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Definition 2025

差

差

See also: 着 and 羞

Translingual

Shinjitai 差
Simplified 差
Traditional 差

Han character

差 (radical 48 工+7, 10 strokes, cangjie input 廿手一 (TQM), four-corner 80211, composition ⿸⺶工)

References

  • KangXi: page 326, character 2
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 8732
  • Dae Jaweon: page 629, character 12
  • Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 1, page 413, character 4
  • Unihan data for U+5DEE

Chinese

simp. and trad.
 差
alt. forms 差
荖
𢀩
𢀠
𢀞

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 差
Bronze inscriptions Large seal script Small seal script
Characters in the same phonetic series (左) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
左 *ʔsaːlʔ, *ʔsaːls
佐 *ʔsaːls
袏 *ʔslaːls
蹉 *sʰlaːl
瑳 *sʰlaːl, *sʰlaːlʔ
搓 *sʰlaːl
磋 *sʰlaːl
溠 *sʰlaːl, *sraːl, *ʔsraːls
傞 *sʰlaːl, *slaːl
醝 *zlaːl
瘥 *zlaːl, *ʔsljal, *sʰreːls
鹺 *zlaːl
嵯 *zlaːl, *sʰral
嵳 *zlaːl
蒫 *zlaːl, *ʔsljal, *ʔslɯl
艖 *zlaːl, *sʰraːl
齹 *zlaːl, *sʰral, *zral
縒 *slaːlʔ, *sʰral, *sʰlaːɡ
褨 *slaːlʔ
嗟 *ʔsljal
差 *sʰraːl, *sʰraːls, *sʰreːl, *sʰreːl, *sʰreːls, *sʰral
鎈 *sʰraːl
槎 *zraːl, *zraːlʔ
髊 *zlals

Ideogrammic compound (會意) : 來 ‎(“wheat”) + 手 ‎(“hand”) – to hull wheat by rubbing grains inside hands. Original form of 搓 (OC *sʰlaːl, “to rub with hands; to scrub; to twist”).

工 or 口 was later added under 手 to form 左 (OC *ʔsaːlʔ, *ʔsaːls, “left”), which is also this character's phonetic component.

Pronunciation 1

Rime
Character 差 差 差
Reading # 1/5 2/5 3/5
Initial (聲) 初 (19) 初 (19) 初 (19)
Final (韻) 支 (13) 佳 (31) 皆 (33)
Tone (調) Level (Ø) Level (Ø) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open Open Open
Division (等) Chongniu III II II
Fanqie 楚宜切 楚佳切 楚皆切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang		 /t͡ʃʰˠiᴇ/ /t͡ʃʰˠɛ/ /t͡ʃʰˠɛi/
Pan
Wuyun		 /ʈ͡ʂʰᵚiɛ/ /ʈ͡ʂʰᵚæ/ /ʈ͡ʂʰᵚæi/
Shao
Rongfen		 /t͡ʃʰiɛ/ /t͡ʃʰæi/ /t͡ʃʰɐi/
Edwin
Pulleyblank		 /ʈ͡ʂʰjiə̆/ /ʈ͡ʂʰaɨj/ /ʈ͡ʂʰəɨj/
Li
Rong		 /t͡ʃʰje/ /t͡ʃʰɛ/ /t͡ʃʰɛi/
Wang
Li		 /t͡ʃʰǐe/ /t͡ʃʰai/ /t͡ʃʰɐi/
Bernard
Karlgren		 /ʈ͡ʂʰie̯/ /ʈ͡ʂʰai/ /ʈ͡ʂʰăi/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex		 chī chāi chāi
Baxter-Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 差
Reading # 1/5
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)		 chā
Middle
Chinese		 ‹ tsrhæ ›
Old
Chinese		 /*tsʰraj/
English distinction; to select

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 差 差 差
Reading # 2/6 3/6 4/6
No. 18030 18037 18038
Phonetic
component		 左 左 左
Rime
group		 歌 歌 歌
Rime
subdivision		 1 2 2
Corresponding
MC rime		 差 釵
Old
Chinese		 /*sʰraːls/ /*sʰreːl/ /*sʰreːl/
Notes 金文上從來，本指以手揀麥子分等次，左亦聲

Definitions

差

  1. to differ from; to be different; dissimilar; incongruous
  2. wrong; incorrect; erroneous
  3. inferior; poor; substandard
  4. difference; discrepancy
  5. mistake; wrongdoing
  6. (mathematics) difference
  7. to be short of; to fall short of
  8. to owe
  9. rather; barely; nearly; almost

Compounds

Pronunciation 2

Rime
Character 差
Reading # 4/5
Initial (聲) 初 (19)
Final (韻) 麻 (98)
Tone (調) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) II
Fanqie 初加切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang		 /t͡ʃʰˠa/
Pan
Wuyun		 /ʈ͡ʂʰᵚa/
Shao
Rongfen		 /t͡ʃʰa/
Edwin
Pulleyblank		 /ʈ͡ʂʰaɨ/
Li
Rong		 /t͡ʃʰa/
Wang
Li		 /t͡ʃʰa/
Bernard
Karlgren		 /ʈ͡ʂʰa/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex		 chā
Baxter-Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 差 差
Reading # 2/5 3/5
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)		 chāi chāi
Middle
Chinese		 ‹ tsrhɛ › ‹ tsrhɛj ›
Old
Chinese		 /*[tsʰ]raj/ /*[tsʰ](ˤ)raj/
English distinction; to select distinction; to select

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 差
Reading # 1/6
No. 18029
Phonetic
component		 左
Rime
group		 歌
Rime
subdivision		 1
Corresponding
MC rime
Old
Chinese		 /*sʰraːl/

Definitions

差

  1. to dispatch; to assign; to send on an errand
  2. to select; to choose
  3. (historical) runner; courier; envoy; messenger
  4. (historical) corvée
  5. errand; task

Compounds

Pronunciation 3

Rime
Character 差 差 差
Reading # 1/5 2/5 3/5
Initial (聲) 初 (19) 初 (19) 初 (19)
Final (韻) 支 (13) 佳 (31) 皆 (33)
Tone (調) Level (Ø) Level (Ø) Level (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open Open Open
Division (等) Chongniu III II II
Fanqie 楚宜切 楚佳切 楚皆切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang		 /t͡ʃʰˠiᴇ/ /t͡ʃʰˠɛ/ /t͡ʃʰˠɛi/
Pan
Wuyun		 /ʈ͡ʂʰᵚiɛ/ /ʈ͡ʂʰᵚæ/ /ʈ͡ʂʰᵚæi/
Shao
Rongfen		 /t͡ʃʰiɛ/ /t͡ʃʰæi/ /t͡ʃʰɐi/
Edwin
Pulleyblank		 /ʈ͡ʂʰjiə̆/ /ʈ͡ʂʰaɨj/ /ʈ͡ʂʰəɨj/
Li
Rong		 /t͡ʃʰje/ /t͡ʃʰɛ/ /t͡ʃʰɛi/
Wang
Li		 /t͡ʃʰǐe/ /t͡ʃʰai/ /t͡ʃʰɐi/
Bernard
Karlgren		 /ʈ͡ʂʰie̯/ /ʈ͡ʂʰai/ /ʈ͡ʂʰăi/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex		 chī chāi chāi
Baxter-Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 差
Reading # 4/5
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)		 cī
Middle
Chinese		 ‹ tsrhje ›
Old
Chinese		 /*tsʰraj/
English 參差 uneven

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 差
Reading # 6/6
No. 18042
Phonetic
component		 左
Rime
group		 歌
Rime
subdivision		 1
Corresponding
MC rime		 差
Old
Chinese		 /*sʰral/
Notes 見孟子

Definitions

差

  1. uneven; irregular; rough
    參差 / 参差  ―  cēncī  ―  uneven
  2. to distinguish; to grade; to classify
  3. grade; rank
  4. limit; boundary

Compounds

Pronunciation 4

Baxter-Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 差
Reading # 5/5
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)		 cuō
Middle
Chinese		 ‹ tsha ›
Old
Chinese		 /*[tsʰ]ˤaj/
English rub, polish, file (v.)

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.

Definitions

差

  1. †Original form of 搓 (cuō, “to rub with one's hands; to scrub; to twist”).

Compounds

Pronunciation 5

Rime
Character 差
Reading # 5/5
Initial (聲) 初 (19)
Final (韻) 佳 (31)
Tone (調) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) II
Fanqie 楚懈切
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang		 /t͡ʃʰˠɛH/
Pan
Wuyun		 /ʈ͡ʂʰᵚæH/
Shao
Rongfen		 /t͡ʃʰæiH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank		 /ʈ͡ʂʰaɨjH/
Li
Rong		 /t͡ʃʰɛH/
Wang
Li		 /t͡ʃʰaiH/
Bernard
Karlgren		 /ʈ͡ʂʰaiH/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex		 chài
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 差
Reading # 5/6
No. 18039
Phonetic
component		 左
Rime
group		 歌
Rime
subdivision		 2
Corresponding
MC rime		 差
Old
Chinese		 /*sʰreːls/
Notes 見方言後作瘥

Definitions

差

  1. †Original form of 瘥 (“to recover from an illness”).

Japanese

Kanji

差

(grade 4 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

Compounds

Pronunciation

Kanji in this term
差
さ
Grade: 4
on'yomi

Noun

差 ‎(hiragana さ, romaji sa)

  1. difference (in mathematics, etc.)

Synonyms

See also

Korean

Hanja

差 • ‎(chi, cha, chae) (hangeul 치, 차, 채, revised chi, cha, chae, McCune-Reischauer ch'i, ch'a, ch'ae, Yale chi, cha, chay)

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

Vietnamese

Han character

差 (sai, sái, si, sươi, sau, sây, soa)

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

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