亥

亥 (Kangxi radical 8, 亠+4, 6 strokes, cangjie input 卜女竹人 (YVHO), four-corner 0080₂, composition ⿳亠𠂈人 or ⿱丶𠀔)

• 侅, 咳, 垓, 姟, 孩, 峐, 陔, 㤥, 㧡, 晐, 核, 烗, 胲, 畡, 䀭, 硋, 絯(𰬓), 㚊, 該(该), 豥, 賅(赅), 䠹, 輆(𬨇), 䤤(𫟺), 䬵(𱃽), 駭(骇), 骸
• 刻, 劾, 郂, 欬, 㱾, 頦(颏), 奒, 荄, 氦, 痎, 閡(阂), 賌, 餩

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 88, character 8
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 292
• Dae Jaweon: page 186, character 1
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 283, character 5
• Unihan data for U+4EA5

Pictogram (象形) – depiction uncertain. Some propose it depicts a plant's roots underground, possibly as the original form of 荄 (OC *kɯː, *krɯː). Others propose it is an animal, similar in origin to 豕.

Smith (2011) groups 亥 (OC *ɡɯːʔ) in a word-family meaning "root, germ, generative core" along with 荄 (OC *kɯ:, “grassroot”) > 根 (OC *kɯːn, “root”), 核 (OC *ɡrɯːɡ, “germ, kernel”), 骸 (OC *ɡrɯː, “(human) bones”), and 孩 (OC *ɡɯː, “child”). He suggests the derivation 荄根 "germ, sprout, root (n.)" → 孩 "to sprout" → 亥 "sprouting stage", i.e. "the moon’s first appearance", recalling 月芽 lit. "moon sprout" > "crescent moon".

See 核 (hé) for further etymology.

Later 亥 (hài) and 豕 (shǐ, “pig”) graphically converged.

As for 亥 (OC *ɡɯːʔ)'s phonological association with the pig. Compare the following:

• Khmer កុរ (kol, “year of the pig”), from Angkorian Old Khmer kur.
• Proto-Vietic *guːrʔ (“pig; pork”) or *kuːrʔ (“pig; pork”):
  • Vietnamese cúi (“(archaic) pig”)
  • Muong củi (kuːj³, “pig”)
  • Chut cûl (kûːl, “pig”)
• Thai กุน (gun, “year of the pig”), a loan from Old Khmer.

Ferlus (2013) notes 亥 (OC *ɡɯːʔ) is a possible match to the Austroasiatic root, but there should be a final sonorant in Old Chinese.

亥

1. (obsolete) grass root
2. twelfth of twelve earthly branches (十二支)
3. pig (豬) of the Chinese zodiac
4. a surname

• (Chinese earthly branches) 地支 (dìzhī); 子 (zǐ), 丑 (chǒu), 寅 (yín), 卯 (mǎo), 辰 (chén), 巳 (sì), 午, 未 (wèi), 申 (shēn), 酉 (yǒu), 戌 (xū), 亥 (hài) ^{(Category: zh:Chinese earthly branches)}

• 豕 (shǐ)

• “亥”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.

(Jinmeiyō kanji)

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• Go-on: がい (gai)
• Kan-on: かい (kai)
• Kun: い (i, 亥)^{←ゐ (wi, 亥, historical)}

From 猪 (inoshishi, i, “boar”).

• (Tokyo) い [íꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])
• (Tokyo) い [ì] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [i]

• Homophones: イ, 井, 胆, 猪, 豬, 堰, 藺, 伊, 夷, 衣, 医, 易, 威, 胃, 帷, 異, 偉, 意, 緯, 彝

亥(い) • (I) ^{←ゐ (Wi)?}

1. the Boar, the twelfth of the twelve Earthly Branches

   Hypernyms: 十二支, 地支

   Coordinate terms: 子, 丑, 寅, 卯, 辰, 巳, 午, 未, 申, 酉, 戌, 亥

From Middle Chinese 亥 (hoj^X).

亥(がい) • (Gai) 

1. the Boar, the twelfth of the twelve Earthly Branches

   Hypernyms: 十二支, 地支

   Coordinate terms: 子, 丑, 寅, 卯, 辰, 巳, 午, 未, 申, 酉, 戌, 亥

亥 (eum 해 (hae))

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亥: Hán Nôm readings: hợi

1. chữ Hán form of Hợi (“twelfth of the twelve earthly branches”)

   Hypernyms: 地支, 十二支

   Coordinate terms: 子, 丑, 寅, 卯, 辰, 巳, 午, 未, 申, 酉, 戌, 亥