西

西 U+897F, 西 ← 襾[U+897E] CJK Unified Ideographs 覀 →[U+8980] ⻄ U+2EC4, ⻄ ← ⻃[U+2EC3] CJK Radicals Supplement ⻅ →[U+2EC5] Stroke order Stroke order

西 (Kangxi radical 146, 襾+0, 6 strokes, cangjie input 一金田 (MCW), four-corner 10600, composition ⿱一𠁤)

• 哂, 㛉, 𡶼, 廼, 徆, 恓, 拪, 洒, 𤞏, 迺, 䧈, 𢬣, 晒, 栖, 毢, 𤈇, 牺, 𤥒, 𦚵, 𠒓, 𥙘, 硒, 䄽, 𬭄, 粞, 絤(𬘟), 𦕩, 舾, 𬠂, 𧧍, 跴, 𨠴, 𫘊, 𫙘
• 𪠧, 𨚹, 𤿢, 𪀹, 酉, 𡧳, 茜, 䇴, 𤶈, 𪎢, 氥, 𰀾, 閪

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1128, character 10
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 34763
• Dae Jaweon: page 1595, character 19
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2805, character 2
• Unihan data for U+897F

Pictogram (象形) – a bag or basket, borrowed for phonetic value. Compare 東 (OC *toːŋ, “bundle > east”), 束 and 鹵. Traditionally explained as a pictogram of a bird settling into its nest, which by analogy with the setting of the sun means “west”. This etymology has been disputed (Sears), but Sagart (2004) stands by it.

See also the top component of 票, originally two hands holding an object vaguely similar to a bag, basket or nest.

simp. and trad. 西 alternative forms 㢴卤㐁𠧜𠧪

The word is traditionally reconstructed to have a /*s/-initial in Old Chinese, e.g. /*sɯːl/ in Zhengzhang (2003). However, recent scholarship has suggested that the Old Chinese initial should instead be reconstructed as /*s-nˤ/, one of the reasons being 西 appears to be the phonetic in 迺 (nǎi), the archaic graphic variant of 乃 (OC *nɯːʔ). The new reconstruction, /*s-nˤər/ in Baxter and Sagart (2014), also accounts for how 西 can be the phonetic in 哂 (shěn, “to smile”). For more information, see Sagart (2004), Baxter and Sagart (2014) and Nohara (2018).

In light of the new construction with the initial consonant cluster /*s-nˤ/, the possibilities of the etymology of 西, aside from being cognate with 棲／栖 (qī, “to roost; to rest”) (B-S OC /*s-nˤər/), include:

• Related to Tibetan ནེར་བ (ner ba, “to sink; to fall gradually”) (Unger, 1990).
• Related to Chepang नेलःसा (nelʔ‑, “to go down; to sink”), which may be the same etymon as the Written Tibetan word above (Schuessler, 2007).
• Related to the root 尼 (nǐ, “to stop”) (OC /*nˤərʔ/ for intransitive form, /*nˤərʔ-s/ for transitive form in Baxter and Sagart (2014)).
• Related to Tibetan མནལ (mnal, “sleep”) and Burmese နား (na:, “to rest; to stop for a while”) (Hill, 2019).
• An Austroasiatic nominal n-infix derivative from the root “go down”, as in Old Mon cnis (“ghat”) < Old Mon cis (“to go down”) , with Proto-Austroasiatic *tsn- > Proto-Sinitic *sn-. If true, then this etymon literally means “the place where one goes down to” > Mon “ghat” > OC “nest, west” and its base form is 濟 (OC *ʔsliːls) via Austroasiatic (Schuessler, 2007).

西

1. west; western; occidental
2. (Cantonese, minced oath) euphemistic form of 閪 / 𲈹 (hai1) 西人 [Cantonese] ― sai1 jan4 [Jyutping] ― cunt; jerk 西客 [Cantonese] ― sai1 haak3 [Jyutping] ― bad customer 西口西面 [Cantonese] ― sai1 hau2 sai1 min6 [Jyutping] ― bitch-face
3. (Buddhism) western paradise
4. Used in transcription. 加西亞／加西亚 ― Jiāxīyà ― García 印度尼西亞／印度尼西亚 ― Yìndùníxīyà ― Indonesia 密西西比 ― Mìxīxībǐ ― Mississippi 切爾西／切尔西 ― Qiè’ěrxī ― Chelsea

compass points: 方位 (fāngwèi): [edit]

西北 (xīběi) 北 東北 / 东北 (dōngběi) 西 (xī) 東 / 东 (dōng) 西南 (xīnán) 南 東南 / 东南 (dōngnán)

Others:

• Japanese: 西(シャー) (shā, “west wind (mahjong tile)”)

simp. and trad. 西

西

1. short for 西班牙 (Xībānyá, “Spain”) 西語／西语 ― xīyǔ ― Spanish language 西政府 ― xī zhèngfǔ ― Spanish government 赴西 ― fù xī ― (formal) to go to Spain

simp. and trad. 西 alternative forms 篩／筛

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “From English side?”)

西 (Cantonese)

1. spin (noun) 腳趾尾拉西／脚趾尾拉西 [Cantonese] ― goek3 zi2 mei5-1 laai1 sai1 [Jyutping] ― to do a sidespin with one’s little toe
2. to spin; to cause to spin
3. carrying spin
4. to deviate from a path due to some force
   • 坐於肇事巴士下層第2排的何先生稱，當時下層乘客全部坐在座椅上，突然聽到「嘭」一聲巨響，感覺到車身「擺一擺」及「西埋一邊」。 [Literary Cantonese, trad.]坐于肇事巴士下层第2排的何先生称，当时下层乘客全部坐在座椅上，突然听到「嘭」一声巨响，感觉到车身「摆一摆」及「西埋一边」。 [Literary Cantonese, simp.]co5 jyu1 siu6 si6 baa1 si6-2 haa6 cang4 dai6 ji6 paai4 dik1 ho4 sin1 saang1 cing1, dong1 si4 haa6 cang4 sing4 haak3 cyun4 bou6 co5 zoi6 zo6 ji2 soeng6, dat6 jin4 teng1 dou3-2 “baang4” jat1 sing1 geoi6 hoeng2, gam2 gok3 dou3 ce1 san1 “baai2 jat1 baai2” kap6 “sai1 maai4 jat1 bin1”. [Jyutping]Mr Ho, who sat at the second row of the lower deck of the bus, said that all lower deck passengers were sitting on their seats. He suddenly heard a loud banging noise and felt that the vehicle body swung and moved towards its side.
5. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}. 架車轉彎嗰陣好西。 [Cantonese, trad.]架车转弯嗰阵好西。 [Cantonese, simp.]gaa3 ce1 zyun3 waan1 go2 zan6-2 hou2 sai1. [Jyutping]There was strong centrifugal force when the vehicle turned.
6. to hit (clarification of this definition is needed.) 一嘢西落佢度 [Cantonese, trad. and simp.]jat1 je5 sai1 lok6 keoi5 dou6 [Jyutping](please add an English translation of this usage example)

• “西”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎[3], 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), A03762

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

1. west
2. Europe, European
3. kanji used to transliterate foreign languages
4. short for 西班牙 (Supein): Spain, Spanish
5. autumn

• Go-on: さい (sai, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: せい (sei, Jōyō)
• Tō-on: すい (sui)、す (su)
• Kun: にし (nishi, 西, Jōyō)
• Nanori: あき (aki)、いり (iri)、かわち (kawachi)←かはち (kafati, historical)、ひし (hishi)、むら (mura)

Kanji in this term 西 にしGrade: 2 kun’yomi

Originally a compound of 去に (ini, “going away”, the 連(れん)用(よう)形(けい) (ren’yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of the verb 去(い)ぬ (inu, “to go away”)) +‎ し (shi, “wind; (by extension) direction”, as seen in other ancient-derived words as 嵐 (arashi, “storm”, literally “wild + wind”), 旋風 (tsumuji, “whirlwind”), 東 (higashi, “east”, from older pi muka si, literally “sun + facing + wind/direction”)).[1]

First cited in the Kojiki of 712, with the phonetic spelling 爾斯 (nisi).[1]

• (Tokyo) にし [nìshí] (Heiban – [0])[2][3][4]
• IPA(key): [ɲ̟iɕi]

西(にし) • (nishi)

1. [from 770] west (one of the four cardinal directions) Antonym: 東 (higashi)
2. the West
3. [from 712] the west wind, wind blowing from the west Antonym: 東 (higashi)
4. (theater) in kabuki:
   1. [from 1688] the left side of the stage in the Edo-style
   2. [from 1688] the right side of the stage in Kyoto and Osaka styles
5. [date uncertain] (sumo) lower-ranked wrestlers listed on the left side of a banzuke Antonym: 東 (higashi)
6. [from 1885] the West; (later, more specifically) the capitalist states of the West (originally western Europe, as opposed to Eastern Bloc countries) Synonym: 西側 (nishigawa) Antonym: 東 (higashi)

compass points: 方角 (hōgaku): [edit]

北西 (hokusei)西北 (seihoku) 北 (kita) 北東 (hokutō)東北 (tōhoku) 西 (nishi) 東 (higashi) 西南 (seinan)南西 (nansei) 南 (minami) 東南 (tōnan)南東 (nantō)

• 西(にし)向(む)く侍(さむらい) → 二四(にし)六九(むく)士(さむらい) (nishi muku samurai, “westward-facing samurai → mnemonic for months with less than 31 days, with 士 standing for 十一”)

西(にし) • (Nishi)

1. (Buddhism) synonym of 西方浄土 (Saihō Jōdo): the western paradise of Amitabha Buddha
2. (Buddhism) short for 西本願寺 (Nishi Hongan-ji): a Buddhist temple in Kyoto Synonym: お西 (o-Nishi)
3. (historical) a red-light district in Edo-period Shinjuku (as it was located west of Edo Castle)
4. a place name, especially the name of various wards in major cities throughout Japan
5. a surname

Kanji in this term 西 しゃーGrade: 2 irregular

Possibly a corruption of Mandarin 西 (xī, “west”).

西(シャー) • (shā)

1. (mahjong) west wind (mahjong tile) Hypernym: 風牌 (kazehai, fanpai)
2. (mahjong) a 役 (yaku, “winning hand”) with a triplet or quad of west wind tiles; depending on wind round and player’s seat wind, it is worth either 1 or 2 翻 (han, “doubles”) Hypernym: 役牌 (yakuhai, yaku-pai)

• 風(かぜ)牌(ハイ) (kazehai, “wind tiles”): 東(トン) (ton, “east wind”), 南(ナン) (nan, “south wind”), 西(シャー) (shā, “west wind”), 北(ペー) (pē, “north wind”)

• “西”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎[4] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015-2026

From Middle Chinese 西 (MC sej).

Historical readings Dongguk Jeongun reading Dongguk Jeongun, 1448 솅 (Yale: syèy) Middle Korean Text Eumhun Gloss (hun) Reading Hunmong Jahoe, 1527[5] 셧녁 (Yale: syè-s-nyèk) 셔 (Yale: syè)

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA(key): [sʰʌ̹]
• Phonetic hangul: [서]

西 (eumhun 서녘 서 (seonyeok seo))

1. hanja form? of 서 (“west; western”)

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [6]

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

• Kun: いり (iri, 西)

西(いり) (iri)

1. the West

西: Hán Việt readings: tây[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9], tê[6] 西: Nôm readings: tây[1][3][4], tư[1]

西 • (tây)

1. chữ Hán form of tây
   1. west
   2. West (the Western world)

西 • (tây)

1. chữ Hán form of tây (“Western, especially Western European or French”)

compass points: [edit]

tây bắc (西北) bắc (北) đông bắc (東北) tây (西) đông (東) tây nam (西南) nam (南) đông nam (東南)

西 • (tây)

1. chữ Nôm form of tây (“(in certain compound words) personal, private”)

• 念西 (niềm tây)