哉

See also: 或

哉 U+54C9, 哉 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-54C9 ← 哈 [U+54C8] CJK Unified Ideographs 哊 → [U+54CA]

Translingual

Han character

哉 (Kangxi radical 30, 口+6, 9 strokes, cangjie input 十戈口 (JIR), four-corner 4365₀, composition ⿹𢦏口)

Derived characters

• 𰄂, 𭎶, 𰔈, 渽, 𣈻, 𣖋, 𦞁, 睵, 𧛷, 𠼷, 𦖱, 賳, 𮛯, 𭻮, 𮢜, 𩹯, 𲍃, 𦳦, 𥯒, 𱔖, 𪃘

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 189, character 8
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 3596
• Dae Jaweon: page 408, character 14
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 611, character 7
• Unihan data for U+54C9

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 哉
Spring and Autumn	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions	Transcribed ancient scripts

Characters in the same phonetic series (𢦏) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
𢦏	*ʔslɯː
栽	*ʔslɯː, *zlɯːs
哉	*ʔslɯː
烖	*ʔslɯː
載	*ʔslɯːʔ, *ʔslɯːs, *zlɯːs
渽	*ʔsɯː
睵	*ʔsɯː, *sʰɯː
溨	*zɯː
裁	*zlɯː, *zlɯːs
酨	*l'ɯːs, *zlɯːs
蛓	*sʰles, *sʰɯs
胾	*ʔsrɯs

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ʔslɯː) : semantic 口 + phonetic 𢦏 (OC *ʔslɯː).

Etymology 1

simp. and trad.		哉
alternative forms		㦲 㢤 𠳆

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): zāi (zai¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄗㄞ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): zoi¹
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): chai
• Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ¹tse / ⁵tsae

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: zāi
    • Zhuyin: ㄗㄞ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: zai
    • Wade–Giles: tsai¹
    • Yale: dzāi
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tzai
    • Palladius: цзай (czaj)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡saɪ̯⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: zoi¹
    • Yale: jōi
    • Cantonese Pinyin: dzoi¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: zoi¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sɔːi̯⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chai
    • Tâi-lô: tsai
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zay
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡sai⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sai³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡sai⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡sai⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sai⁴⁴/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai, Suzhou)
    • Wugniu: ¹tse
    • MiniDict: tse^平
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹tse
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /t͡se⁵³/
    • Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /t͡se⁴⁴/
  • (Northern: Songjiang)
    • Wugniu: ⁵tsae
    • Sinological IPA (Songjiang): /t͡sɛ³⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: tsoj

Rime
Character	哉
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	精 (13)
Final (韻)	咍 (41)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	祖才切
Baxter	tsoj
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/t͡sʌi/
Pan Wuyun	/t͡səi/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡sɒi/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/t͡səj/
Li Rong	/t͡sᴀi/
Wang Li	/t͡sɒi/
Bernard Karlgren	/t͡sɑ̆i/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	zāi
Expected Cantonese Reflex	zoi1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[ts]ˤə/

  (Zhengzhang): /*ʔslɯː/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	哉	哉
Reading #	1/2	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	zāi	zāi
Middle Chinese	‹ tsoj ›	‹ tsoj ›
Old Chinese	/*[ts]ˁə/	/*[ts]ˁə/
English	begin	(particle)
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	哉
Reading #	1/1
No.	16490
Phonetic component	
Rime group	之
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	烖
Old Chinese	/*ʔslɯː/

Definitions

哉

1. ^† grammatical particle indicating emphasis
   1. sentence-medial particle indicating inverted construction for the emphasis of the predicate

      大哉斯言！ [Classical Chinese]  ―  Dà zāi sī yán! [Pinyin]  ―  How great, these words!

      • 子路曰：「有是哉，子之迂也！奚其正？」子曰：「野哉由也！君子於其所不知，蓋闕如也。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
        子路曰：「有是哉，子之迂也！奚其正？」子曰：「野哉由也！君子于其所不知，盖阙如也。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

        From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

        Zǐlù yuē: “Yǒu shì zāi, zǐ zhī yū yě! Xī qí zhèng?” Zǐyuē: “Yě zāi Yóu yě! Jūnzǐ yú qí suǒbùzhī, gài quèrú yě.” [Pinyin]

        "So! indeed!" said Zilu, "You are wide of the mark! Why must there be such rectification?" The Master said, "How uncultivated you are, Zhongyou! A superior man, in regard to what he does not know, shows a cautious reserve."

   2. sentence-final particle indicating exclamation, emphasis, or strong intention

      • 子曰：「默而識之，學而不厭，誨人不倦，何有於我哉？」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
        子曰：「默而识之，学而不厌，诲人不倦，何有于我哉？」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

        From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

        Zǐyuē: “Mò ér zhìzhī, xué ér bùyàn, huìrén bùjuàn, hé yǒuyúwǒ zāi?” [Pinyin]

        The Master said, "The silent treasuring up of knowledge; learning without satiety; and instructing others without being wearied - which one of these things belongs to me?"

      • 欽念哉！欽念哉！ [Classical Chinese, trad.]
        钦念哉！钦念哉！ [Classical Chinese, simp.]

        From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

        Qīn niàn zāi! Qīn niàn zāi! [Pinyin]

        Be reverent and remember this!

2. ^† begin, commence

   惟三月哉生魄，周公初基作新大邑于東國洛。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
   惟三月哉生魄，周公初基作新大邑于东国洛。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

   From: The Book of Documents, circa 4^th – 3^rd century BCE

   Wéi sānyuè zāi shēngpò, Zhōugōng chū jī zuò xīndàyì yú dōngguó luò. [Pinyin]

   On the third month, when the moon began to wane, the duke of Zhou commenced the foundations, and proceeded to build the new great city of Lo, of the eastern states.

See also

• 兮 (xī)

Compounds

• 何哉
• 何足道哉
• 優哉游哉／优哉游哉 (yōuzāiyóuzāi)
• 哀哉 (āizāi)
• 哉生明
• 哉生魄
• 唐哉皇哉
• 善哉 (shànzāi)
• 嗚呼哀哉／呜呼哀哉 (wūhū'āizāi)
• 得其所哉
• 怪哉 (guàizāi)
• 悠哉 (yōuzāi)
• 悠哉悠哉 (yōuzāiyōuzāi)
• 於呼哀哉 (wūhū'āizāi)
• 郁哉

 

Etymology 2

simp. and trad.		哉
alternative forms		者

According to Qian (2010), in contemporary Urban Shanghainese, it has become 了 through lenition (/zəʔ/ > /ləʔ/). Full lenition chain 哉 (MC tsoj) > Suzhounese /t͡se/ > Suburban Shanghainese /tæʔ/, while Old urban Shanghainese/ze/ /zəʔ/ > Contemporary urban Shanghainese/ləʔ/(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation

• Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ⁰tse / ⁰ze / ⁰zeq / ⁰taeq

---

• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai, Suzhou)
    • Wugniu: ⁰tse
    • MiniDict: tse
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ⁰tse
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /t͡se/
    • Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /t͡se/
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁰ze
    • MiniDict: ze
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ⁰ze
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ze/
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁰zeq
    • MiniDict: zeh
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ⁰zeq
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /zəʔ/
  • (Northern: Songjiang, Chongming)
    • Wugniu: ⁰taeq
    • MiniDict: taeh
    • Sinological IPA (Songjiang): /ɗæʔ/
    • Sinological IPA (Chongming): /tæʔ/

Definitions

哉 (Wu)

1. (Northern Wu) Sentence-final particle used to indicate the present tense

   • 打勿得哉！ [Suzhounese, trad. and simp.]

     From: 1892, 韓邦慶 (Han Bangqing), 《海上花列傳》

     ⁵tan ⁷feq-teq₇-tse₀ [Wugniu]

     Do not fight!

   大家來吧，吃飯哉！ [Suzhounese, trad.]
   大家来吧，吃饭哉！ [Suzhounese, simp.]

   From: 1993, Li Rong, 蘇州方言詞典

   ⁶da-ka₁ ²le-ba₀ ⁷chiq-ve₆ ⁰tse [Wugniu]

   Everyone come over, let's eat!

   大煠蟹來垃哉！ [Northern Wu, trad.]
   大煠蟹来垃哉！ [Northern Wu, simp.]

   ⁶du-zaq₈-ha₃ ²lae-a₀-taeq₀ [Wugniu]

   Shanghai hairy crab is coming!

Usage notes

• Unlike Standard Chinese, Northern Wu languages can mark for some tenses, like many European languages. This term, therefore, cannot be accurately translated into Standard Chinese. In contemporary Shanghainese, 了 is more common.

Etymology 3

simp. and trad.		哉
alternative forms		再 載／载

Pronunciation

• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): chài

---

• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chài
    • Tâi-lô: tsài
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zaix
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡sai²¹/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sai⁴¹/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡sai²¹/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡sai¹¹/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sai²¹/

Definitions

哉

1. (Hokkien) Only used in 佳哉.

Compounds

• 佳哉
• 好佳哉

 

Japanese

Kanji

哉

(Jinmeiyō kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: さい (sai)、せ (se)
• Kan-on: さい (sai)
• Kun: かな (kana, 哉)、や (ya, 哉)、か (ka, 哉)
• Nanori: えい (ei)、き (ki)、すけ (suke)、ちか (chika)、とし (toshi)、はじめ (hajime)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
哉
さい Jinmeiyō
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 哉 (MC tsoj).

Affix

哉(さい) • (sai) 

1. expression of exclamation or excitement

Derived terms

• 快(かい)哉(さい) (kaisai)
• 善(ぜん)哉(ざい) (zenzai)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
哉
かな Jinmeiyō
kun'yomi

For pronunciation and definitions of 哉 – see the following entry.

【かな】 [particle] [from early 700s] (Classical Japanese or literary) expresses wonder or postulation on the part of the speaker

(This term, 哉, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

Korean

Hanja

哉 (eum 재 (jae))

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

Vietnamese

Han character

哉: Hán Nôm readings: tai, tơi

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