자

See also: -자

자 U+C790, 자 HANGUL SYLLABLE JA Composition: ㅈ + ㅏ ← 잏 [U+C78F] Hangul Syllables 작 → [U+C791]

㈖ U+3216, ㈖ PARENTHESIZED HANGUL CIEUC A ← ㈕ [U+3215] Enclosed CJK Letters and Months ㈗ → [U+3217]

㉶ U+3276, ㉶ CIRCLED HANGUL CIEUC A ← ㉵ [U+3275] Enclosed CJK Letters and Months ㉷ → [U+3277]

자작잒잓잔잕잖 잗잘잙잚잛잜잝 잞잟잠잡잢잣잤 장잦잧잨잩잪잫
이 ←	→ 재

Korean

Etymology 1

Korean reading of various Chinese characters.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕa̠]
• Phonetic hangul: [자]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	ja
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	ja
McCune–Reischauer?	cha
Yale Romanization?	ca

Noun

자 • (ja)

1. (hanja: 字) letter, character
2. (hanja: 者): a person
3. (hanja: 紫): purple; violet
4. (hanja: 子):
   1. fruit; seed of
   2. rat (Chinese zodiac sign)
5. (hanja: 慈): benevolence, loving-kindness, metta

Numeral

자 • (ja) (hanja 秭)

1. 10²⁴

Syllable

자 • (ja)

1. 仔, 做, 兹, 刺, 呰, 咨, 啙, 嗞, 姉, 姿, 嬨, 子, 孖, 字, 孜, 孳, 孶, 恣, 慈, 柘, 榨, 橴, 泚, 滋, 炙, 煑, 煮, 牸, 玆, 瓷, 疵, 眥, 眦, 磁, 積, 粢, 紫, 者, 耔, 胾, 自, 茈, 茨, 茲, 莿, 蔗, 藉, 觜, 訾, 諮, 貲, 資, 赭, 趑, 鎡, 雌, 頿, 髭, 鮓, 鶿, 鷓, 齊

Etymology 2

First attested in the Yongbi eocheon'ga (龍飛御天歌 / 용비어천가), 1447, as Middle Korean 잫 (Yale: cah).

Noun

자 • (ja)

1. ruler, rule, straightedge
2. (unit of measure) ja or Korean foot, a traditional unit of length equivalent to about 30.3 cm.

Synonyms

• (unit of measure): 척 (cheok)

Etymology 3

자 • (ja)

1. present of 자다 (jada, “to sleep”)