首

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)

1. 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

1. (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.
2. chief; leader
3. start; beginning
4. first; best; highest
5. prime; prior; primary
6. side; direction
7. Classifier for songs and poems. ⇒ all nouns using this classifier

首

1. (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
2. (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)

1. neck
2. counter for songs and poems
3. leader, chief, head
4. 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)

1. neck (part of the body connecting head and torso)
2. 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
3. (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)

1. (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)

1. poems and songs

首(しゅ) • (shu)

1. (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))

1. 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

1. chữ Hán form of thủ (“head”)
2. chữ Hán form of thú (“confess”)