丂
kǎo

cane, axe handle

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approved by Prismcool · Sep 28, 2026, 06:17 AM · Reviewed by Prismcool on Sep 28, 2026, 06:17 AM

Adding other readings in

Changed fields: historicalPronunciations

丂 has two origins depending on its usage as a component. (1) Pictograph of a cane. Original form of 杖. (2) Pictograph of an axe handle. Origin form of 柯.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Spring and Autumn ~600 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartkhawXC.qʰˤuʔ (Shuōwén; no pre-Qín exx.)to sob

說文解字

《說文》：“丂，气欲舒出，勹上礙於一也。丂，古文以為亏字，又以為巧字。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.391漢語多功能字庫李春桃《甲骨文中“丂”字新釋》
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)