念

See also: 唸

念	U+5FF5, 念 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5FF5

← 忴
[U+5FF4]

CJK Unified Ideographs

忶 →
[U+5FF6]

念	U+F9A3, 念 CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-F9A3

← 廉
[U+F9A2]

CJK Compatibility Ideographs

捻 →
[U+F9A4]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

念 (Kangxi radical 61, 心+4, 8 strokes, cangjie input 人戈弓心 (OINP), four-corner 8033₂, composition ⿱今心)

Derived characters

㑫, 唸, 埝, 惗, 捻, 棯, 淰, 焾, 䂼, 䄒, 稔, 腍, 艌, 諗(谂), 踗, 錜(𫓻), 䧔, 䭃(𩠈), 騐, 鯰(鲶), 趝, 敜, 菍, 𪞤, 𭃮, 𫱁, 𡹓, 𪯺, 𪺥, 𤚋, 𤦬, 𤽿, 𬑛, 𥍵, 𥺴, 𦁤, 𫫞, 𬠖, 𧛋, 𨡎, 𩋏, 𩐭, 𪌿(𬹌), 𪑡, 𭝌, 𪪆, 𪳋, 𮞤, 𫾿, 𣣈, 𪫶, 𭝯, 𢈸, 𢚏, 𥮘, 𩭮, 𢞘, 𨡣

References

Kangxi Dictionary: page 378, character 21
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 10390
Dae Jaweon: page 706, character 21
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2274, character 4
Unihan data for U+5FF5

Unihan data for U+F9A3

Chinese

Glyph origin

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

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

	Old Chinese
貪	*kʰl'uːm
嗿	*l̥ʰuːmʔ
僋	l̥ʰuːms, luːms
酓	qʰɯːm, qlamʔ, *qlɯːms
馠	*qʰɯːm
谽	*qʰɯːm
唅	qʰɯːm, ɡɯːms
含	*ɡɯːm
肣	ɡɯːm, ɡɯːmʔ
頷	ɡɯːm, ɡɯːmʔ
筨	*ɡɯːm
梒	*ɡɯːm
鋡	*ɡɯːm
莟	ɡɯːmʔ, ɡɯːms
琀	*ɡɯːms
浛	*ɡɯːms
盦	qɯːm, qaːb
韽	qɯːm, qrɯːms
玪	*krɯːm
妗	qʰrɯːm, kʰjam, qʰlɯːm, ɡrɯms
欦	qʰrɯːmʔ, qʰram, kʰlam, kʰlamʔ, *qʰlɯːm
黔	ɡram, ɡrɯm
鈐	*ɡram
鳹	*ɡram
雂	ɡram, ɡrɯm
念	*nɯːms
梣	sɡɯm, sɡrɯm
枔	*sɢrɯm
岑	*sɡrɯm
笒	sɡrɯm, ɡrɯms
涔	*sɡrɯm
侺	*ɡjɯms
今	*krɯm
黅	*krɯm
衿	*krɯm
衾	*kʰrɯm
坅	*kʰrɯmʔ
搇	*kʰrɯms
琴	*ɡrɯm
禽	*ɡrɯm
芩	*ɡrɯm
庈	*ɡrɯm
耹	*ɡrɯm
靲	*ɡrɯm
擒	*ɡrɯm
檎	*ɡrɯm
紟	*ɡrɯms
吟	ŋɡrɯm, ŋɡrɯms
訡	*ŋɡrɯm
廞	qʰrɯm, qʰrɯmʔ
陰	*qrɯm
霠
飲	qrɯmʔ, qrɯms
蔭	*qrɯms
廕	*qrɯms
矜	ɡrɯn, ɡɯn, *kɯŋ

Shuowen: Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *nɯːms) : phonetic 今 (OC *krɯm) + semantic 心 (“heart”).

Alternatively: Ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意) : 今 + 心 (see: 張富海：《利用諧聲構擬上古音應該註意的幾個問題》，《出土文獻》，2021年第1期，頁134。)

Etymology

trad.		念
simp. ^#		念
alternative forms		𫝹

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-njam. Cognate with Tibetan ཉམ (nyam), ཉམས (nyams, “soul, mind, heart”), སྙམ (snyam, “to think, to feel”) (Quan, 1996). Related to 恁 (OC *njɯm, *njɯmʔ, “to think, to miss”).

Schuessler (2007) notes it may be an area word; compare Khmer ចំណាំ (cɑmnam, “memory; recollection”), Proto-Austronesian *nemnem (“to think”).

Pronunciation 1

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): niàn (nian⁴)

(Zhuyin): ㄋㄧㄢˋ

(Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): нян (ni͡an, III)
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): nim⁶

(Taishan, Wiktionary): niam⁵
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): ngiam

(Hailu, HRS): ngiam^˖

(Meixian, Guangdong): ngiam⁴
Eastern Min (BUC): niêng
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): liām

(Teochew, Peng'im): niam⁶ / liam⁶ / niang⁶
Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ⁶gni; ⁶gnie / ⁶gnie

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: niàn
  - Zhuyin: ㄋㄧㄢˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: niàn
  - Wade–Giles: nien⁴
  - Yale: nyàn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: niann
  - Palladius: нянь (njanʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ni̯ɛn⁵¹/
- (Dungan)
  - Cyrillic and Wiktionary: нян (ni͡an, III)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /niæ̃⁴⁴/
  (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: nim⁶
  - Yale: nihm
  - Cantonese Pinyin: nim⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: nim⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /niːm²²/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: niam⁵
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ⁿdiam³²/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ngiam
  - Hakka Romanization System: ngiam
  - Hagfa Pinyim: ngiam⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /ŋi̯am⁵⁵/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: ngiam^˖
  - Sinological IPA: /ŋiam³³/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: ngiam⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /ŋiam⁵³/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: niêng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /nˡiɛŋ²⁴²/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: liām
  - Tâi-lô: liām
  - Phofsit Daibuun: liam
  - IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang): /liam⁴¹/
  - IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /liam³³/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /liam²²/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: niam⁶ / liam⁶ / niang⁶
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: niăm / liăm / niăng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /niam³⁵/, /liam³⁵/, /niaŋ³⁵/

Note:

niam6 - Shantou, Chaoyang, Jieyang, Raoping;
liam6 - Chaozhou;
niang6 - Chenghai.

Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁶gni; ⁶gnie
  - MiniDict: nyi^去; nyae^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³nyi; ³nyie
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /n̠ʲi²³/, /n̠ʲie²³/
- (Northern: Suzhou)
  - Wugniu: ⁶gnie
  - MiniDict: nye^去
  - Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /n̠ʲɪ²³¹/

Middle Chinese: nemH

Rime
Character	念
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	泥 (8)
Final (韻)	添 (157)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	IV
Fanqie	奴店切
Baxter	nemH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/nem^H/
Pan Wuyun	/nem^H/
Shao Rongfen	/nɛm^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/nɛm^H/
Li Rong	/nem^H/
Wang Li	/niem^H/
Bernhard Karlgren	/niem^H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	niàn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	nim⁶

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*nˤim-s/

(Zhengzhang): /*nɯːms/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	念
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	niàn
Middle Chinese	‹ nem^H ›
Old Chinese	/*nˁim-s/
English	think of
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	念
Reading #	1/1
No.	6588
Phonetic component	今
Rime group	侵
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	念
Old Chinese	/*nɯːms/
Notes	或以心含會意

Definitions

念

to miss; to long for; to think of; to recall
to consider; to contemplate
Alternative form of 廿 (niàn, “twenty”)
to worry; to be anxious about
to feel compassion for; to pity
to show tender affection for
to commemorate; to memorialise; to pay tribute to
idea; thought
to nag
(Buddhism) memory
a surname

Synonyms

(to miss):

edit

心念 (Hokkien)
惦念 (diànniàn)
惦記 / 惦记 (diànjì)
懸 / 悬 (xuán) (literary, or in compounds)
懸念 / 悬念 (xuánniàn) (formal)
懸想 / 悬想 (xuánxiǎng)
掛念 / 挂念 (guàniàn)
掛意 / 挂意 (guàyì)
掛記 / 挂记 (Nanchang Gan, Yudu Hakka)
數念 / 数念 (siàu-liām) (Hokkien)
牽掛 / 牵挂 (qiānguà)
眷懷 / 眷怀 (juànhuái) (literary)
眷注 (juànzhù) (literary)
眷顧 / 眷顾 (juàngù) (formal)
記掛 / 记挂 (jìguà) (dialectal)
顧念 / 顾念 (gùniàn)

(to consider):

edit

冥思 (míngsī)
冥想 (míngxiǎng)
品味 (pǐnwèi)
尋味 / 寻味 (xúnwèi)
尋思 / 寻思
思 (literary, or in compounds)
思想 (sīxiǎng)
思慮 / 思虑 (sīlǜ)
思索 (sīsuǒ)
思維 / 思维 (sīwéi)
思考 (sīkǎo)
思裁 (si¹ cai²) (Sichuanese)
思量 (sīliáng)
慎思 (shènsī)
掂掇 (diānduo) (colloquial)
推敲 (tuīqiāo)
掂量 (diānliáng)
揣摩 (chuǎimó)
斟酌 (zhēnzhuó) (figuratively)
沉思 (chénsī)
深思 (shēnsī)
照顧 / 照顾 (zhàogù)
玩味 (wánwèi)
玩弄 (Classical Chinese)
琢磨 (zuómo)
算計 / 算计 (suànjì)
考慮 / 考虑 (kǎolǜ)
苦思 (kǔsī)
著想 / 着想 (zhuóxiǎng)
計算 / 计算 (jìsuàn)
計較 / 计较
設想 / 设想 (shèxiǎng)
顧全 / 顾全 (gùquán)
顧及 / 顾及 (gùjí)

(idea):

edit

主意
心念 (xīnniàn)
心思 (xīnsī)
志意 (zhìyì) (literary)
念頭 / 念头 (niàntou)
思想 (sīxiǎng)
意念 (yìniàn)
想法
想頭 / 想头 (xiǎngtou) (colloquial)
理念 (lǐniàn)
諗法 / 谂法 (nam² faat³) (Cantonese)
點子 / 点子 (diǎnzi)

Pronunciation 2

trad.		念/唸
simp.		念

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): niàn (nian⁴)

(Zhuyin): ㄋㄧㄢˋ

(Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): нян (ni͡an, III)
Cantonese (Jyutping): nim⁶
Gan (Wiktionary): nyien⁵
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): ngiam

(Meixian, Guangdong): ngiam⁴
Northern Min (KCR): nāng
Eastern Min (BUC): nâing
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): liām

(Teochew, Peng'im): niam⁷ / liam⁷ / niang⁷
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶gni; ⁶gnie
Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): nyienn⁵

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: niàn
  - Zhuyin: ㄋㄧㄢˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: niàn
  - Wade–Giles: nien⁴
  - Yale: nyàn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: niann
  - Palladius: нянь (njanʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ni̯ɛn⁵¹/
- (Dungan)
  - Cyrillic and Wiktionary: нян (ni͡an, III)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /niæ̃⁴⁴/
  (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: nim⁶
  - Yale: nihm
  - Cantonese Pinyin: nim⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: nim⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /niːm²²/
Gan
- (Nanchang)
  - Wiktionary: nyien⁵
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /n̠ʲiɛn¹¹/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ngiam
  - Hakka Romanization System: ngiam
  - Hagfa Pinyim: ngiam⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /ŋi̯am⁵⁵/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: ngiam⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /ŋiam⁵³/
Northern Min
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: nāng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /naŋ⁵⁵/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: nâing
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /nˡaiŋ²⁴²/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: liām
  - Tâi-lô: liām
  - Phofsit Daibuun: liam
  - IPA (Xiamen): /liam²²/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /liam⁴¹/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /liam²²/
  - IPA (Taipei): /liam³³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /liam³³/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: niam⁷ / liam⁷ / niang⁷
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: niām / liām / niāng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /niam¹¹/, /liam¹¹/, /niaŋ¹¹/

Note:

niam7 - Shantou, Chaoyang, Jieyang, Raoping;
liam7 - Chaozhou;
niang7 - Chenghai.

Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁶gni; ⁶gnie
  - MiniDict: nyi^去; nyae^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³nyi; ³nyie
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /n̠ʲi²³/, /n̠ʲie²³/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: nyienn⁵
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /n̠ʲi̯ẽ²¹/

Definitions

念

to read aloud; to chant; to recite
- 2022 October 16, “69歲習近平20大政治報告未讀全文省略1小時”, in Central News Agency‎^[1], archived from the original on 16 October 2022‎^[2]:
  除了報告內容外，今年外界關注，已69歲的習近平是否會比照5年前的19大朗讀報告全文。19大的政治報告總共3萬2000多字，當時習近平以近3個小時唸完全文。
  (please add an English translation of this quotation)
to study (at a school); to learn
(Taiwan) to nag

Compounds

一念
一念三千
一念之差 (yīniànzhīchā)
一念之錯 / 一念之错
一念之間 / 一念之间 (yīniànzhījiān)
一念堅貞 / 一念坚贞
不念舊惡 / 不念旧恶 (bùniànjiù'è)
不念荷戈
五會念佛 / 五会念佛
作念
信念 (xìnniàn)
俗念 (súniàn)
俯念
價值觀念 / 价值观念
可念
叨念 (dāoniàn)
唱作念打
唱念
嘈嘈念
四念處 / 四念处
地域觀念 / 地域观念
垂念
塵念 / 尘念 (chénniàn)
妄念
廑念
心心念念 (xīnxīnniànniàn)
心念 (xīnniàn)
念不絕口 / 念不绝口
念佛 (niànfó)
念佛三昧
念力 (niànlì)
念叨 (niàndao)
念咒 (niànzhòu)
念央兒 / 念央儿
念子曰
念孜孜
念心兒 / 念心儿
念念 (niànniàn)
念念不忘 (niànniànbùwàng)
念念有詞 / 念念有词 (niànniànyǒucí)
念慮 / 念虑
念曲叫曲
念書 / 念书 (niànshū)
念歌 (niàngē)
念珠 (niànzhū)
念白 (niànbái)
念短頭經 / 念短头经
念秧
念米佛
念經 / 念经 (niànjīng)
念舊 / 念旧 (niànjiù)
念茲在茲 / 念兹在兹 (niànzīzàizī)
念誦 / 念诵
念豆兒佛 / 念豆儿佛
念頭 / 念头 (niàntou)
思念 (sīniàn)
恤孤念寡
恤孤念苦
恩念
惜孤念寡
悼念 (dàoniàn)
惦念 (diànniàn)
意念 (yìniàn)
想念 (xiǎngniàn)
感念 (gǎnniàn)
意念喜劇 / 意念喜剧
慾念 / 欲念 (yùniàn)
憶念 / 忆念
懷念 / 怀念 (huáiniàn)
懸念 / 悬念 (xuánniàn)
挂念 (guàniàn)
掛念 / 挂念 (guàniàn)
數念 / 数念 (siàu-liām) (Hokkien)
斷念 / 断念 (duànniàn)
概念 (gàiniàn)
概念句
概念車 / 概念车
欲念 (yùniàn)
正念 (zhèngniàn)
歧念
沒咒念 / 没咒念
深念
渴念
王念孫 / 王念孙
理念 (lǐniàn)
留念 (liúniàn)
痛念
白詞念賦 / 白词念赋
百念
百念皆灰
眷念 (juànniàn)
眷念無斁 / 眷念无𭣧
瞻念 (zhānniàn)
萬念俱灰 / 万念俱灰 (wànniànjùhuī)
私心雜念 / 私心杂念
私念 (sīniàn)
稱名念佛 / 称名念佛
篤念 / 笃念
系念 (xìniàn)
紀念 / 纪念 (jìniàn)
紀念信封 / 纪念信封
紀念冊 / 纪念册 (jìniàncè)
紀念品 / 纪念品 (jìniànpǐn)
紀念堂 / 纪念堂 (jìniàntáng)
紀念塔 / 纪念塔 (jìniàntǎ)
紀念幣 / 纪念币 (jìniànbì)
紀念日 / 纪念日 (jìniànrì)
紀念會 / 纪念会 (jìniànhuì)
紀念物 / 纪念物 (jìniànwù)
紀念碑 / 纪念碑 (jìniànbēi)
紀念郵票 / 纪念邮票
紀念章 / 纪念章 (jìniànzhāng)
紀念館 / 纪念馆 (jìniànguǎn)
結念 / 结念
繫念 / 系念 (xìniàn)
罣念
舊念復萌 / 旧念复萌
蓄念
複合概念 / 复合概念
觀念 / 观念 (guānniàn)
觀念形態 / 观念形态 (guānniàn xíngtài)
觀想念佛 / 观想念佛
記念 / 记念 (jìniàn)
說念 / 说念
貪念 / 贪念 (tānniàn)
軫念 / 轸念
轉念 / 转念 (zhuǎnniàn)
追念 (zhuīniàn)
達念山 / 达念山 (Dániànshān)
遙念 / 遥念
遺念 / 遗念
邪念 (xiéniàn)
關連概念 / 关连概念
雜念 / 杂念 (zániàn)
題念 / 题念
願寘誠念 / 愿寘诚念
顧念 / 顾念 (gùniàn)
食不念飽 / 食不念饱
首丘之念
馳念 / 驰念
體念 / 体念
魔念
默念 (mòniàn)

References

Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A01318
“念”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[3], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Japanese

Kanji

念

(Fourth grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

Go-on: ねん (nen, Jōyō)^{←ねん (nen, historical)}^{←ねむ (nemu, ancient)}
Kan-on: でん (den)^{←でん (den, historical)}^{←でむ (demu, ancient)}
Kun: おもう (omou, 念う)^{←おもふ (omofu, 念ふ, historical)}

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) ねん [nèń] (Heiban – [0])
IPA^(key): [nẽ̞ɴ]

Noun

念(ねん) • (nen)

Compounds

念仏(ねんぶつ) (nenbutsu)
四念処(しねんじょ) (shinenjo): Maha SatiPatthana
理念(りねん) (rinen):

Korean

Hanja

念 (eumhun 생각 념 (saenggak nyeom), word-initial (South Korea) 생각 염 (saenggak yeom))

hanja form^? of [[념/염#Korean:_念|념/염]] (“thought”)

Compounds

이념 (理念, inyeom, “ideology”)

Vietnamese

Han character

念: Hán Nôm readings: niệm, niềm, núm

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