葉 U+8449, 葉 ← 葈[U+8448] CJK Unified Ideographs 葊 →[U+844A] 葉 U+F96E, 葉 ← 省[U+F96D] CJK Compatibility Ideographs 說 →[U+F96F] Stroke order Japan
葉 (Kangxi radical 140, 艸+9, 12 (Japan), 13 (traditional Chinese) strokes, Cangjie input 廿心廿木 (TPTD), four-corner 44904, composition ⿱艹枼)
- 僷, 擛, 㵩, 瞸, 蠂, 䜓, 鐷, 䭟
- Kangxi Dictionary: page 1044, character 3
- Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 31387
- Dae Jaweon: page 1504, character 18
- Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 3243, character 15
- Unihan data for U+8449
- Unihan data for U+F96E
trad. 葉 simp. 叶*
Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *hljeb, *leb): semantic 艸 + phonetic 枼 (“leaf”). 枼 is the original pictogram for this word; 艸 was added to differentiate.[1]
From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *lap (“leaf”). Cognate with Tibetan ལོ་མ (lo ma, “leaf”), Western Tibetan ལོབ་མ (lob ma, “leaf”), Jingpho lap (“leaf”). Related to 世 (OC *hljebs, “world”).
This is part of the word family *lVp meaning “flat”, represented by the phonetic component 枼 (OC *leb). Compare also 茶 (OC *rlaː, “tea < *leaf”).
葉
- leaf; petal (Classifier: 塊/块 c; 片 c) 紅葉/红叶 ― hóngyè ― red autumn leaves
- era; epoch 十九世紀中後葉/十九世纪中后叶 ― shíjiǔ shìjì zhōng hòu yè ― middle and late 19th century
- leaf-like thing 肺葉/肺叶 ― fèiyè ― lobe of the lung 百葉窗/百叶窗 ― bǎiyèchuāng ― Venetian blinds
- Classifier for small boats. 一葉扁舟/一叶扁舟 ― yī yè piānzhōu ― a tiny boat
- 一葉輕舟去,人隔萬重山 [Literary Cantonese, trad.]一叶轻舟去,人隔万重山 [Literary Cantonese, simp.]jat1 jip6 hing1 zau1 heoi3, jan4 gaak3 maan6 cung4 saan1 [Jyutping]You’ve left in a light boat, and we are separated by ten thousand mountains
- 能暫時懷念某種老朋友 不過未能共享一葉舟 [Literary Cantonese, trad.]能暂时怀念某种老朋友 不过未能共享一叶舟 [Literary Cantonese, simp.]nang4 zaam6 si4 waai4 nim6 mau5 zung2 lou5 pang4 jau5, bat1 gwo3 mei6 nang4 gung6 hoeng2 jat1 jip6 zau1 [Jyutping]I can temporarily reminisce about some sort of old friend, but I cannot share a boat with them
- alternative form of 頁 / 页 (“page”)
- a surname 葉飛/叶飞 ― Yè Fēi ― Ye Fei (Chinese military general and politician of the People’s Republic of China)
- → English: Ye, Yeh, Yip, Ip, Yap, Yeap
- → Tagalog: Yap
(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)
葉
- (~縣) Ye County, Henan, China
- a surname
葉
- (Min) alternative form of 箬 (“leaf”)
- “葉”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2026.
(Third grade kyōiku kanji)
- Go-on: しょう (shō)←せふ (sefu, historical)、よう (yō, Jōyō)←えふ (efu, historical)
- Kan-on: しょう (shō)←せふ (sefu, historical)、よう (yō, Jōyō)←えふ (efu, historical)
- Kun: は (ha, 葉, Jōyō)
- Nanori: よ (yo)、わ (wa)
Kanji in this term 葉 はGrade: 3 kun’yomi
/pa/ → /ɸa/ → /ha/
From Old Japanese,[1] from Proto-Japonic *pa.
Probably cognate with Old Japanese verb 生(は)ゆ (hayu, “to sprout, to grow”) → modern 生(は)える (haeru), and with 羽(は) (ha, “feather; wing”).
Suggested in some sources as possibly cognate with 歯(は) (ha, “tooth”), from the way that both sprout and then later fall,[2] and with 刃(は) (ha, “blade”) from similarities in shape (cf. English blade). However, the pitch accent patterns are different; 葉 and 羽 are both unaccented, while 歯 and 刃 are both accented. This may reflect two disparate *pa roots in the ancient language.
First attested in the Kojiki of 712 CE with the phonetic spelling 波.[1]
Cognate with Okinawan 葉 (fā).
- (Tokyo) は [hà] (Heiban – [0])[3]
- IPA(key): [ha̠]
葉(は) • (ha) (counter 枚)
- leaf, needle, blade (of a plant) Synonym: 葉っぱ (happa)
Kanji in this term 葉 ようGrade: 3 on’yomi
/epu/ → /efu/ → /eu/ → /joː/
From Middle Chinese 葉 (MC yep, “leaf”).
- (Tokyo) よー [yóꜜò] (Atamadaka – [1])[3]
- IPA(key): [jo̞ː]
葉(よう) • (yō) ←えふ (efu)?
- leaf, needle, blade (of a plant)
- a season, an age: a shorter period of time within a longer one
- an administration: the period of time during which a certain person holds a certain office
葉(よう) • (-yō) ←えふ (-efu)?
- (rare) counter for flat, thin things such as leaves or paper
- (by extension) counter for small boats
- “葉”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia][2] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015-2026
From Middle Chinese 葉 (MC yep).
Historical readings Dongguk Jeongun reading Dongguk Jeongun, 1448 엽〮 (Yale: yép) Middle Korean Text Eumhun Gloss (hun) Reading Hunmong Jahoe, 1527[3] 닙〮 (Yale: níp) 엽 (Yale: yep)
- (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [jʌ̹p̚]
- Phonetic hangul: [엽]
葉 (eumhun 잎 엽 (ip yeop))
- hanja form? of 엽 (“leaf”) [affix]
From Middle Chinese 葉 (MC syep).
Historical readings Dongguk Jeongun reading Dongguk Jeongun, 1448 셥〮 (Yale: syép)
- (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [sʰʌ̹p̚]
- Phonetic hangul: [섭]
葉 (eumhun 땅 이름 섭 (ttang ireum seop))
- hanja form? of 섭 (“A surname.”)
- 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전/電子字典. [4]
(Third grade kyōiku kanji)
- Kun: ぱー (pā, 葉)
From Proto-Ryukyuan *pa, from Proto-Japonic *pa.
- IPA(key): /pʰaː/
葉(ぱー) (pā)
- leaf
(Third grade kyōiku kanji)
- Kun: ぱー (pā, 葉)
From Proto-Ryukyuan *pa, from Proto-Japonic *pa.
- IPA(key): /paː/
葉(ぱー) (pā)
- leaf
(Third grade kyōiku kanji)
- Kun: ふぁー (fā, 葉)
From Proto-Ryukyuan *pa, from Proto-Japonic *pa. Cognate with mainland Japanese 葉 (ha).
- IPA(key): /ɸaː/
葉(ふぁー) (fā)
- leaf クロトンぬ葉(ふぁー)や色(いる)清(じゅ)らさぬ、いくちん集(あち)みてぃ植(っゐー)らっとーん。Kuroton-nu fā-ya iru jurasanu, ikuchin achimiti ‘wīrattōn.(please add an English translation of this example)
- “ふぁー【葉】” in JLect – Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
葉: Hán Nôm readings: diệp, diếp, dợp, dớp, đẹp, giấp, giẹp, nhịp, riếp, dào
葉
- chữ Hán form of diếp (“lettuce”)
- chữ Hán form of diệp (“(only in compounds) a leaf”)
(Third grade kyōiku kanji)
- Kun: ぱー (pā, 葉)
From Proto-Ryukyuan *pa, from Proto-Japonic *pa.
- IPA(key): /paː/
葉(ぱー) (pā)
- leaf
(Third grade kyōiku kanji)
- Kun: はー (hā, 葉)
From Proto-Ryukyuan *pa, from Proto-Japonic *pa.
- IPA(key): /haː/
葉(はー) (hā)
- leaf