鱗

Hill, Nathan W. (2017) “Songs of the Bailang: A New Transcription with Etymological Commentary”, in Bulletin de l'École française d'Extrême-Orient‎^[1], volume 103, pages 386—429

Chinese

trad.		鱗
simp.		鳞
alternative forms		魿／⿰鱼令䰼／⿰鱼今

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 鱗
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
Small seal script

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

	Old Chinese
潾	rriːn, rin
膦	*renʔ
憐	*riːn
燐	rin, rins
鄰	*rin
轔	rin, rins
嶙	rin, rinʔ
粼	rin, rins
磷	rin, rins
疄	rin, rins
麟	*rin
鱗	*rin
璘	*rin
翷	*rin
瞵	rin, rins
獜	rin, reːŋ
驎	*rin
鏻	rin, rins, *reːŋ
繗	*rin
僯	*rinʔ
橉	rinʔ, rins
撛	rinʔ, rins
遴	*rins
粦	*rins
甐	*rins

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *rin): semantic 魚 (“fish”) + phonetic 粦 (OC *rins).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): lín (lin²)

(Zhuyin): ㄌㄧㄣˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): leon⁴
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): lìn

(Meixian, Guangdong): lin¹
Northern Min (KCR): sa̿ing / lěng
Eastern Min (BUC): lìng
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): lân / lîn

(Teochew, Peng'im): lang⁵ / ling⁵
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶lin

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: lín
  - Zhuyin: ㄌㄧㄣˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: lín
  - Wade–Giles: lin²
  - Yale: lín
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: lin
  - Palladius: линь (linʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lin³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: leon⁴
  - Yale: lèuhn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: loen⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: lên⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɵn²¹/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: lìn
  - Hakka Romanization System: lin^ˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: lin²
  - Sinological IPA: /lin¹¹/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: lin¹
  - Sinological IPA: /lin⁴⁴/
Northern Min
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: sa̿ing / lěng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /saiŋ³³/, /leiŋ²¹/

Note:

sa̿ing - vernacular;
lěng - literary.

Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: lìng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /l̃iŋ⁵³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lân / lîn
  - Tâi-lô: lân / lîn
  - Phofsit Daibuun: laan, liin
  - IPA (Xiamen): /lan²⁴/, /lin²⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /lan²⁴/, /lin²⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /lan¹³/, /lin¹³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /lan²⁴/, /lin²⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /lan²³/, /lin²³/

Note:

lân - colloquial;
lîn - literary.

(Teochew)
- Peng'im: lang⁵ / ling⁵
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: lâng / lîng
- Sinological IPA ^(key): /laŋ⁵⁵/, /liŋ⁵⁵/

Note:

lang5 - vernacular;
ling5 - literary.

Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁶lin
  - MiniDict: lin^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³lin
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /lin²³/

Middle Chinese: lin

Rime
Character	鱗
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	來 (37)
Final (韻)	眞 (43)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	力珍切
Baxter	lin
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/liɪn/
Pan Wuyun	/lin/
Shao Rongfen	/ljen/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/lin/
Li Rong	/liĕn/
Wang Li	/lĭĕn/
Bernhard Karlgren	/li̯ĕn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	lín
Expected Cantonese Reflex	lan⁴

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*C.r[ə][n]/

(Zhengzhang): /*rin/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	鱗
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	lín
Middle Chinese	‹ lin ›
Old Chinese	/*C.r[ə][n]/
English	scale of fish or reptile
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	鱗
Reading #	1/1
No.	8202
Phonetic component	粦
Rime group	眞
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	㷠
Old Chinese	/*rin/

Definitions

鱗

scale (of a fish, reptile, etc)
scaly
fish (and other scaly animals)
a surname

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 魚鱗 (“fish scale”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		魚鱗
Northeastern Mandarin	Harbin	魚鱗
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	魚鱗, 鱗
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	魚鱗
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	魚鱗
	Xi'an	魚鱗
	Xining	魚鱗甲
	Xuzhou	魚鱗, 鱗
	Pizhou	魚鱗
	Lianyungang (Ganyu)	魚鱗
	Donghai	魚鱗, 鱗
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	魚鱗, 魚甲
	Lanzhou	魚鱗
	Ürümqi	魚鱗
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	魚甲, 魚鱗
	Wuhan	魚鱗, 鱗
	Guiyang	魚鱗
	Liuzhou	魚鱗
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	魚鱗
	Yangzhou	魚厴子
	Baoying	魚厴子
	Taizhou	鱗, 魚鱗
	Zhenjiang	魚鱗
	Lianyungang	魚鱗
	Huai'an (Huaiyin)	魚鱗
	Xuyi	魚鱗
	Nantong	魚鱗
	Rugao	魚鱗
	Yancheng	魚鱗
	Funing	魚鱗
	Sihong	魚鱗
Cantonese	Hong Kong	魚鱗
Cantonese	Dongguan	魚鱗
Gan	Nanchang	魚鱗
	Lichuan	魚鱗
	Pingxiang	魚鱗
Hakka	Meixian	魚鱗
	Yudu	魚鱗
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	魚鱗
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	魚鱗
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	魚鱗
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	魚鱗
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	魚鱗
	Miaoli (Zhuolan; Raoping)	魚鱗
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	魚鱗
Huizhou	Jixi	魚厴, 魚鱗甲
Jin	Taiyuan	魚鱗
Jin	Xinzhou	魚鱗甲
Northern Min	Jian'ou	魚鱗
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	魚鱗
Southern Min	Xiamen	魚鱗
Southern Min	Haikou	魚鱗
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	魚鱗
Wu	Shanghai	魚鱗, 魚鱗爿
	Shanghai (Chongming)	魚鱗
	Suzhou	魚鱗爿, 魚厴爿
	Wuxi	魚鱗厴
	Changshu	魚鱗
	Nantong (Haimen)	魚鱗
	Changzhou	魚厴
	Danyang	魚厴, 厴
	Nanjing (Gaochun)	魚厴
	Hangzhou	魚厴兒
	Ningbo	魚鱗
	Wenzhou	魚鱗
	Jinhua	魚厴
Xiang	Loudi	魚鱗甲

Compounds

一鱗一爪 / 一鳞一爪
一鱗半爪 / 一鳞半爪 (yīlínbànzhǎo)
一鱗半甲 / 一鳞半甲
一鱗片甲 / 一鳞片甲
嬰鱗 / 婴鳞
戢鱗 / 戢鳞 (jílín)
戢鱗潛翼 / 戢鳞潜翼
批逆鱗 / 批逆鳞
振鱗奮翼 / 振鳞奋翼
攀鱗附翼 / 攀鳞附翼
斑青鱗魚 / 斑青鳞鱼
有鱗目 / 有鳞目
東鱗西爪 / 东鳞西爪 (dōnglínxīzhuǎ)
櫛次鱗比 / 栉次鳞比
櫛比鱗差 / 栉比鳞差
櫛比鱗次 / 栉比鳞次 (zhìbǐlíncì)
涸轍窮鱗 / 涸辙穷鳞
涸鱗濡沫 / 涸鳞濡沫
片鱗半爪 / 片鳞半爪
片鱗碎甲 / 片鳞碎甲
犯鱗 / 犯鳞
目斷鱗鴻 / 目断鳞鸿
碧鱗 / 碧鳞
結鱗 / 结鳞
腹有鱗甲 / 腹有鳞甲
逆鱗 / 逆鳞 (nìlín)
遍體鱗傷 / 遍体鳞伤 (biàntǐlínshāng)
魚鱗 / 鱼鳞 (yúlín)
魚鱗圖冊 / 鱼鳞图册
魚鱗松 / 鱼鳞松
魚鱗癬 / 鱼鳞癣 (yúlínxuǎn)
鱗介 / 鳞介
鱗傷 / 鳞伤
鱗次 / 鳞次 (líncì)
鱗次櫛比 / 鳞次栉比 (líncìzhìbǐ)
鱗比 / 鳞比
鱗毛 / 鳞毛
鱗波 / 鳞波 (línbō)
鱗淪 / 鳞沦
鱗游 / 鳞游
鱗爪 / 鳞爪 (línzhǎo)
鱗片 / 鳞片 (línpiàn)
鱗甲 / 鳞甲 (línjiǎ)
鱗紋 / 鳞纹
鱗莖 / 鳞茎 (línjīng)
鱗萃 / 鳞萃
鱗蟲 / 鳞虫
鱗被 / 鳞被
鱗鋏星鐔 / 鳞铗星镡
鱗集 / 鳞集
鱗鬣 / 鳞鬣
鱗魨 / 鳞鲀 (líntún)
鱗鱗 / 鳞鳞
鱗鴻 / 鳞鸿
鱗鴻杳絕 / 鳞鸿杳绝
鱗鴻附便 / 鳞鸿附便
鳥集鱗萃 / 鸟集鳞萃
鴻稀鱗絕 / 鸿稀鳞绝
龍鱗 / 龙鳞 (lónglín)
龍鱗裝 / 龙鳞装

References

(Min Nan) “鱗”, 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.

Japanese

Kanji

鱗

(Jinmeiyō kanji)

scales
scaly

Readings

Go-on: りん (rin)
Kan-on: りん (rin)
Kun: うろこ (uroko, 鱗)

Compounds

鱗(りん)雲(うん) (rin'un)
鱗(りん)芽(が) (ringa)
鱗(りん)介(かい) (rinkai)
鱗(りん)形(けい) (rinkei)
鱗(りん)茎(けい) (rinkei)
鱗(りん)珪(けい)石(せき) (rinkeiseki): tridymite
鱗(りん)甲(こう) (rinkō)
鱗(りん)翅(し)目(もく) (rinshimoku)
鱗(りん)状(じょう) (rinjō)
鱗(りん)石(せき)英(えい) (rinsekiei): tridymite
鱗(りん)屑(せつ) (rinsetsu)
鱗(りん)族(ぞく) (rinzoku)
鱗(りん)虫(ちゅう) (rinchū)
鱗(りん)鉄(てっ)鉱(こう) (rintekkō): lepidocrocite
鱗(りん)被(ぴ) (rinpi): lodicule
鱗(りん)粉(ぷん) (rinpun)
鱗(りん)片(ぺん) (rinpen)
鱗(りん)木(ぼく) (rinboku): scale tree
鱗(りん)毛(もう) (rinmō)
鱗(りん)葉(よう) (rin'yō)
円(えん)鱗(りん) (enrin)
芽(が)鱗(りん) (garin)
魚(ぎょ)鱗(りん) (gyorin)
錦(きん)鱗(りん) (kinrin)
銀(ぎん)鱗(りん) (ginrin)
逆(げき)鱗(りん) (gekirin)
硬(こう)鱗(りん)魚(ぎょ) (kōringyo)
鱗(こけら)板(いた) (kokeraita)
骨(こつ)鱗(りん) (kotsurin)
細(さい)鱗(りん) (sairin)
三(さん)十(じゅう)六(ろく)鱗(りん) (sanjūrokurin)
楯(じゅん)鱗(りん) (junrin)
如(じょ)鱗(りん)杢(もく) (jorinmoku)
片(へん)鱗(りん) (henrin)
有(ゆう)鱗(りん)類(るい) (yūrinrui)
稜(りょう)鱗(りん) (ryōrin): scute
鯉(り)鱗(りん)行(こう) (ririnkō)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
鱗
うろこ Jinmeiyō
kun'yomi

From iroko.

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) うろこ [ùrókóꜜ] (Odaka – [3])^[1]^[2]
(Tokyo) うろこ [ùrókó] (Heiban – [0])^[1]^[2]
IPA^(key): [ɯ̟ɾo̞ko̞]

Noun

鱗(うろこ) • (uroko)

scale (of a fish, reptile, etc)
(typography) serif (on Chinese characters)

Derived terms

鱗(うろこ)石(いし) (urokoishi)
鱗(うろこ)形(がた) (urokogata)
鱗(うろこ)木(ぎ) (urokogi)
鱗(うろこ)切(ぎ)り (urokogiri)
鱗(うろこ)釘(くぎ) (urokokugi)
鱗(うろこ)雲(ぐも) (urokogumo)
鱗(うろこ)虫(むし) (urokomushi)
鱗(うろこ)文(もん) (urokomon)
三(み)つ鱗(うろこ) (mitsuuroko)

Idioms

目(め)から鱗(うろこ)が落(お)ちる (me kara uroko ga ochiru)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
鱗
いろこ Jinmeiyō
irregular

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [iɾo̞ko̞]

Noun

鱗(いろこ) • (iroko)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
鱗
うろくず Jinmeiyō
irregular

From irokuzu.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ɯ̟ɾo̞kɯ̟zɨ]

Noun

鱗(うろくず) • (urokuzu) ^{←うろくづ (urokudu)^?}

scale of a fish
fish

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
鱗
いろくず Jinmeiyō
irregular

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [iɾo̞kɯ̟zɨ]

Noun

鱗(いろくず) • (irokuzu) ^{←いろくづ (irokudu)^?}

scale (of a fish, reptile, etc)
scaled animal

Etymology 5

Kanji in this term
鱗
こけ Jinmeiyō
irregular

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) こけ [kòkéꜜ] (Odaka – [2])^[1]^[2]
IPA^(key): [ko̞ke̞]

Noun

鱗(こけ) • (koke)

scale (of a fish, reptile, etc)

Etymology 6

Kanji in this term
鱗
こけら Jinmeiyō
irregular

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) こけら [kòkérá] (Heiban – [0])^[1]^[2]
IPA^(key): [ko̞ke̞ɾa̠]

Noun

鱗(こけら) • (kokera)

scale (of a fish, reptile, etc)

Etymology 7

Kanji in this term
鱗
りん Jinmeiyō
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 鱗 / 鳞 (lin).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ɾʲĩɴ]

Counter

鱗(りん) • (-rin)

counter for scales of a fish
counter for fish

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

Korean

Hanja

鱗 (eumhun 비늘 린 (bineul rin), word-initial (South Korea) 비늘 인 (bineul in))

scale (of fish or reptiles)

Kunigami

Kanji

鱗

(Jinmeiyō kanji)

Kun: いりちー (irichī, 鱗)

Etymology

Cognate with mainland Japanese 鱗 (uroko).

Noun

鱗(いりちー) (irichī)

scale (of a fish, reptile, etc)
dandruff

Okinawan

Kanji

鱗

(Jinmeiyō kanji)

scale

Readings

Kun: いりち (irichi, 鱗)

Etymology

Cognate with mainland Japanese 鱗 (uroko).

Noun

鱗(いりち) (irichi)

scale (of a fish, reptile, etc)
dandruff

Vietnamese

Han character

鱗: Hán Nôm readings: lân

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

[DJR-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 ^1.3 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 ^2.3 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

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