寡

寡 (Kangxi radical 40, 宀+11, 14 strokes, cangjie input 十一金竹 (JMCH), four-corner 3022₇, composition ⿳宀頁刀)

• 𠏶, 𭄖

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 290, character 19
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 7286
• Dae Jaweon: page 574, character 26
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 947, character 7
• Unihan data for U+5BE1

In the bronze script from the Western Zhou period, it was originally an ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): 宀 (“house”) + 頁 (“head”) — only one person in the house; alone.

In the bronze script from the Warring States period, two decorative strokes were added around 頁. The seal script found in Shuowen adds two additional strokes, making the component under 宀 appear as 分 and 頁, leading Shuowen to erroneously interpret the character as an ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): 宀 (“house”) + 頒 (“to distribute”).

Related to 鰥 (OC *kruːn, *kruːns, “widower”), 孤 (OC *kʷaː, “orphan; alone”) (Schuessler, 2007). Cognate with Tibetan དགོན་པ (dgon pa, “solitary place; desert; wilderness”), Tibetan སྒོས (sgos, “private; individual”).

寡

1. few; scant

   寡德之人  ―  guǎdé zhī rén  ―  person of meager virtue

2. widowed
3. widow
4. alone; friendless
5. tasteless

   淨係食菜好似寡咗啲喎。 [Cantonese, trad.]
   净系食菜好似寡咗啲㖞。 [Cantonese, simp.]

   zing⁶ hai⁶ sik⁶ coi³ hou² ci⁵ gwaa² zo² di¹ wo³. [Jyutping]

   It's kind of tasteless to eat vegetables only.

6. (Hokkien) some

   我去菜市仔買寡青菜。 [Taiwanese Hokkien, trad.]
   我去菜市仔买寡青菜。 [Taiwanese Hokkien, simp.]

   Góa khì chhài-chhī-á bé kóa chheⁿ-chhài. [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

   I'm going to the market to buy some vegetables.

7. (Central Min) one

• “寡”, 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.

(Jōyō kanji)

1. few, scant
2. to decrease
3. lonely
4. widow, widower
5. lowly (humble; of low virtue)

• Go-on: け (ke)
• Kan-on: か (ka, Jōyō)
• Kun: やもめ (yamome, 寡)、すくない (sukunai, 寡ない)

• (widow, alone): 寡夫(かふ) (kafu), 寡婦(かふ) (kafu), 鰥寡孤独(かんかこどく) (kankakodoku)
• (few, minority): 寡占(かせん) (kasen), 寡頭政治(かとうせいじ) (katōseiji), 寡聞(かぶん) (kabun), 寡兵(かへい) (kahei), 寡黙(かもく) (kamoku), 衆寡(しゅうか) (shūka)

From Middle Chinese 寡 (MC kwaeX).

• (Tokyo) か [káꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [ka̠]

寡(か) • (ka) 

1. minority

   寡(か)を以(も)って衆(しゅう)を制(せい)する

   ka o motte shū o seisuru

   Majority can be conquered by minority.

• 衆(しゅう) (shū, “majority”)

寡 (eumhun 적을 과 (jeogeul gwa))

1. hanja form^? of 과 (“widowed, alone”)

寡: Hán Nôm readings: quả, góa/goá

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