康

See also: 隶

康	U+5EB7, 康 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5EB7

← 庶
[U+5EB6]

CJK Unified Ideographs

庸 →
[U+5EB8]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

康 (Kangxi radical 53, 广+8, 11 strokes, cangjie input 戈中水 (ILE), four-corner 0023₂, composition ⿸广隶)

Derived characters

嫝, 嵻, 慷, 漮, 槺, 穅, 糠, 䗧, 躿, 鏮, 鱇 (𩾌), 㱂, 㝩, 䆲

Additional Derived Characters

𬿛, 𠻞, 𡐓, 𢳧, 𨻷, 𭧠, 𤎖, 𥉽, 𥕎, 𨄗, 𨎍, 𱛂, 𲌑, 𪏢
𨝎, 𤮊, 𮭔, 𢠓, 𡻚, 𫂞, 𣫥

References

Kangxi Dictionary: page 347, character 27
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 9376
Dae Jaweon: page 658, character 3
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 891, character 1
Unihan data for U+5EB7

Chinese

trad.		康
simp. ^#		康
alternative forms		𢊪𥹺𠭳

Glyph origin

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

Characters in the same phonetic series (庚) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
唐	*ɡl'aːŋ
煻	*l'aːŋ
糖	*l'aːŋ
搪	*l'aːŋ
蓎	*l'aːŋ
瑭	*l'aːŋ
餹	*l'aːŋ
篖	*l'aːŋ
螗	*l'aːŋ
塘	*l'aːŋ
鶶	*l'aːŋ
赯	*l'aːŋ
磄	*l'aːŋ
溏	*l'aːŋ
傏	*l'aːŋ
鎕	*l'aːŋ
榶	*l'aːŋ
嵣	l'aːŋʔ, l'aːŋs
庚	*kraːŋ
賡	*kraːŋ
鹒	*kraːŋ
康	*kʰlaːŋ
穅	*kʰlaːŋ
糠	*kʰlaːŋ
槺	*kʰlaːŋ
漮	*kʰlaːŋ
躿	*kʰlaːŋ
慷	*kʰlaːŋʔ

Ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): 庚 (“threshing tools”) + 米 (“rice”) – chaff. The clearest version is 𢊪, in which the two components can be identified well; in the semi-conservative variant 𥹺, the rice at the bottom is still well visible. The derivative 糠 refers to the original word.

Unrelated to 隶, in which the bottom part is a reference to a tail (毛); also unrelated to 水.

Etymology

quiet, calm, peaceful: Schuessler (2007) compares 康 (OC *khâŋ) < *khlaŋ to Mizo tlan ~ tlang (“good, kindly, mild, calm, etc.”), both tentatively from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *klaŋ.
Kham: Borrowed from Tibetan ཁམས (khams).
"to look, to see": Arose from mishearing of 好康 (hǎokāng, “rich; lucky; fortunate”) as 好看 (hǎokàn, “good-looking; worth seeing”) in a line of 《如果早知道男生也會被性侵》.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): kāng (kang¹)

(Zhuyin): ㄎㄤ
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): hong¹

(Taishan, Wiktionary): hong¹
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): không

(Hailu, HRS): kong^ˋ

(Meixian, Guangdong): kong¹
Eastern Min (BUC): kŏng
Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): kung¹ / kng¹ / korng¹
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): khng / khong

(Teochew, Peng'im): kang¹
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹khaon

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: kāng
  - Zhuyin: ㄎㄤ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: kang
  - Wade–Giles: kʻang¹
  - Yale: kāng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: kang
  - Palladius: кан (kan)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰɑŋ⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: hong¹
  - Yale: hōng
  - Cantonese Pinyin: hong¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: hong¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɔːŋ⁵⁵/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: hong¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /hɔŋ³³/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: không
  - Hakka Romanization System: kong^ˊ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: kong¹
  - Sinological IPA: /kʰoŋ²⁴/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: kong^ˋ
  - Sinological IPA: /kʰoŋ⁵³/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: kong¹
  - Sinological IPA: /kʰɔŋ⁴⁴/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: kŏng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰouŋ⁵⁵/
Puxian Min
- (Putian)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: kung¹
  - Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: kng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰuŋ⁵³³/
- (Xianyou)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: kng¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰŋ̍⁵⁴⁴/
- (Putian)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: korng¹
  - Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: ko̤ng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰɒŋ⁵³³/
- (Xianyou)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: korng¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰɒŋ⁵⁴⁴/

Note:

kung1/kng1 - vernacular (incl. surname for most people);
korng1 - literary (incl. surname for a few people).

Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khng / khong
  - Tâi-lô: khng / khong
  - Phofsit Daibuun: qngf, qofng
  - IPA (Xiamen): /kʰŋ̍⁴⁴/, /kʰɔŋ⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /kʰŋ̍³³/, /kʰɔŋ³³/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /kʰŋ̍⁴⁴/, /kʰɔŋ⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Taipei): /kʰŋ̍⁴⁴/, /kʰɔŋ⁴⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /kʰŋ̍⁴⁴/, /kʰɔŋ⁴⁴/

Note:

khng - vernacular (incl. surname);
khong - literary.

(Teochew)
- Peng'im: kang¹
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: khang
- Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰaŋ³³/

Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ¹khaon
  - MiniDict: khaon^平
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹khaan
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /kʰɑ̃⁵³/

Middle Chinese: khang

Rime
Character	康
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	溪 (29)
Final (韻)	唐 (101)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	苦岡切
Baxter	khang
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kʰɑŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/kʰɑŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/kʰɑŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kʰaŋ/
Li Rong	/kʰɑŋ/
Wang Li	/kʰɑŋ/
Bernhard Karlgren	/kʰɑŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	kāng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	hong¹

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*[kʰ]ˤaŋ/, /*k-r̥ˤaŋ/, /*r̥ˤaŋ/

(Zhengzhang): /*kʰlaːŋ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	康	康	康
Reading #	1/3	2/3	3/3
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	kāng	kāng	tāng
Middle Chinese	‹ khang ›	‹ khang ›	‹ thang ›
Old Chinese	/*[kʰ]ˁaŋ/	/*k-r̥ˁaŋ/	/*r̥ˁaŋ/
English	empty	tranquil; at ease	name of first Shang ruler
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	康
Reading #	1/1
No.	3981
Phonetic component	庚
Rime group	陽
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime
Old Chinese	/*kʰlaːŋ/

Definitions

康

peaceful and happy; tranquil
healthy; well; strong
prosperous; plentiful; abundant
broad; vast; smooth; level
(obsolete) hollow; empty
(obsolete) Original form of 糠 (kāng, “chaff; husk”).
(Chinese mythology) Tai Kang (third king of the semi-legendary Xia dynasty)
Synonym: 太康 (Tài Kāng)
(Chinese mythology) Zhong Kang (fourth king of the semi-legendary Xia dynasty)
Synonym: 仲康 (Zhòng Kāng)
(Chinese mythology) Shao Kang (sixth king of the semi-legendary Xia dynasty)
Synonym: 少康 (Shào Kāng)
a surname
康有為／康有为 ― Kāng Yǒuwéi ― Kang Youwei
1. (historical) a surname, given to people from the Central Asian country of Kangju (康居 or 康國／康国)
Kham (a historic region of the Tibet autonomous region)
(Internet slang) alternative form of 看 (“to look; to see”)

Compounds

保康 (Bǎokāng)
保康縣 / 保康县
健康 (jiànkāng)
健康保險 / 健康保险 (jiànkāng bǎoxiǎn)
健康教育
健康檢查 / 健康检查
健康襪 / 健康袜
健康醋
健康食品 (jiànkāng shípǐn)
周康王
團康 / 团康
太康 (Tàikāng)
太康體 / 太康体
好康 (hǎokāng)
孫康映雪 / 孙康映雪
安康 (ānkāng)
安康計畫 / 安康计画
富強康樂 / 富强康乐
小康 (xiǎokāng)
小康社會 / 小康社会 (xiǎokāng shèhuì)
小康計畫 / 小康计画
少康 (Shào Kāng)
嵇康
川端康成
平康 (píngkāng)
平康坊
平康巷
平康里
平直康莊 / 平直康庄
康乃馨 (kāngnǎixīn)
康健 (kāngjiàn)
康克爾 / 康克尔 (Kāngkè'ěr)
康其 (Kāngqí)
康回 (Kānghuí)
康坪 (Kāngpíng)
康定 (Kāngdìng)
康定縣 / 康定县
康寧 / 康宁
康居 (Kāngjū)
康居園 / 康居园 (Kāngjūyuán)
康年
康康舞 (kāngkāngwǔ)
康強 / 康强
康復 / 康复 (kāngfù)
康復醫學 / 康复医学
康德 (Kāngdé)
康德主義 / 康德主义
康德黎
康有為 / 康有为
康梁
康樂 / 康乐 (kānglè)
康樂活動 / 康乐活动
康泰 (kāngtài)
康濟 / 康济
康濟錄 / 康济录
康熙 (Kāngxī)
康熙字典 (Kāngxī Zìdiǎn)
康爵
康瓠
康白度
康莊 / 康庄 (kāngzhuāng)
康莊大道 / 康庄大道 (kāngzhuāngdàdào)
康衢
康阜
康青
康黴素 / 康霉素
建康 (Jiànkāng)
德川家康
心理健康 (xīnlǐ jiànkāng)
成康之治
提康德羅加 / 提康德罗加 (Tíkāngdéluójiā)
政躬康泰
杜康 (dùkāng)
民康物阜
永康 (Yǒngkāng)
海康 (Hǎikāng)
盛康 (Shèngkāng)
福壽康寧 / 福寿康宁
西康省
速賜康 / 速赐康
酮康唑 (tóngkāngzuò)
靖康 (Jìngkāng)
靖康之難 / 靖康之难
靖康要錄 / 靖康要录
韓康賣藥 / 韩康卖药

References

“Query for 康”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (overall work in Hokkien and Mandarin), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.