水

水 U+6C34, 水 ← 氳[U+6C33] CJK Unified Ideographs 氵 →[U+6C35] ⽔ U+2F54, ⽔ ← ⽓[U+2F53] Kangxi Radicals ⽕ →[U+2F55] Stroke order Stroke order

• 氵 (when used as a left radical)
• 氺 (when used in characters such as 泰)

水 (Kangxi radical 85, 水+0, 4 strokes, Cangjie input 水 (E), four-corner 12230, composition ⿰𰛄⿺㇏丿(GJKV) or ⿰㇇𰛅(GJKV) or ⿰𰛄⿱丿㇏(HT))

1. Kangxi radical #85, ⽔.

• Appendix:Chinese radical/水
• 㲻, 冰, 㝽, 阥, 㲑, 砅, 氽, 尿, 㽷, 泵, 㞙, 閖
• 呇, 坔, 畓, 凼, 囦, 䠌, 潁(颍), 頮(颒)

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 603, character 1
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 17083
• Dae Jaweon: page 992, character 9
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 1545, character 1
• Unihan data for U+6C34

• 水 on Wikidata.Wikidata

水 (xuix)

1. hanzi form of xuix

simp. and trad. 水 alternative forms 𡿭𣸕

Pictogram (象形) of water flowing; sometimes written as the variant 氺 (e.g., 泰, 录, and 黎). Next to a character, it is compressed and stylized into 氵 (which is unrelated to 冫).

Compare 川 (OC *kʰjon) and its variant 巛. Compare also 永 and its cognate 𠂢. See also the bottom part of 原 in its original version (厡).

Here are some proposals:

• Proto-Sino-Tibetan *lwi(j) (“flow; stream”) (Benedict, 1974; Coblin, 1986; Handel, 1998; Schuessler, 2007; STEDT). Cognate with Mizo lui (“stream; brook; river”), Tedim Chin [script needed] (luːi³, “stream; river”), Jingpho lawi (“to flow (as water)”).
  • Old Chinese 水 (*lhuiʔ), as reconstructed by Schuessler, is Sino-Tibetan root’s endoactive derivation with suffix *-ʔ, meaning “that which is flowing”; its voiceless initial suggests the presence of a nominalizing prefix *k- or *s-. Another derivative from the Sino-Tibetan root is possibly 泫 (winʔ, “to flow”) (minimally reconstructed).
  • Compare also areal etyma Proto-Austroasiatic *loːjʔ (“to wade; to swim”) and Proto-Tai *loːjᴬ (“to swim”).
• Gong (1995) reconstructs Old Chinese *hljədx and compares it to Tibetan ཆུ (chu, “water”), which STEDT derives from Proto-Tibeto-Burman *tsju (“water; liquid; bodily fluid”).
• Baxter and Sagart (2014), employing evidence from the Proto-Min form of the Min colloquial variant 沝, reconstructs the latter *turʔ and thereby reconstructs Old Chinese *s.turʔ, and compares it to Proto-Tibeto-Burman *twəj (“to flow; to suppurate”), which is likely related to what STEDT notates as Proto-Tibeto-Burman *m-t(w)əy-n ~ m-ti-s (“water; fluid; to soak; to be wet”) (STEDT). *s.turʔ was then followed by an Eastern dialectal variant, *s.tujʔ, which leads to Early Middle Chinese *sywijX.
• Like Gong (1995), Sagart (2017) compares 水 to Tibetan ཆུ (chu), but he also compares it to Bodo (India) दै (dwi), Mizo tui, Proto-Karen *thejᴬ, for which he tentatively derives from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-turʔ.
  • Meanwhile STEDT derives said non-Sinitic items from Proto-Tibeto-Burman *m-t(w)əy-n ~ m-ti-s.
• Handel thinks 水 is unlikely to be related to Proto-Tibeto-Burman *tsju and Proto-Tibeto-Burman *m-t(w)əj-n ~ m-ti-s because of phonological issues (STEDT).

水

1. water (Classifier: 瓶 m; 樽 c; 滴 m c; 池 m c; 盆 m c; 杯 m c) 請給我一杯水，謝謝。 [MSC, trad.]请给我一杯水，谢谢。 [MSC, simp.]Qǐng gěi wǒ yī bēi shuǐ, xièxiè. [Pinyin]A glass of water, please. 喝水 ― hēshuǐ ― to drink water 冰水 ― bīngshuǐ ― iced water 冷水 ― lěngshuǐ ― cold water 凍水／冻水 [Cantonese] ― dung3 seoi2 [Jyutping] ― cold water 熱水／热水 ― rèshuǐ ― hot water 開水／开水 ― kāishuǐ ― boiled water 滾水／滚水 [Cantonese] ― gwan2 seoi2 [Jyutping] ― boiled water 水族館／水族馆 ― shuǐzúguǎn ― aquarium 水彩 ― shuǐcǎi ― watercolour 水溫／水温 ― shuǐwēn ― water temperature 雨水 ― yǔshuǐ ― rainwater 海水 ― hǎishuǐ ― seawater 飲用水／饮用水 ― yǐnyòngshuǐ ― drinking water 礦泉水／矿泉水 ― kuàngquánshuǐ ― mineral water 蒸餾水／蒸馏水 ― zhēngliúshuǐ ― distilled water 水閘／水闸 ― shuǐzhá ― sluice 水力發電／水力发电 ― shuǐlìfādiàn ― hydroelectricity 碳水化合物 ― tànshuǐhuàhéwù ― carbohydrate 脫水／脱水 ― tuōshuǐ ― to dehydrate; dehydration 水中毒 ― shuǐzhòngdú ― water intoxication; water poisoning 雙氧水／双氧水 ― shuāngyǎngshuǐ ― hydrogen peroxide (literally, “water with two oxygen (atoms)”)
2. liquid; potion; juice 口水 ― kǒushuǐ ― saliva 汗水 ― hànshuǐ ― sweat 羊水 ― yángshuǐ ― amniotic fluid 香水 ― xiāngshuǐ ― perfume 眼藥水／眼药水 ― yǎnyàoshuǐ ― eyedrop
   1. (specifically) molten metal 鐵水／铁水 ― tiěshuǐ ― liquid iron
      • 空將漢月出宮門，憶君清淚如鉛水。 [Literary Chinese, trad.]空将汉月出宫门，忆君清泪如铅水。 [Literary Chinese, simp.]From: c. 813, 李賀 (Li He), 《金銅仙人辭漢歌》, tr. J. D. FrodshamKōng jiāng Hàn yuè chū gōngmén, yì jūn qīng lèi rú qiānshuǐ. [Pinyin]Vainly bearing the moon of HanI went out of the palace gates.Remembering the emperor, my pure tearsDropped down like molten lead.
3. (colloquial, chiefly Singapore, Malaysia) synonym of 飲料 / 饮料 (yǐnliào, “beverage”) 要叫什麼水？／要叫什么水？ ― Yào jiào shénme shuǐ? ― What beverage do you want to order? 欲叫什物水？ [Hokkien, trad. and simp.]Beh kiò sím-mi̍h chúi? [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]What beverage do you want to order?
4. (archaic, poetic) river 河水 ― Héshuǐ ― Yellow River 淮水 ― Huáishuǐ ― Huai River 濟水／济水 ― Jìshuǐ ― Ji River 江水 ― Jiāngshuǐ ― Yangtze River 漢水／汉水 ― Hànshuǐ ― Han River 水經注／水经注 ― Shuǐ Jīng Zhù ― The Commentary on the Water Classic 弱水三千 ― ruòshuǐsānqiān ― vast, uncrossable river
   • 淇水湯湯，漸車帷裳。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, trad.]淇水汤汤，渐车帷裳。 [Pre-Classical Chinese, simp.]Qíshuǐ shāngshāng, jiān chē wéi cháng. [Pinyin]The Qi River is torrential, soaking carriage curtains.
5. body of water 水路 ― shuǐlù ― waterway 三面環水／三面环水 ― sān miàn huán shuǐ ― to be surrounded by (bodies of) water on three sides
6. flood 發水／发水 ― fāshuǐ ― to flood
7. additional cost or income
8. (dialectal) rain
9. (Cantonese) money (Classifier: 嚿 c) 磅水 [Cantonese] ― bong6 seoi2 [Jyutping] ― to pay 掠水 [Cantonese] ― loek6-1 seoi2 [Jyutping] ― to obtain money dishonestly 三嚿水 [Cantonese] ― saam1 gau6 seoi2 [Jyutping] ― three hundred dollars
10. (Cantonese) source of revenue (Classifier: 條／条 c)
11. (Cantonese) to fool; to deceive; to misguide
12. (Cantonese, figurative) wave (event); rush 水尾 ― shuǐ wěi ― the end of a wave
13. to swim 水性 ― shuǐxìng ― swimming ability
    • 假舟楫者，非能水也，而絕江河。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]假舟楫者，非能水也，而绝江河。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]From: Xunzi, c. 3rd century BCEJiǎ zhōují zhě, fēi néng shuǐ yě, ér jué jiānghé. [Pinyin]One who uses a boat, despite not knowing how to swim, can nevertheless cross rivers.
14. (colloquial) lacking substance or power; worthless 這裡的大學太水了。 [MSC, trad.]这里的大学太水了。 [MSC, simp.]Zhèlǐ de dàxué tài shuǐ le. [Pinyin]The universities here are too weak.
15. short for 划水 (huáshuǐ, “to shirk; to slack off”)
16. one of the five elements of Wu Xing (五行)
17. (colloquial) Classifier for the number of times clothing was washed.
18. Sui people 水書／水书 ― shuǐshū ― Shuishu (the traditional writing system of the Sui people)
19. a surname

• (beverage):

• (antonym(s) of “body of water”): 陸 / 陆

Others:

• → Bai: *ɕui²
  • Central Bai: xuix
  • Lama Bai: ɕy³³
  • Panyi Bai: sy³³
  • Southern Bai: ɕy³³
• → Bouyei: suij (“inferior; poor”)
• Wutunhua: xhui (“water”)

For pronunciation and definitions of 水 – see 媠 (“(Southern Min) good-looking; pretty; beautiful”).(This character is a variant form of 媠).

• “水”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎[2], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014-
• Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A02124
• “水”, 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.
• “水”, 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.
• <水> at the Glyph Database from the Institute of History and Language of the Academia Sinica and the Institute of Information Science
• “水”, in 臺灣客語辭典 [Dictionary of Taiwan Hakka] (overall work in Mandarin and Hakka), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2022.
• 周存 [Zhōu, Cún], editor (2023), “水”, in 长汀话词典 CHANGTINGHUA CIDIAN [Dictionary of Changting Dialect] (overall work in Hakka and Mandarin), Guangzhou: 世界图书出版有限公司 [World Book Publishing Co., Ltd.], →ISBN, page 596.

(First grade kyōiku kanji)

• Go-on: すい (sui, Jōyō)←すい (sui, historical)←すゐ (swi, ancient)
• Kan-on: すい (sui, Jōyō)←すい (sui, historical)←すゐ (swi, ancient)
• Kun: みず (mizu, 水, Jōyō)←みづ (midu, 水, historical)、み (mi, 水)、みな (mina, 水)、もい (moi, 水)、かわ (kawa, 水)
• Nanori: うず (uzu)、ずみ (zumi)、たいら (taira)←たひら (tafira, historical)、つ (tsu)、ど (do)、な (na)、なか (naka)、みさ (misa)、みつ (mitsu)、みん (min)、ゆ (yu)、ゆく (yuku)

Kanji in this term 水 みずGrade: 1 kun’yomi

⟨mi1du⟩ → */mʲidu/ → /mid͡zu/ → /mizu/

From Old Japanese. First attested in the Kojiki of 712 CE.[1] In turn, from Proto-Japonic *mentu. Ryukyuan cognates support the existence of the first vowel having an initial mid vowel.

Possibly cognate with 瑞 (mizu, “freshness, youth”).

• (Tokyo) みず [mìzú] (Heiban – [0])[2]
• IPA(key): [mʲizɨ]

水(みず) • (mizu) ←みづ (midu)?

1. water (sometimes cold and/or fresh) Synonyms: ウオーター (uōtā), ウォーター (wōtā), (Tsugaru) がっこ (gakko) Antonym: 湯 (yu, specifically meaning “hot water”)
   • 905–914, Kokin Wakashū 袖(そで)ひちてむすびし水(みづ)のこほれるを春(はる)立(た)つけふの風(かぜ)やとくらむsode hichite musubi shi mizu no kohore ru o haru tatsu kefu no kaze ya toku ramuDuring the coming spring, would the wind melt the water that I scooped out?
2. drinking water Synonyms: 飲水 (insui, nomimizu), 飲用水 (in’yōsui), 飲料水 (inryōsui)
3. a fluid, liquid Synonym: 液体 (ekitai)
4. a flood Synonyms: 大水 (ōmizu), 洪水 (kōzui), 出水 (shussui)
5. (sumo) short for 水入り (mizuiri): halting
6. (sumo) short for 力水 (chikara mizu): water offered to sumo wrestlers before a bout

• Note that, while mizu is the most general Japanese term for “water”, it does refer specifically to “water that is not hot”. Meanwhile, the word 湯 (yu) refers specifically to “hot water”. Consider 水風呂 (mizu-buro, “cold-water bath”), contrasting with 風呂 (furo, “bath”, implying hot water).

水(みず) • (mizu-) ←みづ (midu-)?

1. water

水(みず) • (Mizu) ←みづ (Midu)?

1. a female given name
2. a surname

Kanji in this term 水 みGrade: 1 kun’yomi

⟨mi1⟩ → */mʲi/ → /mi/

From Old Japanese.

Typically found in compounds.[1]

水(み) • (mi)

1. combining form of みず (“water”) above

Kanji in this term 水 すいGrade: 1 on’yomi

/ɕuwi/ → */suwi/ → /sui/

From Middle Chinese 水 (MC sywijX).

Compare modern Mandarin 水 (shuǐ), modern Hakka 水 (súi).

• (Tokyo) すい [súꜜì] (Atamadaka – [1])[2]
• IPA(key): [sɨi]

水(すい) • (sui)

1. water: one of the five classical elements in traditional Chinese philosophy and medicine
2. short for 水曜日 (suiyōbi): Wednesday
3. shaved ice served with flavored syrup Synonym: 氷水 (kōrimizu)

水(すい) • (sui)

1. water
2. body of water
3. fluid, liquid
4. short for 水素 (suiso): hydrogen

水(すい) • (Sui)

1. a female given name

Kanji in this term 水 もいGrade: 1 kun’yomi

⟨mopi1⟩ → */mopʲi/ → /moɸi/ → /mowi/ → /moi/

From Old Japanese. Via metonymy from the word 椀, 盌 (moi, “bowl”), from the meaning of “that which goes in the 椀, 盌 (moi, “bowl”)”.[1][2] Compare the development of modern English cuppa, where the word for the container is similarly used to refer to the contents.

• IPA(key): [mo̞i]

水(もい) • (moi) ←もひ (mofi)?

1. (obsolete) drinking water

• 水(もい)取(とり), 主水(もいとり) (moitori)

• 氷(こおり) (kōri, “ice”)
• 湯(ゆ) (yu, “hot water”)

• “水”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎[3] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015-2026

From Middle Chinese 水 (MC sywijX).

Historical readings Dongguk Jeongun reading Dongguk Jeongun, 1448 ᄉᆔᆼ〯 (Yale: syǔy) Middle Korean Text Eumhun Gloss (hun) Reading Hunmong Jahoe, 1527[4] 믈〮 (Yale: múl) 슈〮 (Yale: syú)

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [sʰu]
• Phonetic hangul: [수]

水 (eumhun 물 수 (mul su))

1. hanja form? of 수 (“water”) [affix]
2. hanja form? of 수 (“short for 수요일(水曜日) (suyoil, “Wednesday”)”)

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [5]

水 (ɕy³³)

1. hanzi form of ɕy³³ (water)

(First grade kyōiku kanji)

From Proto-Ryukyuan *medu. This form preserves the initial pJ *e that was raised to i in Central Japanese.

• IPA(key): [mid͡zz̩]

水(みず) (midzu)

1. water

• “ミズ” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Miyako Dialect Dictionary.

“みず” in Celik Kenan Thibault, Online Miyako Dictionary, 2016.

(First grade kyōiku kanji)

From Proto-Ryukyuan *medu. This form preserves the initial pJ *e that was raised to i in Central Japanese.

水(むぃずぃ) (mïzï)

1. water
2. amniotic fluid

(First grade kyōiku kanji)

• On (unclassified): しー (shī)
• Kun: みじ (miji, 水)

• 雨水(うしー) (ushī)
• 天水(てぃんしー) (tinshī)
• 水鶏(くみらー) (kumirā)

From earlier 水 (midu → midzu → mizu), attested in 1711 in the 混効験集 (Konkōkenshū), itself from Proto-Ryukyuan *medu.

The word underwent a pronunciation change due to the shifting of /u/ to /i/ after alveolar consonants.

Cognate with Japanese 水 (mizu), Old Japanese 水 (mi1du).

• (Shuri) み​ずぃ [míꜜzì] (Kakō – [1])[1]
• IPA(key): [mʲizʲi]

水(みじ) (miji) ←みずぃ (mizi)?

1. water

• “みじ【水】” in JLect – Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.

(First grade kyōiku kanji)

From Proto-Ryukyuan *medu.

水(みじ) (miji)

1. water

• “みじ【水】” in JLect – Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.

From Proto-Japonic *mentu. Ryukyuan cognates support the existence of the first vowel having an initial mid vowel.

Possibly cognate with 瑞 (mi₁du, “freshness, youth”). (Can this(+) etymology be sourced?)

水 (mi₁du) (kana みづ)

1. water

水 (mi₁) (kana み)

1. water

For quotations using this term, see Citations:水.

(First grade kyōiku kanji)

From Proto-Ryukyuan *medu.

水(むぃっ) (mï’)

1. water

水 (ɕy³³)

1. hanzi form of ɕy³³ (water)

水: Hán Việt readings: thủy/thuỷ (式(thức)軌(quỹ)切(thiết))[1][2][3][4][5] 水: Nôm readings: thủy/thuỷ[1][2][4][6], nước[2]

1. chữ Hán form of thuỷ (“water”)
2. (uncommon) chữ Nôm form of nước (“water”)

(First grade kyōiku kanji)

From Proto-Ryukyuan *medu.

Possibly also related to Korean 물 (mul), Middle Korean 밀 (mil, “water”).

• IPA(key): [míŋ] (tone class A)

水(みん) or 水(みーん) (min or mīn)

1. water

• “みん【水】” in JLect – Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
• Nicolas Tranter, editor ((Can we date this quote?)), The Languages of Japan and Korea, Routledge, →ISBN, Yonaguni, page 415

(First grade kyōiku kanji)

From Proto-Ryukyuan *medu.

Possibly also related to Korean 물 (mul), Middle Korean 밀 (mil, “water”).

• (Mugiya Higashi-ku) IPA(key): [mìdʑì] (tone class A)

水(みじ) (miji)

1. water

• “みじ【水】” in JLect – Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.