餐巾纸
cān​jīn​zhǐ

napkin

餐 cān eat

Phonosemantic compound. 食 represents the meaning and 𣦼 represents the sound.

Components

食
食 Meaning component
shí, shi eat
𣦼
𣦼 Sound component
cán to damage and pierce

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Western Han 202 BC-9 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Jin 266-420 AD
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld Chinese
Zhengzhangsʰaːn
Unicodetsɑn

說文解字

《說文》：“餐，吞也。从食，聲。湌，餐或从水。”

Sources

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

巾 jīn cloth

Pictograph of a cloth hanging downwards.

Character Evolution

Oracle form
Oracle Bone ~1250-1000 BC
Bronze form
Bronze Mid Western Zhou ~900 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 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 (12 of 43 verified)

常布希帮席币幕幅佩帕帐饰帽帘帆幢帜帖幌幡帷幔帧帛帼幄帙幂帑帔帏幛帻幞帱飾幗幣幟幀幃幬帳

Iconic (4)

刷帅㡀帥

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-Sagartkinkrən kerchief

說文解字

《說文》：“巾，佩巾也。从冂，丨象系也。”

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)

纸 zhǐ paper Simplified

Simplified form of 紙. Phonosemantic compound. 糹 represents the meaning and 氏 represents the sound.

Components

纟
纟 Meaning component
mì silk

纟 is a component form of 糸.

氏
氏 Sound component
shì clan

Sources

Readings & variants
Unicode

紙 zhǐ paper Traditional

Phonosemantic compound. 糹 represents the meaning and 氏 represents the sound.

Components

糹
糹 Meaning component
mì silk

糹 is a component form of 糸.

氏
氏 Sound component
shì clan

Character Evolution

Seal form
Seal Warring States (Chu) 475-221 BC
Seal form
Seal Shuowen ~100 AD
Clerical form
Clerical Qin 221-206 BC
Regular Modern

Historical Pronunciations

Middle ChineseOld ChineseGloss
Baxter-SagarttsyeXk.teʔ paper

說文解字

《說文》：“紙，絮一笘也。从糸，氏聲。”

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)