元

See also: 兀, 示, and 亓
元 U+5143, 元
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5143
← 兂
[U+5142] 		CJK Unified Ideographs 兄 →
[U+5144]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

元 (radical 10, 儿+2, 4 strokes, cangjie input 一一山 (MMU), four-corner 10211, composition ⿱二儿)

Derived characters

References

  • KangXi: page 123, character 6
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1340
  • Dae Jaweon: page 258, character 3
  • Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 1, page 264, character 6
  • Unihan data for U+5143

Chinese

simp. and trad.
 元

Glyph origin

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

j00003

j00004

j00005

j00006

j00007

j00008

j00009

j00010

j00011

j00012

j00013

j00014

Bronze inscriptions

b00016

b00017

b00018

b00019

b00020

b00021

b00022

b00023

b00024

b00025

b00026

b00027

b00028

b00029

b00030

b00031

b00032

b00033

b00034

b00035

b00036

b00037

b00038

b00039

b00040

b00041

b00042

b00043

b00044

b00045

b00046

b00047

b00048

b00049

b00050

b00051

b00052

Small seal script

s00003

Transcribed ancient scripts

L32110

L32111

L32112

L32113

L32114

L07440

L07442

L07443

L07444

L07445

L07446

L07447

L07448

L07449

L07450

L07451

L07452

L07453

L07454

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 (元) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
冠 *kŋoːn, *kŋoːns
莞 *kŋoːn, *ɦŋoːn, *ɦŋroːnʔ
脘 *ŋkoːnʔ
筦 *ŋkoːnʔ
梡 *ŋ̊ʰoːnʔ, *ɦŋoːn, *ɦŋoːnʔ
岏 *ŋoːn
刓 *ŋoːn
园 *ŋoːn
忨 *ŋoːn, *ŋoːns
蚖 *ŋoːn, *ŋon
黿 *ŋoːn, *ŋon
抏 *ŋoːn
玩 *ŋoːns
貦 *ŋoːns
翫 *ŋoːns
妧 *ŋoːns
完 *ɦŋoːn
捖 *ɦŋoːn
垸 *ɦŋoːn, *ɦŋoːns
綄 *ɦŋoːn, *ɦŋoːnʔ
院 *ɦŋoːn, *ɦŋons
皖 *ɦŋoːnʔ, *ɦŋroːnʔ
晥 *ɦŋoːnʔ
浣 *ɦŋoːnʔ
頑 *ŋroːn, *ŋroːn
睆 *ɦŋroːnʔ
鯇 *ɦŋroːnʔ
元 *ŋon
沅 *ŋon
芫 *ŋon
杬 *ŋon
邧 *ŋon, *ŋonʔ
阮 *ŋon, *ŋonʔ
俒 *ɦŋuːn, *ɦŋuːns

Pictogram (象形) – a figure with two lines 二 for a head (one connected to body, one above it), emphasizing the head.

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Note: ngang5 - used in 開元.
  • Wu
    • (Shanghainese)
      • Wiktionary: nyoe (T3); hhyoe (T3)
      • IPA (key): /n̠ʲø²³/, /ɦyø²³/
  • Dialectal data▼
Variety Location 元
Mandarin Beijing /yan³⁵/
Harbin /yan²⁴/
Tianjin /yan⁴⁵/
Jinan /yã⁴²/
Qingdao /yã⁴²/
Zhengzhou /yan⁴²/
Xi'an /yã²⁴/
Xining /yã²⁴/
Yinchuan /yan⁵³/
Lanzhou /yɛ̃n⁵³/
Ürümqi /yan⁵¹/
Wuhan /yɛn²¹³/
Chengdu /yan³¹/
Guiyang /ian²¹/
Kunming /iɛ̃³¹/
Nanjing /yen²⁴/
Hefei /yĩ⁵⁵/
Jin Taiyuan /ye¹¹/
Pingyao /ye̞¹³/
Hohhot /ye³¹/
Wu Shanghai /ȵyø²³/
/ɦyø²³/
Suzhou /ɦiø¹³/
Hangzhou /ɦyõ²¹³/
Wenzhou /ȵy³¹/
Hui Shexian /ue⁴⁴/
Tunxi /ȵyɛ⁴⁴/
Xiang Changsha /yẽ¹³/
Xiangtan /yẽ¹²/
Gan Nanchang /ȵyɵn⁴⁵/
Hakka Meixian /ŋian¹¹/
Taoyuan /ŋien¹¹/
Cantonese Guangzhou /jyn²¹/
Nanning /yn²¹/
Hong Kong /jyn²¹/
Min Xiamen (Min Nan) /guan³⁵/
Fuzhou (Min Dong) /ŋuoŋ⁵³/
Jian'ou (Min Bei) /ŋyiŋ³³/
Shantou (Min Nan) /ŋuaŋ⁵⁵/
Haikou (Min Nan) /zuaŋ³¹/
Rime
Character 元
Reading # 1/1
Initial (聲) 疑 (31)
Final (韻) 元 (66)
Tone (調) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Closed
Division (等) III
Fanqie 愚袁切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang		 /ŋʉɐn/
Pan
Wuyun		 /ŋʷiɐn/
Shao
Rongfen		 /ŋiuɐn/
Edwin
Pulleyblank		 /ŋuan/
Li
Rong		 /ŋiuɐn/
Wang
Li		 /ŋĭwɐn/
Bernard
Karlgren		 /ŋi̯wɐn/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex		 yuán
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 元
Reading # 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)		 yuán
Middle
Chinese		 ‹ ngjwon ›
Old
Chinese		 /*[ŋ]o[r]/ (< nasal + uvular)
English head; first

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 元
Reading # 1/1
No. 16145
Phonetic
component		 元
Rime
group		 元
Rime
subdivision		 3
Corresponding
MC rime		 元
Old
Chinese		 /*ŋon/

Definitions

元

  1. † head
  2. first; primary; head; chief
  3. basic; fundamental
  4. origin; source
  5. Classifier for yuan or dollars.
  6. (mathematics) unknown variable
  7. (～朝) Yuan Dynasty
  8. A surname​.
Synonyms
Dialectal synonyms of 元 (“yuan; dollar”) [map]
Variety Location Words
Formal (Written Standard Chinese) 圓、元
Mandarin Beijing 塊
Taiwan 塊
Harbin 塊
Jinan 塊
Muping 塊
Luoyang 塊
Jiedian 塊
Xi'an 塊
Xining 塊
Xuzhou 塊
Yinchuan 塊
Lanzhou 塊
Ürümqi 塊
Wuhan 塊
Chengdu 塊
Guiyang 塊
Guilin 塊
Liuzhou 塊
Yangzhou 塊
Nanjing 塊
Hefei 塊
Cantonese Guangzhou 蚊、蚊雞、個
Hong Kong 蚊、蚊雞、個
Shunde 蚊
Zhongshan 蚊
Dongguan 蚊、蚊雞
Taishan 蚊
Doumen 蚊
Kaiping 蚊
Shaoguan 蚊
Yunfu 蚊
Yangjiang 蚊、個
Lianjiang 蚊
Nanning 蚊
Hepu 蚊
Kuala Lumpur 蚊、箍
Gan Nanchang 塊
Lichuan 塊
Pingxiang 塊
Hakka Meixian 塊
Yudu 塊
Miaoli (N. Sixian) 個
Liudui (S. Sixian) 個
Hsinchu (Hailu) 個
Dongshi (Dabu) 個
Zhuolan (Raoping) 個
Yunlin (Zhao'an) 箍
Hong Kong 塊
Sabah 箍
Senai 箍
Singkawang 盾
Huizhou Jixi 塊
Jin Taiyuan 塊
Xinzhou 塊
Min Bei Jian'ou 塊
Min Dong Fuzhou 塊
Fuqing 塊
Matsu 塊
Min Nan Xiamen 箍
Quanzhou 箍
Zhangzhou 箍
Taipei 箍
Kaohsiung 箍
Tainan 箍
Taichung 箍
Hsinchu 箍
Lukang 箍
Sanxia 箍
Yilan 箍
Kinmen 箍
Magong 箍
Penang 箍
Chaozhou 箍
Johor Bahru 箍
Haikou 個
Leizhou 個
Puxian Min Putian 個
Xianyou 個
Pinghua Nanning 蚊、蚊雞
Guilin 塊
Wu Shanghai 塊
Suzhou 塊
Hangzhou 塊
Wenzhou 個
Chongming 塊
Danyang 塊
Jinhua 塊
Xiang Changsha 塊
Shuangfeng 塊
Loudi 塊
Quanzhou 塊
See also
Dynasties (朝代) in Chinese history
NameTime periodDivisions
Xia
夏 (～朝, ～代)		 2070 – 1600 BCE
Shang
商 (～朝, ～代)
殷 (～朝, ～代)		 1600 – 1046 BCE
Zhou
周 (～朝, ～代)		 1046 – 256 BCEWestern Zhou
西周
Eastern Zhou
東周／东周		Spring and Autumn period
春秋
Warring States period
戰國／战国
Qin
秦 (～朝, ～代)		 221 – 206 BCE
Han
漢／汉 (～朝, ～代)		 206 BCE – 220 CEWestern Han
西漢／西汉
Xin
新 (～朝)
Eastern Han
東漢／东汉
Three Kingdoms
三國／三国		 220 – 280 CEWei
魏
Shu
蜀
Wu
吳／吴
Jin
晉／晋 (～朝, ～代)		 265 – 420 CEWestern Jin
西晉／西晋
Eastern Jin
東晉／东晋
Southern and Northern dynasties
南北朝		 420 – 589 CENorthern dynasties
北朝		Northern Wei
北魏
Western Wei
西魏
Eastern Wei
東魏／东魏
Northern Zhou
北周
Northern Qi
北齊／北齐
Southern dynasties
南朝		Liu Song
劉宋／刘宋
Southern Qi
南齊／南齐
Liang
梁 (～朝, ～代)
Chen
陳／陈 (～朝, ～代)
Sui
隋 (～朝, ～代)		 581 – 618 CE
Tang
唐 (～朝, ～代)		 618 – 907 CE
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms
五代十國／五代十国		 907 – 960 CE
Liao
遼／辽 (～朝, ～代)		 907 – 1125 CE
Song
宋 (～朝, ～代)		 960 – 1279 CENorthern Song
北宋
Southern Song
南宋
Western Xia
西夏		 1038 – 1227 CE
Jin
金 (～朝, ～代)		 1115 – 1234 CE
Western Liao
西遼／西辽		 1124 – 1218 CE
Yuan
元 (～朝, ～代)		 1271 – 1368 CE
Ming
明 (～朝, ～代)		 1368 – 1644 CE
Qing
清 (～朝, ～代)		 1636 – 1912 CE

Compounds

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of 元 – see 圓 (“circle; circular; round; etc.”).
(This character, 元, is the second-round simplified form of 圓.)
Notes:

Japanese

Kanji

元

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

Compounds

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
元
もと
Grade: 2
kun’yomi

From Proto-Japonic *mətə.

Noun

元 (hiragana もと, rōmaji moto)

  1. cause, origin
  2. basis, foundation
  3. cost
    元 (もと)がとれる
    moto ga toreru
    to be able to cover the cost
  4. (finance) capital
  5. principal

Alternative forms

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Proper noun

元 (hiragana はじめ, rōmaji Hajime)

  1. A male given name

Korean

Hanja

元 (eumhun 으뜸 원 (eutteum won))

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

Vietnamese

Han character

元 (nguyên, nguyễn)

  1. Source, origine
  2. A family name
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