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兄

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: 只
兄 U+5144, 兄
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5144
← 元
[U+5143] 		CJK Unified Ideographs 充 →
[U+5145]

Translingual

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Stroke order
5 strokes

Han character

[edit]

兄 (Kangxi radical 10, 儿+3, 5 strokes, cangjie input 口竹山 (RHU), four-corner 60210, composition ⿱口儿)

Derived characters

[edit]

References

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  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 123, character 9
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1343
  • Dae Jaweon: page 259, character 3
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 266, character 4
  • Unihan data for U+5144

Chinese

[edit]
simp. and trad.
 兄
alternative forms 㑆
𬆁

Glyph origin

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Historical forms of the character 兄
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
j20630
j20631
j20632
j20633
j20634
j20635
j20636
j20637
j20638
j20639
j20640
j20641
j20642
j20643
j20644
j20645
j20646
j20647
j20648
j20649
j20650
j20651
j20652
j20653
j20654
j20655
j20656
j20657
j20658
j20659
j20660
j20661
j20662
j20663
j20664
j20665
j20666
j20667
j20668
j20669
j20670
j20671
j20672
j20673
j20674
j20675
j20676
j20677
j20678
j20679
j20680
j20681
j20682
j20683
j20684
j20685
j20686
j20687
j20688
j20689
j20690
j20691
j20692
j20693
j20694
j20695
j20696
j20697
j20698
j20699
j20700
j20701
j20702
j20703
j20704
j20705
j20706
j20707
j20708
j20709
j20710
j20711
j20712
j20713
j20714
j20715
j20716
j20717
j20718
j20719
j20720
j20721
j20722
j20723
j20724
j20725
j20726
j20727
j20728
j20729
j20730
j20731
j20732
j20733
j20734
j20735
j20736
j20737
j20738
j20739
j20740
j20741
j20742
j20743
j20744
b13475
b13476
b13477
b13478
b13479
b13480
b13481
b13482
b13483
b13484
b13485
b13486
b13487
b13488
b13489
b13490
b13491
b13492
b13493
b13494
b13495
b13496
b13497
b13498
b13499
b13500
b13501
b13502
b13504
s06205
Transcribed ancient scripts
L33193
L33194
L10751
L10752
L10753
L10754
L10755
L10756
L10757
L10758
L10759
References:

Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation),
which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including:

  • Shuowen Jiezi (small seal),
  • Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions),
  • Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and
  • Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).
Characters in the same phonetic series (兄) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
怳 *hmaŋʔ
況 *hmaŋs
貺 *hmaŋs
况 *hmaŋs
兄 *hmraŋ

Ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意) : 口 + 儿 to convey the idea of giving orders. The original meaning of "elder brother" refers to the fact that the elder brother gives order to the younger brothers and his sisters. Compare 令, in which an open mouth on top of the character conveys the same idea of giving orders. Similar to 欠, in which there is a kneeling man with an open mouth.

Etymology

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From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *maŋ (“big; old; elder (brother, uncle)”) (Sagart, 1999; STEDT). Related to 孟 (OC *mraːŋs, “great; eldest brother; first”); see there for more.

Schuessler (2007), instead, connects it to Proto-Lolo-Burmese *ʔwyik (“elder sibling”), which is from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *ʔik (“elder brother”).

Alternatively, Benedict (1972) relates it to Proto-Sino-Tibetan *bʷaŋ ~ *pʷaŋ (“(paternal) uncle; elder brother”), which is possibly also related to 伯 (OC *praːɡ, “paternal uncle; eldest brother”).

Pronunciation

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Note:
  • hiaⁿ - vernacular;
  • heng - literary.
  • Dialectal data
Variety Location 兄
Mandarin Beijing /ɕioŋ⁵⁵/
Harbin /ɕioŋ⁴⁴/
Tianjin /ɕioŋ²¹/
Jinan /ɕioŋ²¹³/
Qingdao /ɕiŋ²¹³/
Zhengzhou /ɕyoŋ²⁴/
Xi'an /ɕioŋ²¹/
Xining /ɕyə̃⁴⁴/
Yinchuan /ɕyoŋ⁴⁴/
Lanzhou /xỹn³¹/
Ürümqi /ɕioŋ⁴⁴/
Wuhan /ɕioŋ⁵⁵/
Chengdu /ɕyoŋ⁵⁵/
Guiyang /ɕioŋ⁵⁵/
Kunming /ɕioŋ⁴⁴/
Nanjing /ɕioŋ³¹/
Hefei /xiŋ²¹/
Jin Taiyuan /ɕyəŋ¹¹/
Pingyao /ɕioŋ¹³/
/ɕy¹³/ ～弟
Hohhot /ɕỹŋ³¹/
Wu Shanghai /ɕioŋ⁵³/
Suzhou /ɕioŋ⁵⁵/
Hangzhou /ɕioŋ³³/
Wenzhou /ɕoŋ³³/
Hui Shexian /ɕyʌ̃³¹/
Tunxi /ɕyɛ¹¹/
Xiang Changsha /ɕioŋ³³/
Xiangtan /ɕin³³/
Gan Nanchang /ɕiɑŋ⁴²/
/ɕiuŋ⁴²/ 弟～
Hakka Meixian /hiuŋ⁴⁴/
Taoyuan /hioŋ²⁴/
Cantonese Guangzhou /heŋ⁵³/
Nanning /heŋ⁵⁵/
Hong Kong /hiŋ⁵⁵/
Min Xiamen (Hokkien) /hiŋ⁵/
/hia⁵⁵/
Fuzhou (Eastern Min) /hiŋ⁴⁴/
Jian'ou (Northern Min) /xœyŋ⁵⁴/
/xiaŋ⁵⁴/
Shantou (Teochew) /hiã³³/
Haikou (Hainanese) /hia²³/
/hia⁵⁵/ ～兄
Rime
Character 兄
Reading # 1/1
Initial (聲) 曉 (32)
Final (韻) 庚 (112)
Tone (調) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Closed
Division (等) III
Fanqie 許榮切
Baxter xjwaeng
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/hˠwiæŋ/
Pan
Wuyun 		/hʷᵚiaŋ/
Shao
Rongfen 		/xiuaŋ/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/hwiajŋ/
Li
Rong 		/xiuɐŋ/
Wang
Li 		/xĭwɐŋ/
Bernhard
Karlgren 		/xi̯wɐŋ/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		xiōng
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		hing1
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 兄
Reading # 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin) 		xiōng
Middle
Chinese 		‹ xjwæng ›
Old
Chinese 		/*m̥raŋ/
English elder brother

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 兄
Reading # 1/1
No. 13905
Phonetic
component 		兄
Rime
group 		陽
Rime
subdivision 		0
Corresponding
MC rime 		兄
Old
Chinese 		/*hmraŋ/
Notes 甲金文象張口呵喝之人，
金文有往聲者。疑初與孟同源

Definitions

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兄

  1. elder brother
  2. elder male cousin
    堂兄  ―  tángxiōng  ―  father’s brother’s son older than oneself
  3. brother (male friend of the same generation)
  4. (Hokkien, familiar) respectful honorific used after a name for an elder brother or any male senior: Mister; Brother

Synonyms

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  • (elder brother):
Dialectal synonyms of 哥哥 (“elder brother”) [map]
Variety Location Words
Classical Chinese 兄
Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 哥哥, 兄長
Northeastern Mandarin Beijing 哥哥, 哥
Taiwan 哥哥, 哥
Harbin 哥哥
Shenyang 哥哥
Malaysia 哥哥
Singapore 哥哥
Jilu Mandarin Jinan 哥哥
Jiaoliao Mandarin Yantai (Muping) 哥
Central Plains Mandarin Luoyang 哥
Wanrong 哥
Xi'an 哥
Xining 阿哥
Xuzhou 哥哥
Lanyin Mandarin Yinchuan 哥哥
Ürümqi 哥哥, 哥, 阿哥 Hui, ><
Southwestern Mandarin Chengdu 哥哥, 哥, 哥老倌兒, 哥老倌
Wuhan 哥哥
Guiyang 哥哥, 哥
Kunming 哥哥
Liuzhou 哥
Jianghuai Mandarin Nanjing 哥哥
Yangzhou 哥哥, 哥
Hefei 哥哥
Cantonese Guangzhou 大佬, 阿哥, 哥哥 ><
Hong Kong 大佬, 阿哥, 哥哥
Hong Kong (San Tin; Weitou) 哥哥 ><, 大佬 <>, 阿哥 <>
Hong Kong (Kam Tin; Weitou) 哥哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Hong Kong (Ting Kok) 阿哥
Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau) 哥哥 ><, 阿哥 <>
Macau 阿哥 ><, 大佬
Guangzhou (Panyu) 阿哥 ><, 大哥, 大佬 <>
Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu) 阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Guangzhou (Conghua) 阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Guangzhou (Zengcheng) 阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Foshan 阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai) 阿哥
Foshan (Shunde) 阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Foshan (Sanshui) 阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming) 阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Zhongshan (Shiqi) 阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou) 阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka) 阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Zhuhai (Doumen) 阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Jiangmen (Baisha) 阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Jiangmen (Xinhui) 阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Taishan 阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>, 哥
Kaiping (Chikan) 阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Enping (Niujiang) 阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Heshan (Yayao) 阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Dongguan 阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an) 阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Yangjiang 大佬, 阿哥
Nanning 阿哥, 哥哥, 大佬
Wuzhou 阿哥, 哥哥, 大佬
Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) 阿哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Singapore (Guangfu) 大佬, 哥哥
Gan Nanchang 哥哥 ><, 兄 <>
Lichuan 哥 ><, 兄 <>
Hakka Meixian 阿哥
Xingning 阿哥
Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua) 阿哥
Huiyang 阿哥
Huidong (Daling) 阿哥
Dongguan (Qingxi) 阿哥
Shenzhen (Shatoujiao) 阿哥
Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui) 阿哥
Wuhua (Shuizhai) 阿哥
Wuhua (Huacheng) 阿哥
Wuhua (Changbu) 阿哥
Wuhua (Mianyang) 阿哥
Wuhua (Meilin) 阿哥
Heyuan (Bendihua) 阿哥
Wengyuan 阿哥
Shaoguan (Qujiang) 哥哥
Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang) 阿哥
Liannan 阿哥
Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua) 阿哥
Jiexi 阿哥, 哥
Luhe 阿哥
Zhao'an (Xiuzhuan) 阿哥
Changting 老伯
Wuping 老伯
Wuping (Yanqian) 老伯哩
Wuping (Pingyu) 哥
Liancheng 老伯
Ninghua 老伯
Yudu 哥哥, 老伯
Ningdu 哥哥
Ruijin 哥哥, 老兄
Shicheng 老伯
Shangyou (Shexi) 老伯
Tonggu (Sandu) 哥哥
Ganzhou (Panlong) 老伯
Dayu 哥哥
Miaoli (N. Sixian) 阿哥
Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) 阿哥
Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) 阿哥
Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) 阿哥
Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) 阿哥
Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) 阿哥
Hong Kong 阿哥
Yangxi (Tangkou) 阿哥
Yangchun (Sanjia) 阿哥
Xinyi (Sihe) 大佬
Xinyi (Qianpai) 阿哥, 大佬
Gaozhou (Xindong) 阿哥
Maoming (Shalang, Dianbai) 阿哥
Huazhou (Xin'an) 阿哥
Lianjiang (Shijiao) 阿哥
Lianjiang (Qingping) 阿哥, 大哥
Mengshan (Xihe) 哥
Luchuan 哥
Sabah (Bao'an) 阿哥
Sabah (Longchuan) 阿哥
Senai (Huiyang) 阿哥
Sungai Tapang, Batu Kawa (Hepo) 阿哥
Singkawang 阿哥
Huizhou Jixi 哥哥
Jin Taiyuan 哥哥, 哥
Northern Min Jian'ou 哥仔, 哥哥
Eastern Min Fuzhou 依哥
Fuqing 哥, 阿哥
Matsu 依哥
Singapore (Fuqing) 阿哥
Southern Min Xiamen 阿兄, 阿哥, 兄哥, 俺兄
Quanzhou 阿兄
Jinjiang 大兄
Yongchun 阿哥, 哥, 阿兄, 兄
Dehua 阿兄
Zhangzhou 阿兄, 咉兄 <>
Zhao'an 兄, 阿兄
Taipei 阿兄
New Taipei (Sanxia) 阿兄
Kaohsiung 兄哥
Yilan 阿兄
Changhua (Lukang) 阿兄
Taichung 大兄
Taichung (Wuqi) 阿兄
Tainan 阿哥, 兄哥, 兄哥仔
Taitung 大兄
Hsinchu 阿兄
Kinmen 阿兄
Penghu (Magong) 阿兄
Penang (Hokkien) 阿哥, 哥, 哥哥
Singapore (Hokkien) 阿兄, 大兄
Manila (Hokkien) 阿兄, 哥仔 archaic
Chaozhou 阿兄
Shantou 阿兄
Jieyang 阿兄
Bangkok (Teochew) 阿兄
Johor Bahru (Teochew) 阿兄
Singapore (Teochew) 阿兄
Leizhou 兄 ><, 尼兄 <>
Wenchang 阿哥
Haikou 阿兄 ><, 阿哥 ><, 兄 <>
Singapore (Hainanese) 阿哥
Puxian Min Putian 阿兄
Xianyou 阿兄
Zhongshan Min Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi) 哥 ><, 大佬 <>
Southern Pinghua Nanning (Tingzi) 阿哥
Wu Shanghai 阿哥, 哥哥
Shanghai (Chongming) 阿哥
Suzhou 阿哥
Danyang 哥哥
Hangzhou 阿哥, 哥哥
Ningbo 哥哥, 阿哥
Wenzhou 阿大, 哥哥
Jinhua 哥哥 ><, 哥 <>
Xiang Changsha 老兄, 哥哥
Shuangfeng 老兄, 哥哥
Hengyang 老兄 <>, 哥哥 ><
Note >< - face-to-face; <> - non-face-to-face

Compounds

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Descendants

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  • → Lao: ເຮຍ (hīa)
  • → Thai: เฮีย (hiia)

Japanese

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Kanji

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兄

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

  1. elder/older brother
  2. honorific referencing an older brother figure

Readings

[edit]

Compounds

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Compounds

Etymology 1

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Kanji in this term
兄
あに
Grade: 2
kun'yomi

From Old Japanese of unclear derivation:

  • Probably originally a compound of 吾 (a, Eastern Old Japanese first-person pronoun) +‎ の (no, possessive particle) +‎ 兄 (ye → e, “eldest sibling”, see below):[1]
    ⟨a no2 ye⟩ → */anʉʲɨe/ → /ani/
  • Alternatively, an apophonic form of 姉 (ane, “elder sister”), itself possibly from the same derivation above.[2]
  • Several other theories have also been suggested.[1]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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兄(あに) • (ani) 

  1. elder brother
  2. elder brother-in-law
    Synonym: 義兄 (gikei)
  3. Short for 花の兄 (hana no ani): alternative name for the 梅 (ume), the Japanese plum (Prunus mume)
Usage notes
[edit]
  • (elder brother): This term conveys neither positive nor negative connotations and is often used in objective narrations. However, using it to describe someone the speaker knows personally is often considered lacking respect, where more polite forms like お兄(にい)さん (onīsan) are preferred.
Coordinate terms
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Derived terms
[edit]
Derived terms

Etymology 2

[edit]
Kanji in this term
兄
けい
Grade: 2
kan'on

*/kwæi/ → /kʷæi/ → /keː/

From Middle Chinese 兄 (MC xjwaeng).

Pronunciation

[edit]
  • Pitch accent for suffix unknown.

Noun

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兄(けい) • (kei) 

  1. (rare) an elder brother
    Coordinate term: 弟 (tei)
Idioms
[edit]

Pronoun

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兄(けい) • (kei) 

  1. pronoun referencing an older brother figure: you, he

Suffix

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兄(けい) • (-kei) 

  1. attaches to a name referencing an older brother figure: Mister, Mr.

Etymology 3

[edit]
Kanji in this term
兄
え
Grade: 2
kun'yomi

/je/ → /e/

From Old Japanese.

Noun

[edit]

兄(え) • (e) 

  1. (archaic) the eldest sibling
    Antonym: 弟 (oto)
    • 711–712, Kojiki, poem 16:
      , text here
      加都賀都母(かつがつも)伊夜佐岐陀弖流(いやさきだてる)延(𛀁)袁斯麻加牟(をしまかむ) [Man'yōgana]
      かつがつもいや先(さき)立(だ)てる兄(え)をし枕(ま)かむ [Modern spelling]
      katsugatsu mo iya sakidateru e o shi makamu
      If I have to choose, the one standing there in front―the eldest one I'll wed.[5]
Derived terms
[edit]
Derived terms

Etymology 4

[edit]
Kanji in this term
兄
せ
Grade: 2
kun'yomi

From Old Japanese.

Alternative forms

[edit]

Noun

[edit]

兄(せ) • (se) 

  1. (archaic) a woman's brother (regardless of age difference)
  2. (archaic) a woman's lover or husband
  3. (archaic) a familiar man
Antonyms
[edit]
Derived terms
[edit]
Derived terms

Etymology 5

[edit]
Kanji in this term
兄
このかみ
Grade: 2
kun'yomi

From Old Japanese.

Originally a compound of 子 (ko, “child”) +‎ の (no, possessive particle) +‎ 上 (kami, “upper”).[3][6]

Alternative forms

[edit]

Noun

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兄(このかみ) • (konokami) 

  1. (archaic) eldest son
    Synonyms: 長兄 (chōkei), 長男 (chōnan)
  2. (archaic) a senior
    Synonym: 年長者 (nenchōsha)
  3. (archaic) (by extension) an elder sibling
  4. (archaic) the head of a clan
  5. (archaic) a skilled craftsman
    Synonym: 頭 (kashira)
Derived terms
[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. ^ Matsuoka Shizuo (1929) 日本古語大辞典 [Comprehensive Dictionary of Archaic Japanese]‎[1] (in Japanese), アネ（姉）, page 56: “之からアニといふ語が分派した ― The word ani developed from this”
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  4. ^ 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
  5. ^ Edwin A. Cranston (1998) The Gem-Glistening Cup (Volume 1 of A Waka Anthology), illustrated, reprint edition, Stanford University Press, →ISBN, page 17
  6. ^ Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN

Korean

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Etymology

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From Middle Chinese 兄 (MC xjwaeng).

Historical Readings
Dongguk Jeongun Reading
Dongguk Jeongun, 1448 ᄒᆑᇰ (Yale: hyyèng)
Middle Korean
Text Eumhun
Gloss (hun) Reading
Hunmong Jahoe, 1527[2] ᄆᆞᆮ (Yale: mòt) 혀ᇰ (Yale: hyèng)

Pronunciation

[edit]

Hanja

[edit]
Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

Wikisource

兄 (eumhun 형 형 (hyeong hyeong))

  1. hanja form? of 형 (“older brother of a male”) [noun]

Compounds

[edit]
Compounds

References

[edit]
  • 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [3]

Vietnamese

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Han character

[edit]

兄: Hán Nôm readings: huynh

  1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Derived terms

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