西 - Wiktionary, the free dictionary (original) (raw)

See also: 四, 𠁤, 酉, 襾, and 覀

Stroke order
6 strokes
Stroke order

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

| | Old Chinese | | | -------------------------------- | ----------------- | | 粞 | *sɯːl, *sɯːl | | 洒 | *sraːls, *sɯːlʔ | | 西 | *sɯːl | | 卤 | *sɯːl | | 卥 | *sɯːl | | 栖 | *sɯːl, *sɯːls | | 茜 | *sʰɯːns | | 哂 | *hjɯnʔ |

Pictogram (象形) – a bag or basket, borrowed for phonetic value. Compare 東 (OC *toːŋ, “bundle > east”). 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.

simp. and trad. 西
alternative forms 㢴卤

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:

Note:

Note:

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 西
Reading # 1/1
ModernBeijing(Pinyin) xī
MiddleChinese ‹ sej ›
OldChinese /*s-nˁər/
English west
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 西
Reading # 1/1
No. 13236
Phoneticcomponent 西
Rimegroup 微
Rimesubdivision 1
CorrespondingMC rime 西
OldChinese /*sɯːl/

西

  1. west; western
  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

Others:

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
  5. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{[rfdef](/wiki/Template:rfdef#top "Template: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

(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
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]

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)
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)

Derived terms

Idioms

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)
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 “西”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
  2. ^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. ^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  4. ^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

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[3] 셧녁 (Yale: syè-s-nyèk) 셔 (Yale: syè)

Wikisource

西 (eumhun 서녘 서 (seonyeok seo))

  1. hanja form? of 서 (“west; western”)

Compounds

西

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

西(いり) (iri)

  1. the West

西: Hán Việt readings: tây, tê
西: Nôm readings: tây

  1. west
  2. West (the Western world)