Translingual

Stroke order

Stroke order

Alternative forms

In complex characters, often written with last two strokes different, as in 疋; compare 昰 and 是.

Han character

正 (radical 77 止+1, 5 strokes, cangjie input 一卜中一 (MYLM), four-corner 1010₁, composition ⿱一止)

Usage notes

• (tally marks, 5): The successive strokes of 正 () are used in China, Japan, and Korea to designate tallies in votes, scores, points, sushi orders, and the like, much as is used in Europe, Africa, Australia, and North America. Tallies beyond five are written with a 正 for each group of five, followed by the remainder. For example, a tally of twelve is written as 正正丅.

Derived characters

• 定 昰 是
• 症 征 (as simplification)

References

• KangXi: page 574, character 2
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 16255
• Dae Jaweon: page 962, character 2
• Hanyu Da Zidian: volume 2, page 1436, character 1
• Unihan data for U+6B63

See also

• Chinese numeral 正
  • Last: 澗, 涧
  • Next: 載, 载

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 正
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Large seal script	Small seal script

Phono-semantic compound (形聲, OC *tjeŋ, *tjeŋs) : phonetic 丁 ‎(OC *rteːŋ, *teːŋ) + semantic 止 ‎(“foot”) – to go on a long journey. Original form of 征 (OC *tjeŋ, “to go on long campaign”).

Etymology

Sino-Tibetan or area word: “centre; target; first (month); straight; correct”.

Compare Mizo dîng ‎(“to go straight or direct (as person, arrow etc.); to go straight through without breaking the journey; straight; direct”). Matisoff sets up Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m-tyak/ŋ ~ tik/ŋ ‎(“good; very; real; straight”) for this, which includes 正, 直 (OC *dɯɡ, “straight; right”) and 實 (OC *ɦliɡ, “solid; true”).

Additionally, Matisoff has Proto-Sino-Tibetan *t(r)waŋ ‎(“straight; straighten”), whence Chepang dʰeŋ- ‎(“straight”), Jingpho ding ‎(“straight”), Tibetan དྲང་པོ ‎(drang po, “straight; correct; upright; just; fair”), Burmese တန်း ‎(tan:, “straight; to head straight for”). Also compare Khmer ទៀង ‎(tiĕng, “accurate; correct; exact; precise; honest”).

Derivatives:

• 征 (OC *tjeŋ, “to go straight > to go on a journey”)
• 政 (OC *tjeŋs, “correct; to govern; government; to determine”)
• 整 (OC *tjeŋʔ, “orderly; to arrange; to dispose”)

Pronunciation 1

Definitions

正

1. straight; upright; central; in proper position

   Antonyms: 歪 (wāi)

2. right; proper; correct
3. exact; standardized; just so
4. regular-shaped; regular; square
5. primary; chief; main
6. pure; unmixed; authentic; true
7. pretty; attractive; beautiful
8. honest; upright; honourable
9. (Cantonese) awesome
10. just now; right now; in the process of
11. to straighten; to make straight; to adjust
12. to make right; to rectify; to correct
13. (tally marks) 5
14. (numismatics) obverse
15. (Buddhism) 10⁴⁰
16. (mathematics) positive; plus
17. (physics) positive
18. A surname​.

Compounds

Pronunciation 2

Definitions

正

1. first (month of the lunar year)
2. ^†bull's eye; centre of target
3. ^†target; goal
4. ^†Original form of 征 (zhēng, “to levy”).
5. ^†Original form of 征 (zhēng, “to go on a punitive expedition”).

Compounds

Descendants

Japanese

Kanji

(grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

Readings

• Goon: しょう (shō) < しやう (shau)
• Kan’on: せい (sei)
• Kun: ただしい (tadashii), まさ (masa), ただす (tadasu)

Compounds

Number

正 (せい, sei)

1. A number of 10⁴⁰ in modern Japanese since 17th century.
2. 5. Similar to four vertical lines followed by a slanted horizontal line crossing through them, this character is used to count to 5 stroke by stroke. Thus this kanji written up to the third stroke represents 3. After the fifth and final stroke, when this character is completed, one starts writing this character again to count to higher numbers.

Proper noun

正 ‎(hiragana ただし, romaji Tadashi)

1. A male given name

Korean

Hanja

正 • ‎(jeong)
Eumhun:

• Sound (hangeul): 정 (McCune-Reischauer: chŏng, Yale: ceng)

• Name (hangeul): 바를 (revised: bareul, McCune-Reischauer: parŭl, Yale: palul)

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

Vietnamese

Han character

正 (chính, chánh, chếnh, giêng)

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