限

See also: 隄

限	U+9650, 限 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-9650

← 陏
[U+964F]

CJK Unified Ideographs

陑 →
[U+9651]

Translingual

Han character

限 (Kangxi radical 170, 阜+6, 9 strokes, cangjie input 弓中日女 (NLAV), four-corner 7723₂, composition ⿰阝艮)

Derived characters

䈨, 𭉑, 𨵬(𬮵)

Chinese

simp. and trad.		限

Glyph origin

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

	Old Chinese
艱	*krɯːn
齦	kʰrɯːnʔ, kʰɯːnʔ, *ŋɯn
眼	*ŋrɯːnʔ
蛝	*ɡrɯːn
限	*ɡrɯːnʔ
硍	*ɡrɯːnʔ
豤	kʰɯːnʔ, kʰɯːnʔ, *kʰuːn
詪	ɡlɯːnʔ, kɯːnʔ, *kɯːns
根	*kɯːn
跟	*kɯːn
珢	kɯːn, kɯːns, *ŋrɯn
艮	*kɯːns
茛	*kɯːns
墾	*kʰɯːnʔ
懇	*kʰɯːnʔ
垠	ŋɯːn, ŋrɯn, *ŋɯn
泿	ŋɯːn, ŋrɯn
痕	*ɡɯːn
拫	*ɡɯːn
鞎	*ɡɯːn
很	*ɡɯːnʔ
恨	*ɡɯːns
銀	*ŋrɯn
檭	*ŋrɯn

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *ɡrɯːnʔ): semantic ⻖ (“mound”) + phonetic 艮 (OC *kɯːns). It conveys the meaning of "limit" or "boundary."^[1]

References

^ Digital Shinjigen 2017

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): xiàn (xian⁴)

(Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄢˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): haan⁶
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): han

(Meixian, Guangdong): han⁴
Northern Min (KCR): hāing
Eastern Min (BUC): âing
Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): hang⁵
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): hǎn / hān / ān

(Teochew, Peng'im): hang⁶
Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ⁶ghe; ⁶ye

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: xiàn
  - Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄢˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: siàn
  - Wade–Giles: hsien⁴
  - Yale: syàn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shiann
  - Palladius: сянь (sjanʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɛn⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: haan⁶
  - Yale: haahn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: haan⁶
  - Guangdong Romanization: han⁶
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /haːn²²/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: han
  - Hakka Romanization System: han
  - Hagfa Pinyim: han⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /han⁵⁵/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: han⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /han⁵³/
Northern Min
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: hāing
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /xaiŋ⁵⁵/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: âing
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /aiŋ²⁴²/
Puxian Min
- (Putian)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: hang⁵
  - Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: hāng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /haŋ¹¹/
- (Xianyou)
  - Pouseng Ping'ing: hang⁵
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /haŋ²¹/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Jinjiang)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hǎn
  - Tâi-lô: hǎn
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /han²²/
  - IPA (Jinjiang): /han³³/
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Xiamen)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hān
  - Tâi-lô: hān
  - Phofsit Daibuun: han
  - IPA (Xiamen): /han²²/
  - IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /han³³/
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ān
  - Tâi-lô: ān
  - Phofsit Daibuun: an
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /an²²/
  - IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /an³³/

Note: hǎn/hān/ān - literary, ān - vernacular (Taiwanese, Xiamen).

- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: hang⁶
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: hăng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /haŋ³⁵/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai, Suzhou, Ningbo)
  - Wugniu: ⁶ghe; ⁶ye
  - MiniDict: ghe^去; yae^去
  - MiniDict: ghe^去; yie^去
  - MiniDict: ghe^去; ye^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³hhe; ³hhie
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɦe²³/, /ɦie²³/
  - Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /ɦe²³¹/, /ɦɪ²³¹/
  - Sinological IPA (Ningbo): /ɦe¹¹³/, /ɦie¹¹³/

Note: ghe - vernacular, ye - literary.

Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 限
Mandarin	Beijing	/ɕian⁵¹/
	Harbin	/ɕian⁵³/
	Tianjin	/ɕian⁵³/
	Jinan	/ɕiã²¹/
	Qingdao	/ɕiã⁴²/
	Zhengzhou	/ɕian³¹²/
	Xi'an	/ɕiã⁴⁴/
	Xining	/ɕiã²¹³/
	Yinchuan	/ɕian¹³/
	Lanzhou	/ɕiɛ̃n¹³/
	Ürümqi	/ɕian²¹³/
	Wuhan	/ɕiɛn³⁵/
	Chengdu	/xan¹³/ /ɕian¹³/
	Guiyang	/ɕian²¹³/
	Kunming	/ɕiɛ̃²¹²/
	Nanjing	/ɕien⁴⁴/
	Hefei	/ɕiĩ⁵³/
Jin	Taiyuan	/ɕie⁴⁵/
	Pingyao	/ɕiɑŋ³⁵/
	Hohhot	/ɕie⁵⁵/
Wu	Shanghai	/ɦe²³/ /ɦie²³/
	Suzhou	/ɦiɪ³¹/ /ɦe̞³¹/
	Hangzhou	/ɦiẽ̞¹³/
	Wenzhou	/ɦa³⁵/
Hui	Shexian	/ɕie²²/ /xɛ²²/
Hui	Tunxi	/xɔ¹¹/ /ɕiɛ¹¹/
Xiang	Changsha	/xan⁵⁵/ /xan¹¹/
Xiang	Xiangtan	/han⁵⁵/
Gan	Nanchang	/han²¹/
Hakka	Meixian	/han⁵³/
Hakka	Taoyuan	/hɑn⁵⁵/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/han²²/
	Nanning	/han²²/
	Hong Kong	/han²²/
Min	Xiamen (Hokkien)	/han²²/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/aiŋ²⁴²/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/xaiŋ⁴⁴/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/haŋ³⁵/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/haŋ³³/

Middle Chinese: heanX

Rime
Character	限
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	匣 (33)
Final (韻)	山 (73)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	II
Fanqie	胡簡切
Baxter	heanX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦˠɛn^X/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦᵚæn^X/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣæn^X/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦəɨn^X/
Li Rong	/ɣɛn^X/
Wang Li	/ɣæn^X/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ɣăn^X/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	xiàn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	haan⁶

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*[ɡ]ˤrə[n]ʔ/

(Zhengzhang): /*ɡrɯːnʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	限
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	xiàn
Middle Chinese	‹ hɛn^X ›
Old Chinese	/*[ɡ]ˁrə[n]ʔ/
English	obstacle, limit
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	限
Reading #	1/1
No.	3916
Phonetic component	艮
Rime group	文
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime
Old Chinese	/*ɡrɯːnʔ/

Definitions

限

boundary; limit; line
上限 ― shàngxiàn ― upper limit
to limit; to place a limit (on)
舅父限表弟每個星期打機最多打一個鐘。 [Cantonese, trad.]
舅父限表弟每个星期打机最多打一个钟。 [Cantonese, simp.]
kau⁵ fu^6-2 haan⁶ biu² dai⁶ mui⁵ go³ sing¹ kei⁴ daa² gei¹ zeoi³ do¹ daa² jat¹ go³ zung¹. [Jyutping]
Uncle limits my little cousin to at most one hour of video games per week.
(literary) doorstep; sill; threshold

Synonyms

(boundary):

edit

底線 / 底线 (dǐxiàn) (figurative)
界限 (jièxiàn) (figurative)
節限 / 节限 (jiéxiàn) (literary)
限制 (xiànzhì)
限度 (xiàndù)
雷池 (léichí) (figurative)

(to limit):

edit

主宰 (zhǔzǎi)
主張 / 主张 (zhǔzhāng) (archaic)
克制 (kèzhì)
克治 (kèzhì) (literary)
制壓 / 制压 (Taiwanese Hokkien)
制禦 / 制御 (zhìyù) (literary)
制約 / 制约 (zhìyuē)
君 (jūn) (literary)
執掌 / 执掌 (zhízhǎng)
壓制 / 压制 (yāzhì)
壓抑 / 压抑 (yāyì)
局 (Zhangzhou Hokkien)
局限 (júxiàn)
左右 (zuǒyòu)
把
抑制 (yìzhì)
把持 (bǎchí)
把控 (bǎkòng)
把攬 / 把揽 (bǎlǎn)
抵制 (dǐzhì)
拘束 (jūshù)
按 (àn)
按捺 (ànnà) (usually in the negative)
控 (literary, or in compounds)
控制 (kòngzhì)
掌控 (zhǎngkòng)
掌握 (zhǎngwò)
提控 (tíkòng) (literary)
撥弄 / 拨弄 (bōnòng)
撙節 / 撙节 (zǔnjié)
操控 (cāokòng)
操縱 / 操纵 (cāozòng)
擺佈 / 摆布 (bǎibù)
擺治 / 摆治 (bǎizhì) (regional)
支配 (zhīpèi)
收斂 / 收敛 (shōuliǎn)
束 (literary, or in compounds)
束縛 / 束缚 (shùfù)
柄 (literary, or in compounds)
框 (kuàng)
禁錮 / 禁锢 (jìngù) (figurative)
積壓 / 积压 (jīyā) (figurative)
節制 / 节制 (jiézhì)
節撙 / 节撙 (Quanzhou Hokkien, Xiamen Hokkien)
管制 (guǎnzhì)
管束 (guǎnshù)
約束 / 约束 (yuēshù)
統御 / 统御 (tǒngyù) (literary)
統治 / 统治 (tǒngzhì)
羈束 / 羁束 (jīshù) (literary)
裁 (cái) (literary, or in compounds)
遏抑 (èyì) (literary)
鎮 / 镇 (zhèn)
限乏 (Xiamen Hokkien)
限制 (xiànzhì)
駕 / 驾 (jià)
駕馭 / 驾驭 (jiàyù) (figurative)

(doorstep):

edit

地方 (di⁵ fan) (Hengyang Xiang)
戶填 / 户填 (Hokkien)
戶限 / 户限 (hùxiàn) (literary)
戺 (shì) (Classical Chinese)
柣 (zhì) (Classical Chinese)
梱 (kǔn) (Classical Chinese)
榍 (xiè) (Classical Chinese)
檻 / 槛 (kǎn)
轔 / 辚 (lín) (Classical Chinese)
門地伏 / 门地伏 (mon³ ei⁵ fuuk⁴) (Taishanese)
門填 / 门填 (Quanzhou Hokkien)
門墊 / 门垫 (muòng-dâing) (Eastern Min)
門岸 / 门岸 (mn̂g-hōaⁿ) (Xiamen Hokkien)
門槧 / 门椠 (mun⁴ caam⁵) (Cantonese)
門檻 / 门槛 (ménkǎn)
門第 / 门第 (Teochew)
門限 / 门限 (ménxiàn)
門階 / 门阶 (ménjiē)
閫 / 阃 (kǔn) (literary)
閾 / 阈 (yù) (literary)
面填 (bīn-tǔiⁿ) (Quanzhou Hokkien)

Compounds

上限 (shàngxiàn)
下限 (xiàxiàn)
不可限量 (bùkě xiànliàng)
不知分限
不限
九七大限
九七期限
保辜限
侷限 (júxiàn)
公用限制
分限
制限 (zhìxiàn)
制限選舉 / 制限选举
勒限
受限 (shòuxiàn)
命限
填限
大限 (dàxiàn)
定限
寬限 / 宽限 (kuānxiàn)
寬限日 / 宽限日
局限 (júxiàn)
展限
年限 (niánxiàn)
底限 (dǐxiàn)
彈性限度 / 弹性限度
恰限
惡限 / 恶限
戶限 / 户限 (hùxiàn)
戶限為穿 / 户限为穿
拘限 (jūxiàn)
時限 / 时限 (shíxiàn)
有限 (yǒuxiàn)
有限公司 (yǒuxiàn gōngsī)
有限小數 / 有限小数
有限戰爭 / 有限战争
有限政府
有限花序
期限 (qīxiàn)
未可限量
杖限
極限 / 极限 (jíxiàn)
極限強度 / 极限强度
極限體育 / 极限体育
權限 / 权限 (quánxiàn)
死限
無限 / 无限 (wúxiàn)
無限公司 / 无限公司 (wúxiàn gōngsī)
無限小數 / 无限小数
無限戰爭 / 无限战争
無限花序 / 无限花序
爆炸下限
爆炸上限
甘限
界限 (jièxiàn)
畫地自限 / 画地自限 (huàdìzìxiàn)
疲勞限 / 疲劳限
程限 (chéngxiàn)
組限 / 组限
緩限 / 缓限
設限 / 设限 (shèxiàn)
象限 (xiàngxiàn)
象限儀 / 象限仪
運限 / 运限
過限 / 过限
鐵門限 / 铁门限
門限 / 门限 (ménxiàn)
限令 (xiànlìng)
限價 / 限价
限制 (xiànzhì)
限制住居
限制級 / 限制级
限制詞 / 限制词
限制選舉 / 限制选举
限定 (xiàndìng)
限定語 / 限定语
限度 (xiàndù)
限日 (xiànrì)
限時 / 限时 (xiànshí)
限時信 / 限时信 (xiànshíxìn)
限時專送 / 限时专送
限期 (xiànqī)
限棒
限次
限武協定 / 限武协定
限武談判 / 限武谈判
限產 / 限产
限界 (xiànjiè)
限盡 / 限尽
限量 (xiànliàng)
限阻
限電 / 限电 (xiàndiàn)
限韻 / 限韵
限額 / 限额 (xiàn'é)
限齡 / 限龄
飛觥限斝 / 飞觥限斝

Japanese

Kanji

限

(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji)

limit

Readings

Go-on: げん (gen, Jōyō)
Kan-on: かん (kan)
Kun: かぎる (kagiru, 限る, Jōyō)、かぎり (kagiri, 限り)、かぎり (kagiri, 限)、きり (kiri)

Compounds

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
限
げん Grade: 5
goon

From Middle Chinese 限 (MC heanX).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ɡẽ̞ɴ]

Counter

限(げん) • (-gen)

counter for school periods
一(いち)限(げん)目(め)は数学(すうがく)だった。
Ichigenme wa sūgaku datta.
The first period was maths.

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
限
きり Grade: 5
kun'yomi

For pronunciation and definitions of 限 – see the following entry.

【切きり】

[noun] 切り, 切, 限: limits, bounds, end

Alternative spelling
切

(This term, 限, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

Korean

Hanja

限 (eum 한 (han))

hanja form^? of 한 (“limit”)

Vietnamese

Han character

限: Hán Nôm readings: hạn, hẹn, giận

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

[1] Digital Shinjigen 2017

[1]

Translingual

Han character

Derived characters

Further reading

Chinese

Glyph origin

References

Pronunciation

Definitions

Synonyms

Compounds

Japanese

Kanji

Readings

Compounds

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Counter

Etymology 2

Korean

Hanja

Vietnamese

Han character