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Definition 2025

弱

弱

Translingual

Han character

弱 (radical 57 弓+7, 10 strokes, cangjie input 弓一弓戈一 (NMNIM), four-corner 17127, composition ⿰⿹弓冫⿹弓冫)

Derived characters

References

  • KangXi: page 358, character 24
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 9791
  • Dae Jaweon: page 675, character 17
  • Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 2, page 996, character 16
  • Unihan data for U+5F31

Chinese

simp. and trad.
 弱
alt. forms 𢐅

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 弱
Large seal script Small seal script
Characters in the same phonetic series (弱) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
嫋 *neːwʔ
弱 *njewɢ
溺 *njewɢ, *neːwɢ
蒻 *njewɢ
搦 *rneːwɢ, *rnaːwɢ
愵 *neːwɢ

弓 ("bow") + 彡 ("decoration" [in this case]) as a decorative bow is functionally inferior.

Pronunciation

  • Dialectal data▼
Variety Location 弱
Mandarin Beijing /ʐuo⁵¹/
Harbin /iau⁵³/
/ʐuo⁵³/
Tianjin /ʐɑu⁵³/
/ʐɤ⁵³/
Jinan /luə²¹/
Qingdao /yə⁴²/
Zhengzhou /ʐuo²⁴/
Xi'an /vo²⁴/
Xining /u⁴⁴/
Yinchuan /ʐuə¹³/
Lanzhou /və³¹/
Ürümqi /ʐuɤ²¹³/
Wuhan /io²¹³/
Chengdu /zo³¹/
Guiyang /zo²¹/
Kunming /ʐo³¹/
Nanjing /ioʔ⁵/
Hefei /ʐuɐʔ⁵/
Jin Taiyuan /zaʔ²/
Pingyao /ʐʌʔ⁵³/
Hohhot /ʐuaʔ⁴³/
Wu Shanghai /zaʔ¹/
Suzhou /zɑʔ³/
Hangzhou /zɑʔ²/
Wenzhou /ja²¹³/
Hui Shexian /niɔ²²/
Tunxi /ȵio¹¹/
Xiang Changsha /ȵio²⁴/
Xiangtan /ȵio²⁴/
Gan Nanchang /ȵiɔʔ⁵/
/lɔʔ⁵/
Hakka Meixian /ŋiok̚⁵/
Taoyuan /ŋiok̚⁵⁵/
Cantonese Guangzhou /jœk̚²/
Nanning /jœk̚²²/
Hong Kong /jœk̚²/
Min Xiamen (Min Nan) /liɔk̚⁵/
/lioʔ⁵/
Fuzhou (Min Dong) /yoʔ⁵/
Jian'ou (Min Bei) /ŋiɔ²⁴/
Shantou (Min Nan) /ziak̚⁵/
Haikou (Min Nan) /niɔk̚³/
Rime
Character 弱
Reading # 1/1
Initial (聲) 日 (38)
Final (韻) 藥 (107)
Tone (調) Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) III
Fanqie 而灼切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang		 /ȵɨɐk̚/
Pan
Wuyun		 /ȵiɐk̚/
Shao
Rongfen		 /ȵʑiɑk̚/
Edwin
Pulleyblank		 /ȵɨak̚/
Li
Rong		 /ȵiak̚/
Wang
Li		 /ȵʑĭak̚/
Bernard
Karlgren		 /ȵʑi̯ak̚/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex		 ruò
Baxter-Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 弱
Reading # 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)		 ruò
Middle
Chinese		 ‹ nyak ›
Old
Chinese		 /*newk/
English weak

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 弱
Reading # 1/1
No. 10947
Phonetic
component		 弱
Rime
group		 藥
Rime
subdivision		 2
Corresponding
MC rime		 若
Old
Chinese		 /*njewɢ/

Definitions

弱

  1. weak; feeble
    軟弱 / 软弱  ―  ruǎnruò  ―  weak, feeble
  2. fragile; delicate

Antonyms

Compounds

Japanese

Kanji

弱

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

  1. weak
  2. weakness
  3. slightly less than

Readings

Korean

Hanja

弱 • ‎(yak) (hangeul 약, McCune-Reischauer yak, Yale yak)

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Vietnamese

Han character

弱 (nhược, ních)

  1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

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