首 U+9996, 首 ← 馕[U+9995] CJK Unified Ideographs 馗 →[U+9997] ⾸ U+2FB8, ⾸ ← ⾷[U+2FB7] Kangxi Radicals ⾹ →[U+2FB9] Stroke order Stroke order
首 (Kangxi radical 185, 首+0, 9 strokes, Cangjie input 廿竹月山 (THBU), four-corner 80601, composition ⿱丷𦣻 or ⿱䒑自)
- Kangxi radical #185, ⾸.
- Appendix:Chinese radical/首
- 渞, 道, 艏, 衜
- Kangxi Dictionary: page 1427, character 32
- Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 44489
- Dae Jaweon: page 1953, character 27
- Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 7, page 4500, character 1
- Unihan data for U+9996
simp. and trad. 首 alternative forms 𩠐𦣻
Simplified from 𩠐 (巛 → 丷). Originally pictogram (象形) of the head of an animal with a long mouth and horns. In the oracle bone script, it appeared with or without hair (巛), but 𩠐, the form with hair, was the form that was perpetuated.
From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *qV-luʔ; cognate with Mizo lu (“head”). This word has also been compared with Proto-Austronesian *quluh (“head”) (Malay hulu) and Proto-Tai *klawꟲ ~ krawꟲ (“head; hair knot”) (Thai เกล้า (glâao, “hair; head”)), and was used by Sagart to support his Sino-Austronesian hypothesis. Compare 道 (OC *l’uːʔ, “path, road”) (with the same phonetic component) and its relationship with Proto-Hmong-Mien *kləuX (“road, way”).
This word was replaced by 頭 (OC *doː, “head”) by the Warring States period, possibly due to early homophony with 手 (OC *hnjɯwʔ, “hand”).
首
- (archaic, anatomy) head Synonym: 頭 / 头
- 愛而不見,搔首踟躕。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]爱而不见,搔首踟蹰。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11th – 7th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge’s versionÀi ér bù jiàn, sāo shǒu chíchú. [Pinyin]Loving and not seeing her, I scratch my head, and am in perplexity.
- chief; leader
- start; beginning
- first; best; highest
- prime; prior; primary
- side; direction
- Classifier for songs and poems. ⇒ all nouns using this classifier
首
- (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to report someone to the authorities; to plead guilty 自首 ― zìshǒu ― to turn oneself in; to give up; to surrender
- (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to face (a direction)
- “首”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014-
(Second grade kyōiku kanji)
- neck
- counter for songs and poems
- leader, chief, head
- beginning, first
- Go-on: しゅ (shu, Jōyō)
- Kan-on: しゅう (shū)
- Kun: くび (kubi, 首, Jōyō)、おびと (obito, 首)、こうべ (kōbe, 首)←かうべ (kaube, 首, historical)、しるし (shirushi, 首)、つかさ (tsukasa, 首)、かしら (kashira, 首)、はじめ (hajime, 首め)、もうす (mōsu, 首す)
- Nanori: おびと (obito)、こべ (kobe)、す (su)
- 機(き)首(しゅ) (kishu)
Kanji in this term 首 くびGrade: 2 kun’yomi Alternative spellings 頚級
From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *kunpi.
- IPA(key): [kɯ̟bʲi]
- (Tokyo) くび [kùbí] (Heiban – [0])[1]
首(くび) or 首(クビ) • (kubi)
- neck (part of the body connecting head and torso)
- the neck and head as a whole Synonym: (as a trophy) 首級 (shukyū) 首(くび)無(な)しkubinashiheadless 首(くび)を刎(は)ねるkubi o haneruto behead
- (often katakana) dismissal from employment Synonym: 解雇 (kaiko) クビにするkubi ni surugive (someone) the sack; fire (someone)
Kanji in this term 首 おびとGrade: 2 kun’yomi
From Old Japanese. First cited to the Nihon Shoki of 720 CE.[2]
Shift from Old Japanese 大人 (opobito, “boss, chief”, literally “big person”).[2][3]
/opobito/ → /obito/
- IPA(key): [o̞bʲito̞]
首(おびと) • (obito)
- (archaic) one who rules or commands a group of people: a chief
- Appendix:Gikun_Usage_in_Meiji_Version_of_Japanese_Bible/首
Kanji in this term 首 こうべGrade: 2 kun’yomi Kanji in this term 首 かしらGrade: 2 kun’yomi For pronunciation and definitions of 首 – see the following entry. 【頭かしら】2 [counter] a head, as when counting people, or cattle or other livestock [noun] 頭, 首: the head of a doll 【頭こうべ】2 [noun] head (This term, 首, is an alternative spelling of the above term.) Kanji in this term 首 しゅGrade: 2 goon
From Middle Chinese 首 (MC syuwX|syuwH).
- IPA(key): [ɕɨ]
首(しゅ) • (-shu)
- poems and songs
首(しゅ) • (shu)
- (rare) the first one; a lord
- 頭
- “首”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia][2] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015-2026
From Middle Chinese 首 (MC syuwX). Recorded as Middle Korean 슈〮 (sywú) (Yale: syu) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.
首 (eumhun 머리 수 (meori su))
- hanja form? of 수 (“head”)
- 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전/電子字典. [3]
首: Hán Nôm readings: thủ, thú, siều
- chữ Hán form of thủ (“head”)
- chữ Hán form of thú (“confess”)