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好

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
See also: 女子
好 U+597D, 好
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-597D
← 奼
[U+597C]
CJK Unified Ideographs 奾 →
[U+597E]

Translingual

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Stroke order
6 strokes
Stroke order

Han character

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好 (Kangxi radical 38, 女+3, 6 strokes, Cangjie input 女弓木 (VND), four-corner 47447, composition ⿰女子)

Derived characters

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References

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  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 255, character 11
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6053
  • Dae Jaweon: page 518, character 12
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1028, character 1
  • Unihan data for U+597D

Chinese

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trad. 好
simp. # 好
alternative forms

Glyph origin

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Historical forms of the character 好
Shang Western Zhou Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script Bronze inscriptions Small seal script Transcribed ancient scripts

Ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): 女 (“woman”) + 子 (“child”).

The widely accepted meaning of this character is that the characters for “female” (女) and “child” (子) were put together to form a compound because it was good for a woman to have a child. Similarly, it has been proposed that the compound originally refers to the mutual affection between the mother and child, which then extended to mean “good”. These theories are supported by the smaller 子 found in some oracle bones and bronze inscriptions. See also 保 and the original version of 乳.

However, broader interpretations of the second character 子 could lead to other theories. 子 could also mean “son”, so it may have meant two children, a boy and a girl next to each other, which is a good fortune to have a boy and a girl. 子 could also mean “man”, so it may have referred to the love between a man and a woman, which is good. Duan Yucai, in his annotated version of Shuowen, interpreted it as originally referring to the beauty of woman. Lastly, it could mean that the “attitude” of a girl was considered good.

Etymology

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The two pronunciations are cognate – pronunciation 2 is the *-s suffixed form, or exoactive/putative of pronunciation 1, literally “to consider good”. Compare 惡 (OC *qaːɡ, “bad; evil”) > 惡 (OC *qaːɡs, “to consider bad; to hate”).

This word has been compared with Proto-Sino-Tibetan *hu (“to raise; to rear; to nourish”): Proto-Lolo-Burmese *hu³, Abor-Miri (Tani) u, Mawo Northern Qiang χu, which is only attested in a limited number of languages. If this is correct, it may be related to 畜 (OC *l̥ʰuɡs, *l̥ʰuɡ, *hluɡ, “to raise; to rear; domesticated animal”). Alternatively, compare Tibetan མཁོ (mkho, “necessary, important”).

Cognate with Central Bai hux (“good”), which may be a loanword from Chinese.

Pronunciation 1

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Note:
  • ho3 - vernacular;
  • hor3, hornn3 - literary.
Note:
  • hó/hó͘ - vernacular;
  • hóⁿ - literary.
Note:
  • ho2 - vernacular;
  • hoh4 - vernacular (“very”);
  • hao2 - literary.
    • (Leizhou)
      • Leizhou Pinyin: ho2 / hao2
      • Sinological IPA: /hɔ³¹/, /hau³¹/
Note:
  • ho2 - vernacular;
  • hao2 - literary.

Rime
Character 好
Reading # 1/2
Initial (聲) 曉 (32)
Final (韻) 豪 (89)
Tone (調) Rising (X)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) I
Fanqie 呼晧切
Baxter xawX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang
/hɑuX/
Pan
Wuyun
/hɑuX/
Shao
Rongfen
/xɑuX/
Edwin
Pulleyblank
/hawX/
Li
Rong
/xɑuX/
Wang
Li
/xɑuX/
Bernhard
Karlgren
/xɑuX/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex
hǎo
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex
hou2
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 好
Reading # 1/2
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)
hǎo
Middle
Chinese
‹ xawX ›
Old
Chinese
/*qʰˁuʔ/
English good

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 好
Reading # 1/2
No. 4913
Phonetic
component
好
Rime
group
幽
Rime
subdivision
1
Corresponding
MC rime
好
Old
Chinese
/*qʰuːʔ/
Notes 由女孩子會意美

Definitions

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好

  1. good; well
    Antonym: 壞 / 坏 (huài)
    好人  ―  hǎorén  ―  good person
    你好嗎?/你好吗?  ―  Nǐ hǎo ma?  ―  How are you?
    你好嗎?/你好吗? [Cantonese]  ―  nei5 hou2 maa3? [Jyutping]  ―  How are you?
    真是個好主意!/真是个好主意!  ―  Zhēn shì ge hǎo zhǔyì!  ―  That's a good idea!
    好學唔學,學埋(人)啲衰嘢! [Cantonese, trad.]
    好学唔学,学埋(人)啲衰嘢! [Cantonese, simp.]
    hou2 hok6 m4 hok6, hok6 maai4 (jan4) di1 seoi1 je5! [Jyutping]
    You learned to do the bad things (by imitating someone) instead of the good!
  2. Used as an interjection.
    1. good; very well; nice
    2. OK; alright
      好,明天見。/好,明天见。  ―  Hǎo, míngtiān jiàn.  ―  OK, see you tomorrow.
      好,我們今天就到這裡。 [MSC, trad.]
      好,我们今天就到这里。 [MSC, simp.]
      Hǎo, wǒmen jīntiān jiù dào zhèli. [Pinyin]
      Alright, we will stop here today.
    3. fine
    4. (Hokkien) yes; yeah; aye
  3. Particle denoting agreement, support or wish to terminate a conversation.
  4. Particle denoting dissatisfaction in ironical sentences.
  5. (Hokkien) Particle denoting that the listener is still listening or is still interested with what the speaker is saying. (backchanneling cue)
  6. friendly; close; acquainted; kind
    好朋友  ―  hǎo péngyǒu  ―  good friend
    他們對我很好。/他们对我很好。  ―  Tāmen duì wǒ hěn hǎo.  ―  They are very kind to me.
  7. (specifically) to start dating; to become romantic partners
    他倆好上了。/他俩好上了。  ―  Tā liǎ hǎo shàng le.  ―  They are in a relationship.
  8. done; ready; finished; complete
    我就要好了。  ―  Wǒ jiù yào hǎo le.  ―  I'll be ready very soon.
  9. to be good to; easy to
    這水龍頭好擰。/这水龙头好拧。  ―  Zhè shuǐlóngtóu hǎo nǐng.  ―  This tap turns easily.
    這事兒不好辦。/这事儿不好办。  ―  Zhè shìr bù hǎo bàn.  ―  This matter is not easy to deal with.
  10. (making it) convenient; easy for
    把東西收拾乾淨,我好打掃房間。 [MSC, trad.]
    把东西收拾干净,我好打扫房间。 [MSC, simp.]
    Bǎ dōngxī shōushí qiánjìng, wǒ hǎo dǎsǎo fángjiān. [Pinyin]
    Put stuff away so that I can clean the room.
    他們用鏡子反射陽光,好讓救援飛機發現。 [MSC, trad.]
    他们用镜子反射阳光,好让救援飞机发现。 [MSC, simp.]
    Tāmen yòng jìngzǐ fǎnshè yángguāng, hǎo ràng jiùyuán fēijī fāxiàn. [Pinyin]
    They used a mirror to reflect sunlight and help the search-and-rescue aircraft find them.
  11. (Hokkien) merit; benefit; advantage
  12. to recover from an illness; to heal; to get better
    佢病咗幾個月都仲未好。 [Cantonese, trad.]
    佢病咗几个月都仲未好。 [Cantonese, simp.]
    keoi5 beng6 zo2 gei2 go3 jyut6 dou1 zung6 mei6 hou2. [Jyutping]
    He's been sick for several months and still hasn't recovered.
    好返 [Cantonese]  ―  hou2 faan1 [Jyutping]  ―  to get better; to recover; to heal
  13. very; quite; rather; so
    我好興奮啊!/我好兴奋啊!  ―  Wǒ hǎo xīngfèn a!  ―  I'm so excited!
    好幾天/好几天  ―  hǎo jǐ tiān  ―  quite a few days
    我個中文老師好好人㗎! [Guangzhou Cantonese, trad.]
    我个中文老师好好人㗎! [Guangzhou Cantonese, simp.]
    ngo5 go3 zung1 man4-2 lou5 si1 hou2 hou2 jan4 gaa3! [Jyutping]
    My Chinese teacher is a very nice person!
    我唔係好鍾意你噉做。 [Cantonese, trad.]
    我唔系好钟意你噉做。 [Cantonese, simp.]
    ngo5 m4 hai6 hou2 zung1 ji3 nei5 gam2 zou6. [Jyutping]
    I don't really like you doing it that way.
  14. a pleasure to (do something); good for (doing something)
    好吃  ―  hǎochī  ―  delicious
    好用  ―  hǎoyòng  ―  a joy to use
    好聽/好听  ―  hǎotīng  ―  pleasant-sounding
    呢把刀幾好使。 [Cantonese, trad.]
    呢把刀几好使。 [Cantonese, simp.]
    ni1 baa2 dou1 gei2 hou2 sai2. [Jyutping]
    This knife is pretty good to use.
  15. (after a verb) properly; carefully
    記得帶好雨具!/记得带好雨具!  ―  Jìdé dài hǎo yǔjù!  ―  Remember to bring along rain gear! / Make sure your rain gear is on you!
    聽好了!/听好了!  ―  Tīng hǎo le!  ―  Now listen carefully!
    食好瞓好/食好𰥛好 [Cantonese]  ―  sik6 hou2 fan3 hou2 [Jyutping]  ―  eat well and sleep well
    做好功課/做好功课 [Cantonese]  ―  zou6 hou2 gung1 fo3 [Jyutping]  ―  to do one's homework (as one should)
  16. Particle used after verbs to denote the completion or near-completion of an action.
    作業做好了嗎?/作业做好了吗?  ―  Zuòyè zuò hǎo le ma?  ―  Have you finished your homework?
  17. Used after a noun or pronoun as a greeting.
    你好  ―  nǐ hǎo  ―  hello
    大家好  ―  dàjiā hǎo  ―  hello, everyone
    老師好/老师好  ―  lǎoshī hǎo  ―  hello, teacher
  18. greeting
    問好/问好  ―  wènhǎo  ―  say hello
    替我給你媽帶個好兒。 [MSC, trad.]
    替我给你妈带个好儿。 [MSC, simp.]
    Tì wǒ gěi nǐ mā dài ge hǎor. [Pinyin]
    Say hi for me to your mom.
  19. such; what
  20. (dialectal) can
    我好進來嗎?/我好进来吗?  ―  Wǒ hǎo jìnlái ma?  ―  Can I come in?
    噉都好拗? [Cantonese]  ―  gam2 dou1 hou2 aau3? [Jyutping]  ―  You are really arguing about this? (literally, “That can be argued?”)
  21. (Cantonese, Hakka) should
    十二點喇,好去瞓覺喇。 [Cantonese, trad.]
    十二点喇,好去𰥛觉喇。 [Cantonese, simp.]
    sap6 ji6 dim2 laa3, hou2 heoi3 fan3 gaau3 laa3. [Jyutping]
    It's twelve now. You should go to bed.
  22. (Southwestern Mandarin, Xiang) how (to what degree)
    好久  ―  hǎojiǔ  ―  How long
    好多  ―  hǎoduō  ―  How much
  23. (rail transport) cleared
    • 2022 January 30, “新春走基层 | 值班员老赵的“最后一次春运””, in 陈志远, editor, 东南网漳州频道‎[4], 东南网:
      3道、調兩,信號好 [MSC, trad.]
      3道、调两,信号好 [MSC, simp.]
      3 dào, diào liǎng, xìnhào hǎo [Pinyin]
      Track 3, Switcher 2, Signal is cleared
Synonyms
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  • (cleared): 清爽 (qīngshuǎng)

Compounds

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Descendants

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Sino-Xenic (好):
  • → Japanese: 好(こう) (kō)
  • → Korean: 호(好) (ho)
  • → Vietnamese: hảo (好)

Others:

  • → Vietnamese: hẩu (“kind, good, delicious”)

Pronunciation 2

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Rime
Character 好
Reading # 2/2
Initial (聲) 曉 (32)
Final (韻) 豪 (89)
Tone (調) Departing (H)
Openness (開合) Open
Division (等) I
Fanqie 呼到切
Baxter xawH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang
/hɑuH/
Pan
Wuyun
/hɑuH/
Shao
Rongfen
/xɑuH/
Edwin
Pulleyblank
/hawH/
Li
Rong
/xɑuH/
Wang
Li
/xɑuH/
Bernhard
Karlgren
/xɑuH/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex
hào
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex
hou3
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 好
Reading # 2/2
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin)
hào
Middle
Chinese
‹ xawH ›
Old
Chinese
/*qʰˁuʔ-s/
English love, like (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.
Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character 好
Reading # 2/2
No. 4914
Phonetic
component
好
Rime
group
幽
Rime
subdivision
1
Corresponding
MC rime
秏
Old
Chinese
/*qʰuːs/

Definitions

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好

  1. to be fond of; to like
    好學不倦/好学不倦  ―  hàoxuébùjuàn  ―  to like to learn without feeling tired
    餃子多香啊!我就好這麼一口兒! [dialectal Mandarin, trad.]
    饺子多香啊!我就好这么一口儿! [dialectal Mandarin, simp.]
    Jiǎozi duō xiāng a! Wǒ jiù hào zhènme yī kǒur! [Pinyin]
    The dumplings smell so delicious! I indeed like this!
    汝講這句話我好聽。 [Puxian Min, trad.]
    汝讲这句话我好听。 [Puxian Min, simp.]
    dy3 gorng3 zeh6 gu4 ua5 gua3 hor4 tia1. [Pouseng Ping'ing]
    I love to hear you say that.
  2. to have a tendency to; to be prone to; good to; easy to
  3. (dialectal Mandarin, Wu) can; to be able to
    儂好流利個講上海閒話𠲎? [Shanghainese, trad.]
    侬好流利个讲上海闲话𠲎? [Shanghainese, simp.]
    6non 5hau 6lieu-li 8geq 5kaon 6zaon-he-ghe-gho 0vaq [Wugniu]
    Can you speak Shanghainese fluently?
    弗認得路末倷弗好問訊個? [Suzhounese, trad.]
    弗认得路末倷弗好问讯个? [Suzhounese, simp.]
    Could you not just ask if you don't know the way?
    Synonyms: 會 / 会, 可以
  4. (Teochew) to be willing to
  5. a surname
Synonyms
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Compounds

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Descendants

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Sino-Xenic (好):

References

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Japanese

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Kanji

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好

(Fourth grade kyōiku kanji)

  1. fondness, what one likes

Readings

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Compounds

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Pronunciation

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Kanji in this term
好
よしみ
Grade: 4
nanori

Proper noun

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好(よしみ) • (Yoshimi) 

  1. a male given name

References

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Korean

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Hanja

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好 • (ho) (hangeul 호, revised ho, McCune–Reischauer ho)

  1. to like

Vietnamese

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Han character

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好: Hán Việt readings: hiếu (呼(hô)到(đáo)切(thiết))[1][2][3], hảo (呼(hô)晧(hạo)切(thiết))[1][2][3]
好: Nôm readings: hiếu[1][2][4], háu[1][3][4], háo[1][3], hảo[2][4], hẩu[1][3], hấu[3], hão[4], hếu[4]

  1. (only in compound) chữ Hán form of hiếu (“to like, to be fond of”)
  2. (only in compound) chữ Hán form of hảo (“good, well; kind”)
  3. (only in dưa hấu) chữ Hán form of hấu (“delicious”)

References

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