See also:
U+9EA5, 麥
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-9EA5

[U+9EA4]
CJK Unified Ideographs
[U+9EA6]
U+2FC6, ⿆
KANGXI RADICAL WHEAT

[U+2FC5]
Kangxi Radicals
[U+2FC7]

Translingual

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Stroke order
 

Han character

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(Kangxi radical 199, +0, 11 strokes, cangjie input 十人弓戈 (JONI), four-corner 40207, composition )

  1. Kangxi radical #199, .

Derived characters

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References

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  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 1512, character 8
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 47717
  • Dae Jaweon: page 2041, character 1
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 7, page 4600, character 1
  • Unihan data for U+9EA5

Chinese

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trad.
simp. *
alternative forms

Glyph origin

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Historical forms of the character
Shang Western Zhou Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts
       

Phono-semantic compound (形聲形声, OC *mrɯːɡ) : phonetic (OC *m·rɯːɡ) + semantic (footprint pointing down; to walk slowly); according to Xu Shen, its meaning is "wheat". was the original character for “wheat”.

Several possible interpretations for the glyph:

  • This character is a differentiation from . Originally, 來 meant "wheat", then it was phonetically borrowed since oracle bones to mean "to come". During the Warring States period, is attested and perhaps was coined specifically to mean "come". Eventually, since 來 lost its original meaning (wheat), this meaning shifted to 麥.
  • represents the ancient concept reported by Shuowen Jiezi that wheat came from the heavens (i.e., the Fertile Crescent).
  • represents growth of the wheat plant.

Etymology

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Etymologically unrelated to (OC *m·rɯːɡ, “to come”). Schuessler (2007) suggests it is from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m‑rə(k) (buckwheat) and cognate with Tibetan བྲ་བོ (bra bo, buckwheat); also compare Proto-Lolo-Burmese *g-ra² (buckwheat). STEDT compares (OC *mrɯːɡ, “wheat”) to Proto-Tibeto-Burman *bra (buckwheat) (provisional).

Starostin (2009), on the other hand, compares (OC *mrɯːɡ, “wheat”) to Proto-Tungusic *murgi (barley), Middle Korean (milh, wheat), Old Japanese (mugi1, wheat; barley).

Pronunciation

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Note: maak6 - variant.
Note:
  • măk - vernacular;
  • mĕk - literary.
Note:
  • ba2 - vernacular;
  • beh7 - literary.
Note:
  • be̍h/be̍eh - vernacular (including surname);
  • be̍k/bia̍k - literary.

  • Dialectal data
Variety Location
Mandarin Beijing /mai⁵¹/
Harbin /mai⁵³/
Tianjin /mai⁵³/
Jinan /mei²¹/
Qingdao /me⁴²/
Zhengzhou /mɛ²⁴/
Xi'an /mei²¹/
Xining /mɨ⁴⁴/
Yinchuan /mia¹³/
/mɛ¹³/
Lanzhou /mə¹³/
Ürümqi /mai²¹³/
/mei⁴⁴/
Wuhan /mɤ²¹³/
Chengdu /me³¹/
Guiyang /mɛ²¹/
Kunming /mə³¹/
Nanjing /məʔ⁵/
Hefei /mɐʔ⁵/
Jin Taiyuan /mai⁴⁵/
Pingyao /miʌʔ⁵³/
Hohhot /miaʔ⁴³/
Wu Shanghai /maʔ¹/
Suzhou /mɑʔ³/
Hangzhou /mɑʔ²/
Wenzhou /ma²¹³/
Hui Shexian /mɛ²²/
Tunxi /ma¹¹/
Xiang Changsha /mə²⁴/
Xiangtan /mai²⁴/
Gan Nanchang /mɑʔ²/
Hakka Meixian /mak̚⁵/
Taoyuan /mɑk̚⁵⁵/
Cantonese Guangzhou /mɐk̚²/
Nanning /mɐk̚²²/
Hong Kong /mɐk̚²/
Min Xiamen (Hokkien) /bik̚⁵/
/beʔ⁵/
Fuzhou (Eastern Min) /maʔ⁵/
Jian'ou (Northern Min) /ma⁴²/
Shantou (Teochew) /beʔ⁵/
Haikou (Hainanese) /vɛ³³/

Rime
Character
Reading # 1/1
Initial () (4)
Final () (119)
Tone (調) Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open
Division () II
Fanqie
Baxter meak
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang
/mˠɛk̚/
Pan
Wuyun
/mᵚæk̚/
Shao
Rongfen
/mɐk̚/
Edwin
Pulleyblank
/məɨjk̚/
Li
Rong
/mɛk̚/
Wang
Li
/mæk̚/
Bernhard
Karlgren
/mæk̚/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex
mak6
BaxterSagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character
Reading # 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)
mài
Middle
Chinese
‹ mɛk ›
Old
Chinese
/*m-rˁək/ (dialect: *m-rˁ > *mˁr-)
English wheat

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
Reading # 1/1
No. 7630
Phonetic
component
Rime
group
Rime
subdivision
0
Corresponding
MC rime
Old
Chinese
/*mrɯːɡ/

Definitions

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  1. general term for wheat, barley, oats, ryes, etc.
  2. (specifically) wheat
  3. (Hainanese) corn; maize
  4. Short for 麥克風麦克风 (màikèfēng, “microphone”).
  5. Short for 麥克斯韋麦克斯韦 (Màikèsīwéi).
  6. a surname
    [Cantonese]  ―  mak6 gaa1 [Jyutping]  ―  Karl Maka (Hong Kong actor, born 嘉尚 (Mak Kar-sheung))

Synonyms

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Compounds

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Descendants

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Sino-Xenic ():
  • Vietnamese: mạch ()

References

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Japanese

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Shinjitai

Kyūjitai

Kanji

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(Hyōgai kanjikyūjitai kanji, shinjitai form )

  1. wheat

Readings

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  • Go-on: みゃく (myaku)
  • Kan-on: ばく (baku)
  • Kun: むぎ (mugi, )

Korean

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Hanja

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(eumhun 보리 (bori maek))

  1. wheat; barley

Compounds

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Vietnamese

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Han character

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: Hán Nôm readings: mạch

  1. chữ Hán form of mạch (barley).

Compounds

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  NODES
Note 6