方

See also: 万
方 U+65B9, 方
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-65B9
← 斸
[U+65B8]
CJK Unified Ideographs 斺 →
[U+65BA]
⽅ U+2F45, ⽅
KANGXI RADICAL SQUARE
← ⽄
[U+2F44]
Kangxi Radicals ⽆ →
[U+2F46]

Translingual

Traditional 方
Simplified 方
Japanese 方
Korean 方
Stroke order
4 strokes
Stroke order (alternative)
4 strokes
Stroke order
Stroke order
(alternative)

Han character

方 (Kangxi radical 70, 方+0, 4 strokes, cangjie input 卜竹尸 (YHS), four-corner 00227, composition ⿱丶万)

  1. Kangxi radical #70, ⽅.

Derived characters

References

  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 481, character 3
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 13620
  • Dae Jaweon: page 842, character 5
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 2172, character 1
  • Unihan data for U+65B9

Further reading

Chinese

simp. and trad.
方

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 方
Shang Western Zhou Warring States Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Chu slip and silk script Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts

Ideogrammic compound (會意/会意) : 一 + 刀 (“sword”) – blade; tip of a blade. Original form of 芒 (OC *maːŋ, *maŋ, “awn (of cereal); tip (of blade)”); later borrowed to mean “side”. Other theories regarding the origin of this character also exist.

It is unrelated to 㫃 (“fluttering flag”), from which characters like 旗 (OC *ɡɯ, “flag”) and 旅 (OC *ɡ·raʔ, “troops”) are derived.

Etymology 1

"side; square; region"
Probably related to 旁 (OC *baːŋ), 傍 (OC *baːŋ, *baːŋs) (Schuessler, 2007).
"parallel boats"
Cognate with 舫 (OC *paːŋs, *paŋs, “boat”), 艕 (“boat”). According to STEDT, from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *poŋ (“raft; float”); compare Burmese ဖောင် (hpaung, “raft”), Jingpho hpong (“kac”). According to Schuessler (2007), this etymon is an area word; compare Thai พ่วง (pûuang, “raft; pontoon”), Proto-Austronesian *qabaŋ (“boat”), Old Mon kɓaŋ (“ship; boat”).
"just now"; "now"
Cognate with 甫 (OC *paʔ, “just now”). Compare Jingpho hpang (“to begin”), Proto-Kuki-Chin *pran (“to begin”) (STEDT).
"method; law"
Etymology not certain. May be the same word as 方 (OC *paŋ, “side; square; region”). Cognate with 仿 (OC *pʰaŋʔ, “to imitate”). Perhaps cognate with Tibetan བྱང་བ (byang ba, “skill; experience”), Tibetan སྦྱངས (sbyangs, “trained; exercised studied”) (Schuessler, 2007). Alternatively, it may belong to Khmer ព្រាង (priəng, “to draft; to sketch”) < Khmer រាង (riəng, “shape; form; figure”). If so, it belongs to an Austroasiatic allofam which includes 狀 (OC *zraŋs, “form; appearance”). "Law; norm; standard" is a common extension of "form; shape".

Pronunciation 1


Note:
  • huŏng - literary;
  • bung - vernacular (“piece“).

Rime
Character 方
Reading # 2/2
Initial (聲) 幫 (1)
Final (韻) 陽 (106)
Tone (調) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Closed
Division (等) III
Fanqie 府良切
Baxter pjang
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang
/pʉɐŋ/
Pan
Wuyun
/pʷiɐŋ/
Shao
Rongfen
/piuɑŋ/
Edwin
Pulleyblank
/puaŋ/
Li
Rong
/piuaŋ/
Wang
Li
/pĭwaŋ/
Bernard
Karlgren
/piwaŋ/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex
fāng
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex
fong1
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 方 方 方
Reading # 1/3 2/3 3/3
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)
fāng fāng fāng
Middle
Chinese
‹ pjang › ‹ pjang › ‹ pjang ›
Old
Chinese
/*C-paŋ/ /*paŋ/ /*paŋ/
English square method just, then

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 方
Reading # 1/2
No. 3023
Phonetic
component
方
Rime
group
陽
Rime
subdivision
0
Corresponding
MC rime
方
Old
Chinese
/*paŋ/
Notes 甲金文象槳即榜初文,
下初爲單筆,猶旂左初亦作單杆
Definitions

方

  1. (obsolete) parallel; side by side
  2. (obsolete) parallel boats; raft made of bamboo
  3. (obsolete) to match; to be equal to
  4. (obsolete) to compare; to set side by side
  5. (obsolete) to differentiate; to discriminate
  6. (obsolete) to occupy; to take up
  7. (mathematics) square; rectangle; cube
    正方形  ―  zhèngfāngxíng  ―  square
    長方形/长方形  ―  chángfāngxíng  ―  rectangle
    方桌  ―  fāngzhuō  ―  square table
  8. side; aspect; party
    甲方  ―  jiǎ fāng  ―  Party A
    方面  ―  fāngmiàn  ―  aspect; side
  9. place; region; locality
    遠方/远方  ―  yuǎnfāng  ―  faraway place
    方言  ―  fāngyán  ―  dialect; regional variety
  10. orientation; direction
    東方/东方  ―  dōngfāng  ―  east
    前方  ―  qiánfāng  ―  front
  11. (obsolete) law; rule; reason
  12. method; way
    千方百計/千方百计  ―  qiānfāngbǎijì  ―  by every conceivable means
    教導有方/教导有方  ―  jiàodǎo yǒufāng  ―  to teach with the right method
  13. (obsolete) sort; category; kind
  14. (obsolete) moral principle and knowledge; learning
  15. (obsolete) earth; solid earth; ground
  16. (traditional Chinese medicine) prescription
    古方  ―  gǔfāng  ―  ancient prescription
    偏方  ―  piānfāng  ―  folk prescription
  17. (mathematics) power
    2的3次方是8。  ―  2 de 3 cìfāng shì 8.  ―  2 to the third power is 8.
  18. (mathematics) Short for 平方米 (píngfāngmǐ, “Classifier for square metre.”).
  19. (mathematics) Short for 立方米 (lìfāngmǐ, “Classifier for cubic metre.”).
  20. Classifier for square objects.
    一方手帕  ―  yī fāng shǒupà  ―  one handkerchief
    兩方圖章/两方图章  ―  liǎng fāng túzhāng  ―  two seal
  21. (literary, preceding a measurement of length to indicate area) area surrounding (something); surroundings; vicinity
  22. upright; honest; irreproachable
    方正  ―  fāngzhèng  ―  upright; righteous
    品行端方  ―  pǐnxíng duānfāng  ―  righteous
  23. just; just when; at the time when; just now; now
    方興未艾/方兴未艾  ―  fāngxìngwèi'ài  ―  to be now rising or flourishing and have not yet stopped
  24. just; only
    書到用時方恨少/书到用时方恨少  ―  shū dào yòng shí fāng hèn shào  ―  to regret not acquiring enough knowledge only when it comes time to apply it
    Synonym: 才 (cái)
  25. at (a specific time); when
  26. will; going to
  27. (lexicography) Short for 方言 (fāngyán, “dialect”).
  28. a surname
    方孝孺  ―  Fāng Xiàorú  ―  Fang Xiaoru (Confucian scholar-bureaucrat of the Ming Dynasty)
Compounds
Descendants
Sino-Xenic (方):
  • → Japanese: 方(ほう) (hō)
  • → Korean: 방(方) (bang)
  • → Vietnamese: phương (方)

Others:

Pronunciation 2



Rime
Character 方
Reading # 1/2
Initial (聲) 並 (3)
Final (韻) 陽 (106)
Tone (調) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Closed
Division (等) III
Fanqie 符方切
Baxter bjang
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang
/bʉɐŋ/
Pan
Wuyun
/bʷiɐŋ/
Shao
Rongfen
/biuɑŋ/
Edwin
Pulleyblank
/buaŋ/
Li
Rong
/biuaŋ/
Wang
Li
/bĭwaŋ/
Bernard
Karlgren
/bʱiwaŋ/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex
fáng
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex
fong4
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 方
Reading # 2/2
No. 3056
Phonetic
component
方
Rime
group
陽
Rime
subdivision
0
Corresponding
MC rime
房
Old
Chinese
/*baŋ/
Definitions

方

  1. Only used in 方輿/方舆 (Fángyù, “an ancient county in modern Shandong”).
  2. to disobey
  3. Alternative form of 房
  4. Alternative form of 防 (fáng)

Etymology 2

Rendering of a dialectal pronunciation of 慌 (huāng).

Pronunciation


Definitions

方 (Mainland China, neologism, slang)

  1. The template Template:zh-pronunciation spelling of does not use the parameter(s):
    gloss=to [[panic]]
    Please see Module:checkparams for help with this warning.
    Pronunciation spelling of 慌 (huāng).
    我方了!  ―  Wǒ fāng le!  ―  I panic!
  2. The template Template:zh-pronunciation spelling of does not use the parameter(s):
    gloss=[[panicky]]
    Please see Module:checkparams for help with this warning.
    Pronunciation spelling of 慌 (huāng).
    好方!  ―  Hǎo fāng!  ―  So panicky!

Etymology 3

For pronunciation and definitions of 方 – see 仿 (“to imitate; to resemble; to be similar; etc.”).
(This character is a variant form of 仿).

Pronunciation


Definitions

方

  1. Used in 方羊 and 方洋.
  2. Used in 方皇.
  3. Alternative form of 旁

Pronunciation


Definitions

方

  1. Only used in 方良.

Etymology 6

Borrowed from English phon.

Pronunciation


Definitions

方

  1. phon (unit of apparent loudness)

References

Japanese

Kanji

方

(grade 2 “Kyōiku” kanji)

  1. direction
  2. person
  3. alternative
  4. (algebra, geometry) square

Readings

Compounds

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
方
ほう
Grade: 2
on’yomi

From Middle Chinese 方 (MC bjang|pjang).

Pronunciation

Noun

方(ほう) • (hō) ←はう (fau)?

  1. direction, way, side
    鬼(おに)さんこちら、手(て)の鳴(な)る方(ほう)へ
    oni-san kochira, te no naru hō e
    hey, "it", over here, to (the direction of) the clapping of the hands (phrase said in tag)
  2. more so (preceded by ~の, often followed by ~が)
    この時計(とけい)の方(ほう)がそっちより高(たか)いです。
    Kono tokei no hō ga sotchi yori takai desu.
    This watch is more expensive than that one.

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
方
かた
Grade: 2
kun’yomi

Pronunciation

Noun

方(かた) • (kata) 

  1. (polite) person
    あの方(かた)。
    Ano kata.
    That person. (polite)
    あの方(かた)はどなたですか。
    Ano kata wa donata desu ka.
    Who is that gentleman? (formal)
Synonyms

Suffix

方(かた) • (-kata) 

  1. way, method (of doing)
    書(か)き方(かた)
    kakikata
    way of writing something; how to write something
    使(つか)い方(かた)
    tsukaikata
    way of using something; how to use something
See also

Etymology 3

pe > ɸe > we > e.

Suffix

方(え) • (-e) ←へ (fe)?

  1. a suffix expressing location, direction, or time
Derived terms

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
方
さま
Grade: 2
irregular

From Old Japanese. Originally a compound of さ (sa, “that”, pronominal indicating a person, place, thing, or direction in the middle distance) +‎ ま (ma, “likeness, way, similarity”, suffix indicating a quality).[3]

Alternative forms

Pronunciation

Noun

方(さま) • (sama) 

  1. a person's appearance (as of body, or style, or face, etc.)
  2. the state or situation of a thing
  3. the general trend, tenor, or feel of a thing
  4. one's social station, status, or quality
  5. the way or means of doing something, how one does something
  6. the reason or circumstances for something

References

  1. Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  2. 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), Tōkyō: NHK Publishing, →ISBN
  3. Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典(新装版) [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

Korean

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Middle Korean readings, if any”)

Pronunciation

Hanja

Wikisource 方 (eumhun 모 방 (mo bang))

  1. Hanja form? of 방 (“direction”).

Compounds

Vietnamese

Han character

方: Hán Việt readings: phương (府(phủ)良(lương)切(thiết))[1][2][3]
方: Nôm readings: phương[1][2][3], vuông[1][3][4], phăng[1]

  1. chữ Hán form of phương (“way; direction; means; method”).

References

  1. Nguyễn (2014).
  2. Nguyễn et al. (2009).
  3. Trần (2004).
  4. Hồ (1976).
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