本字

Chinese

roots or stems of plants; origin; source
roots or stems of plants; origin; source; this; the current; root; foundation; basis; (a measure word)
 
letter; symbol; character
letter; symbol; character; word
 
simp. and trad.
(本字) 		本 字
Examples
  • Cantonese 錫 (sek3, “to cherish; to kiss”): 惜
  • Hakka 㧡 (khâi, “to carry on a shoulder pole”): 荷
  • Mandarin 這／这 (zhè, “this”): perhaps 者 or 之
  • Hokkien 人 (lâng, “person”): 儂 / 農
  • Teochew 夜 (mê5, “night”): 暝

Pronunciation

Noun

本字

  1. original character; etymological character

Usage notes

  • This term is commonly used for Chinese topolects, in which morphemes may be written with etymologically inappropriate characters or missing a character entirely. With the hypothesis that they are identifiable as pre-existing characters, researchers strive to identify the ancestral "etymological character" from classical character dictionaries.

Synonyms

See also

Japanese

Kanji in this term
本 字
ほん
Grade: 1 		じ
Grade: 1
on'yomi goon

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): [hõ̞ɲ̟d͡ʑi]

Noun

本(ほん)字(じ) • (honji) 

  1. kanji (as opposed to kana)
  2. standard kanji (as opposed to abbreviated kanji)
  3. an original kanji that serves as the basis for a later kanji
  4. Chinese kanji (as opposed to kokuji)

References

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