霍尔木兹海峡
Huò'ěr​mù​zī Hǎi​xiá

Strait of Hormuz

霍 huò, hè, suǒ quickly

Components

雨
雨 Meaning component
yǔ rain
隹
隹 Sound component
zhuī, cuī, wéi bird

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Western Zhou 1045-771 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Western Zhou ~800 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (0 of 3 verified)

藿嚯攉

Meaning (0 of 1 verified)

攉

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangqʰʷaːɡ
Unicodexuɑk

說文解字

《說文》：“靃，飛聲也，雨而雙飛者其聲靃然。”

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

尔 ěr you Simplified

Simplified form of 爾. Pictograph of a weapon with a sharp head and tail decorations on the end. Similar in origin to 朿. Original meaning unclear.

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Warring States 475-221 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (2 of 5 verified)

你弥玺迩祢

Meaning (1 of 3 verified)

你妳袮

Simplified (1)

称

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartnyeXn[ə][r]ʔ you(r)

說文解字

《說文》：“尒，詞之必然也。从入、丨、八，八象气之分散。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.259董蓮池《說文解字考正》p.129
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

木 mù tree

Pictograph of a tree.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Shang ~1100 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Meaning (86 of 360 verified)

样机条权格根亲极查李标构案校模树村检概核架困枪楼松板材荣杨床植杰梅桌杜桥横杯梁枝闲柳柔柏械椅梯柱档桃柯桂棉柴柜杆棋朴栏棵框枯柄棍棒寨渠杭栽桶杖棚椎栖株棠桩桓朽榜枕枢榴梭棺栋桐梳杉棕樱梢橡棱枉梗栓桨槽栅梨榻橱杠檐槐椒栈楞枫榆桔椭柿梧槛樵檀橄楷桅橙榄橘榨枷楠桢栩梓杞楔桦枭椰檬榈橇椋槟楣梆樟桧槌榕橹椿棣柠柑杳榭榔栾榘榷椤椽槁枞杈柚柩枸榛樽榉栉梏栎桎楂楹杵樾楫桠杲榫槭橛杼棂枰樯槿臬槎杷柞榧枋桉枥槊枳枇柢桁桡栀槲椴樗榇柘檩蘖枵杓楸楦楝椁榱槔樘桤楮栌杪橥檠槠榍桴柙杌椹檎桷桕桫枘枨棹杩栊栲檫樨柽棰椟椠檗梃橼栳椐柁桄枧榀栝楱檑築柃楗閑樸檯櫞櫸橫槍構桲栴樁槃柵椪榅梟機樺榿棧欒楨榲欞櫛標櫆欄檸楳欖櫱枒棲條櫫柲檮槓檳楛檢桊楙樣櫪梼橈橋樅㓷柤柊槤樆橢槨櫻櫍櫃檻檔槜梣椆棶桿槺檜櫓𬃊權枓櫟梾樹楓杙槳栱極檃橾樞櫚櫥檵棟梔樛梿棻椥楊榮樑槀樓樴

Iconic (31)

本相新果林集某采县宋森析休朱乘呆桑枚巢栗杏桀柰縣尞尌喿桼枼樂椉

Unknown (0 of 2 verified)

溧柒

Sound (0 of 1 verified)

沐

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartmuwkC.mˤok tree, wood

說文解字

《說文》：“木，冒也，冒地而生。東方之行。从屮，下象其根。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.484
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

兹 zī, cí now Simplified

Components

丷
丷 Meaning component
bā, xx “ears-out” component used in some Chinese characters (e.g. U+5151 兑)
一
一 Meaning component
yī one
幺
幺 Meaning component
yāo tiny
幺
幺 Meaning component
yāo tiny

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Warring States 475-221 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Warring States ~250 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (0 of 8 verified)

慈磁滋孳鹚嵫糍鷀

Historical Pronunciations

Old Chinese
Zhengzhangʔsɯ
zɯ

說文解字

《說文》：“玆，黑也。从二玄。”

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

海 hǎi sea

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 每 represents the sound.

Components

氵
氵 Meaning component
shui, shuǐ water

氵 is a component form of 水.

每
每 Sound component
měi every
Change in sound

Character Evolution

Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Jin 266-420 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1)

嗨

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartxojXm̥ˤəʔ (dialect *m̥ˤ- > x-)sea

說文解字

《說文》：“海，天池也，以納百川者。从水，每聲。”

Sources

Character origin
漢語多功能字庫
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

峡 xiá gorge Simplified

The space between 夹 two mountains 山; 夹 also provides the pronunciation

Components

山
山 Meaning component
shān mountain
夹
夹 SoundMeaning component
jiā, jiá be wedged or inserted between, pressed from two sides

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

爾 ěr you Traditional

Pictograph of a weapon with a sharp head and tail decorations on the end. Similar in origin to 朿. Original meaning unclear.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Late Spring and Autumn ~500 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Three Kingdoms (Cao Wei) 222-280 AD
Regular Modern

Component uses

Sound (1 of 4 verified)

邇禰璽彌

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagartnejXnˤ[ə][r]ʔ numerous
nyeXn[ə][r]ʔ (adv. suffix)
nyeXn[ə][r]ʔ you(r)

說文解字

《說文》：“爾，麗爾，猶靡麗也。从冂，从，其孔；尒聲。此與爽同意。”

Sources

Character origin
季旭昇《說文新證》p.259董蓮池《說文解字考正》p.129
Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-Sagart
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

茲 now Traditional

Components

艹
艹 Meaning component
cao, cǎo grass
幺
幺 Meaning component
yāo tiny
幺
幺 Meaning component
yāo tiny

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Early Western Zhou ~1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Warring States 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Eastern Han 25-220 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangʔsɯ
zɯ
Unicodetziə
dzhiə

說文解字

《說文》：“茲，艸木多益。从艸，茲省聲。”

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Zhengzhang Shangfang
Historical images
Academia Sinica
Etymology
Shuowen Jiezi (說文解字)

峽 xiá gorge Traditional

The space between 夾 two mountains 山; 夾 also provides the pronunciation

Components

山
山 Meaning component
shān mountain
夾
夾 SoundMeaning component
jiā, jiá be wedged or inserted between, pressed from two sides

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarthɛpN-kˤ<r>epmountain pass (not in GSR)
Zhengzhangɡreːb
Unicodehæp

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode
Historical pronunciations
Baxter-SagartZhengzhang Shangfang