始 (eumhun 비롯할 시 (birothal si))
始 (eumhun 비로소 시 (biroso si))

1. hanja form^? of 시 (“beginning; start”)
2. hanja form^? of 시 (“initial; first”)

Compounds

Compounds

• 시말 (始末, simal)
• 시작 (始作, sijak)
• 시조 (始祖, sijo)
• 시종 (始終, sijong)
• 개시 (開始, gaesi)
• 본시 (本始, bonsi)
• 연시 (年始, yeonsi)
• 원시 (原始, wonsi)
• 조시 (肇始, josi)
• 종시 (終始, jongsi)
• 창시 (創始, changsi)
• 시조조 (始祖鳥, sijojo)

References

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [2]

Vietnamese

Han character

始: Hán Việt readings: thủy/thuỷ, thỉ (詩(thi)止(chỉ)切(thiết))
始: Nôm readings: thỉ, thủy/thuỷ, thũy/thuỹ

1. chữ Hán form of thuỷ/thủy (“beginning; start; initial”).

Compounds

Compounds

• 始終 (thủy chung/thuỷ chung)
• 始祖 (thủy tổ/thuỷ tổ)
• 終始 (chung thủy/chung thuỷ)
• 開始 (khai thủy/khai thuỷ)
• 起始 (khởi thủy/khởi thuỷ)
• 原始 (nguyên thủy/nguyên thuỷ)