寿

See also: 壽 and 夀

寿 U+5BFF, 寿 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5BFF ← 対 [U+5BFE] CJK Unified Ideographs 尀 → [U+5C00]

寿 U+2F872, 寿 CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-2F872 ← 𡬘 [U+2F871] CJK Compatibility Ideographs Supplement 将 → [U+2F873]

Translingual

Stroke order (Japan)

Japanese	寿
Simplified	寿
Traditional	壽

Han character

寿 (Kangxi radical 41, 寸+4, 7 strokes, cangjie input 手大木戈 (QKDI), four-corner 5034₀, composition ⿸⿻三丿寸(GTV or U+2F872) or ⿻⿻三丿寸(HJK))

Derived characters

• 俦, 诪, 帱, 㤽, 涛, 陦, 梼, 畴, 祷, 铸, 踌, 鋳, 䓓, 筹, 焘
• 𫝩, 𫝵, 𢭏, 𪺣, 𩙧, 𤽯, 𪿞, 𥺅, 𦀳, 𩾂, 𩗡, 𪫷, 𡀤
• 𭎜, 𭠸, 𬊍, 𮎍, 𬢪, 𮜶, 𫾳, 𬸍, 𫜷

Related characters

• 壽 (Orthodox traditional form)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: not present, would follow page 294, character 2
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 7419
• Dae Jaweon: page 581, character 13
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 504, character 4
• Unihan data for U+5BFF

• Unihan data for U+2F872

Chinese

For pronunciation and definitions of 寿 – see 壽 (“old age; long life; life; age; etc.”). (This character is the simplified and variant form of 壽).

Notes: Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Japanese

Shinjitai	寿
Kyūjitai	壽

Kanji

寿

(Jōyō kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 壽)

1. longevity; long life
2. congratulations

Readings

• Go-on: じゅ (ju, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: しゅう (shū)
• Kan’yō-on: す (su)
• Kun: ことぶき (kotobuki, 寿, Jōyō)、ことぶく (kotobuku, 寿く)、ことほぐ (kotohogu, 寿ぐ)
• Nanori: かず (kazu)、じ (ji)、じゅう (jū)、すっ (su')、すみ (sumi)、とし (toshi)、としかつ (toshikatsu)、なが (naga)、のぶ (nobu)、のり (nori)、ひさ (hisa)、ひさし (hisashi)、やす (yasu)、やすし (yasushi)

Compounds

Compounds

• 寿命(じゅみょう) (jumyō): life span
• 頌寿(しょうじゅ) (shōju): celebration of longevity
• 寿司(すし) (sushi): sushi
• 寿老人(じゅろうじん) (Jurōjin): God of Longevity
• 長寿(ちょうじゅ) (chōju): long life
• 天寿(てんじゅ) (tenju): natural life span
• 新年(しんねん)の寿(ことぶき) (shinnen no kotobuki): New Year's greetings

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
寿
じゅ Grade: S
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
壽 (kyūjitai)

The shinjitai, or Japanese simplified form, of 壽 / 寿 (shòu). From Middle Chinese 壽 / 寿 (dzyuw^X, “longevity”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) じゅ [júꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [d͡ʑɨ]

Noun

寿(じゅ) • (ju) 

1. years of age

Idioms

• 寿(じゅ)を上(たてまつ)る (ju o tatematsuru): to toast someone with a prayer for long life

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
寿
ことぶき Grade: S
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
壽 (kyūjitai)

Nominalization of the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 寿く (kotobuku), itself an alteration of earlier root form kotohoku, a compound of 言 (koto, “words, speech”) +‎ 祝く (hoku, “to pray for a good outcome”, obsolete in modern Japanese).

The meaning shifted over time from to say something in prayer for a good outcome to a more general to say something favorable in hope for or upon a felicitous or auspicious occasion. From there, the meaning expanded to include long life.

This long life meaning was apparently already in use when the kanji was first imported and applied to this word.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ことぶき [kòtóꜜbùkì] (Nakadaka – [2])
• IPA^(key): [ko̞to̞bɯ̟kʲi]

Noun

寿(ことぶき) • (kotobuki) 

1. congratulations, felicitations
2. something worthy of congratulations
3. long life, longevity

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
寿
ことほぎ Grade: S
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
壽 (kyūjitai)

Nominalization of the 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “continuative or stem form”) of verb 寿ぐ (kotohogu), itself an alteration of earlier root form kotohoku, a compound of 言 (koto, “words, speech”) +‎ 祝く (hoku, “to pray for a good outcome”, obsolete in modern Japanese).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ことほぎ [kòtóhógíꜜ] (Odaka – [4])
• IPA^(key): [ko̞to̞ho̞ɡʲi]

Noun

寿(ことほぎ) • (kotohogi) 

1. congratulations, felicitations
2. something worthy of congratulations
3. long life, longevity

Usage notes

The kotohogi reading does not appear to be as common as the kotobuki reading further above.

Etymology 4

Used as ateji for various names.

Proper noun

寿(ひさし) • (Hisashi) 

1. a male given name

Korean

Hanja

寿 (eum 수 (su))

1. Alternative form of 壽

References

• Supreme Court of the Republic of Korea (대한민국 대법원, Daehanmin'guk Daebeobwon) (2018). Table of hanja for personal names (인명용 한자표 / 人名用漢字表, Inmyeong-yong hanja-pyo). [1]