形 U+2F899,形 CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-2F899 ←𦇚 [U+2F898] CJK Compatibility Ideographs Supplement 彫 → [U+2F89A]

Stroke order

形 (Kangxi radical 59,彡+4, 7 strokes,cangjie input一廿竹竹竹 (MTHHH),four-corner1242₂,composition⿰开彡)

• 䤯

• Kangxi Dictionary:page 363, character 6
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 9969
• Dae Jaweon: page 681, character 25
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 852, character 10
• Unihan data for U+5F62

• Unihan data for U+2F899

Historical forms of the character形
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled inHan)	Liushutong (compiled inMing)
Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Ideogrammic compound (會意 /会意): 幵 + 彡. In current form幵 has been simplified to开.

It may also be interpreted as aphono-semantic compound (形聲 /形声,OC*ɡeːŋ): phonetic 井(OC*skeŋʔ) + semantic 彡, if the original character was𢒈.

形

1. form;shape;appearance

   形狀／形状  ― xíngzhuàng  ―  form; appearance; shape

2. image;appearance
3. body;entity;contour

   形體／形体  ― xíngtǐ  ―  physique

4. style;vogue
5. (grammar)short for形容詞／形容词 (xíngróngcí, “adjective”)
6. toappear; todisplay

   喜形於色／喜形于色  ― xǐxíngyúsè  ― (please add an English translation of this usage example)

7. toform; tobecome

   更形複雜／更形复杂  ― gèngxíng fùzá  ―  tobecome more complicated

8. tocompare

   相形見絀／相形见绌  ― xiàngxíngjiànchù  ―  pale by comparison

• (form):樣／样 (yàng),型 (xíng)

• 莆田市荔城区档案馆[Putian City Licheng District Archives], editor (2022), “形”, in莆仙方言文读字汇 [Puxian Dialect Literary Reading Dictionary] (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), page265.

Shinjitai	形
Kyūjitai	形󠄁 形+󠄁? (Adobe-Japan1)
The displayed kanji may be different from the image due to your environment. Seehere for details.

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

1. shape,form,style

• Go-on:ぎょう(gyō,Jōyō)^{←ぎやう(gyau,historical)}
• Kan-on:けい(kei,Jōyō)
• Kun:かた(kata,形,Jōyō)、かたち(katachi,形,Jōyō)、かたぎ(katagi)、なり(nari,形)
• Nanori:ち(chi)

FromOld Japanese. First attested in theNihon Shoki of 720CE.^[1]

Probably related to堅い /硬い /固い(katai,“hard”).^[2]

• (Tokyo)かた[kàtáꜜ] (Odaka – [2])^[3][4][5]
• IPA^(key): [ka̠ta̠]

形(かた)• (kata) 

1. [from 720] ashape
2. [from 720] aform
3. [from 1007] apattern,die, ormodel from whichcopies are made
4. [from roughly 1300s]collateral forborrowedmoney
5. [from 1775] on acoin, the side with writing on it

   Antonym:縵面(name)

Derived fromkata above.^[1] Thekata changes togata as an instance ofrendaku (連(れん)濁(だく)). Found most commonly as a suffixing element in compounds.

The standalone noun sense was originally a shortening of女形(onnagata, literally“womanform”), a female role played by a male actor inkabukitheater. This noun sense is only spelled with the形 kanji.

• (Tokyo)がた[gàtáꜜ] (Odaka – [2])^[3]
• IPA^(key): [ɡa̠ta̠]

形(がた)or形(がだ)• (gataorgada) 

1. [from 1820](kabuki, theater)short for女形(onnagata), a female role played by a male actor inkabukitheater

   Synonyms:女形(onnagata),お山(oyama)

形(がた)• (-gata) 

1. (affixed to nouns): theshape orform of the affixed noun

   渦(うず)巻(ま)き形(がた)

   uzumakigata

   awhirlpoolshape

   卵(たまご)形(がた)

   tamagogata

   aneggshape

2. (affixed toon'yomi nouns): atypical example of the affixed noun; thetype of the affixed noun

   学(がく)者(しゃ)形(がた)

   gakushagata

   ascholartype

   英(えい)雄(ゆう)形(がた)

   eiyūgata

   aherotype

• For ashape, the spelling形 is more commonly used. For atype, the spelling型 is more commonly used.

FromOld Japanese. First attested in theNihon Shoki of 720CE.^[6]

Compound of形(kata,“shape,form”) +‎ち(-chi),^[4] but the derivation of thechi element is unclear.

• (Tokyo)かたち[kàtáchí] (Heiban – [0])^[3][4][5]
• IPA^(key): [ka̠ta̠t͡ɕi]

形(かたち)• (katachi) 

1. [from 720]shape orform
2. [from late 900s]shapeliness: see形有り(katachiari)
3. [from 1688]form, as opposed tosubstance

FromMiddle Chinese形 (MC heng). Compare modernMandarin形(xíng). The漢音(kan'on) reading, so likely a later borrowing.

• IPA^(key): [ke̞ː]

形(けい)• (-kei) 

1. (linguistics)grammaticaltense

   過(か)去(こ)形(けい)

   kakokei

   thepasttense

   将(しょう)来(らい)形(けい)

   shōraikei

   thefuturetense

2. (Japanese grammar) aconjugation form of averb

   連(れん)用(よう)形(けい)

   ren'yōkei

   thecontinuativeform

   命(めい)令(れい)形(けい)

   meireikei

   theimperative orcommandform

• 意(い)向(こう)形(けい)(ikōkei,“the volitional form”)

FromOld Japanese. First attested in theNihon Shoki of 720CE.^[7]

From成り(nari), the連用形(ren'yōkei,“continuative or stem form”) of the verb成る(naru,“to become”).^[7][3]

First attested as a suffix on a noun in the曾我物語(Soga Mongatari),^[7] of uncertain dating but probably in the late 1300s. As a suffix on a verb stem, first attested from 1927.^[7]

• (Tokyo)なり[nàríꜜ] (Odaka – [2])^[3]
• IPA^(key): [na̠ɾʲi]

形(なり)• (nari) 

1. [from 720] theshape orform of something
2. [from late 900s] one'sclothing andappearance
3. [from mid 1600s] one's bodyshape orform
4. [from 1477] one'scircumstances orsituation
5. [from 1773] one'sreputation
6. [from 1763](following the plainimperfective form (attributive form,連体形(rentaikei)) or plainperfective form of a verb)indicates the state of the affixed verb or phrase: compare Englishjustas

   人(ひと)々(びと)の言(い)うなりになった

   hitobito no iunari ni natta

   things turned outjust as people were saying

7. [from 1915](following the plainimperfective form (attributive form,連体形(rentaikei)) of an adjective)indicates responding to the affixed adjective: compare Englishfitting

   寒(さむ)ければ寒(さむ)いなりの厚(あつ)着(ぎ)をする

   samukereba samuinari no atsugi o suru

   if it's cold,then put on warm clothing / if it's cold, then put on warm clothesfor cold weather

8. [from 1928](following the plainimperfective form (attributive form,連体形(rentaikei)) of a verb)indicates the moment of the action occurring: compare Englishas soon as

   Synonym:や否や(ya ina ya)

   断(ことわ)りを聞(き)くなり泣(な)き出(だ)した

   kotowari o kikunari nakidashita

   she burst into tearsas soon as she heard the rejection

   幼(よう)稚(ち)園(えん)から帰(かえ)るなり、母(はは)に抱(だ)きついてきました。

   Yōchien kara kaerunari, haha ni dakitsuite kimashita.

   As soon as she returned from kindergarten, she clung to her mom.

9. (after a verb in the past tense〜た) ...while ...

   Synonym:儘(mama)

   着(き)たなり脱(ぬ)ごうとしません[4]

   kitanari nugō to shimasen

   [it's so comfortable that] She doesn't want to take it offwhile wearing it

形(なり)• (-nari) 

1. following the連用形(ren'yōkei,“continuative or stem form”) of a verb, indicates the state of the affixed verb or phrase: compare Englishjustas

   人(ひと)々(びと)が言(い)いなりになった

   hitobito ga iinari ni natta

   things turned outjust as people say

2. [from 1951] following a noun, indicates a statefitting orbecoming to the affixed noun

   子(こ)供(ども)なりに想(そう)像(ぞう)する

   kodomonari ni sōzō suru

   imaginein a way fitting for a child / imaginelike a child (implies that the subject is a child)

   自(じ)分(ぶん)なりの判(はん)断(だん)

   jibunnari no handan

   my ownkind of decision / decidingin my ownway

3. [from late 1300s] following a noun, indicates thatshape orform: compare Englishlike

   弓(ゆみ)なりになる

   yuminari ni naru

   to become bow-shaped / to becomelike a bow

• The most common spelling for this use isなり, for all parts of speech.

• “形”, in漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[5] (in Japanese),The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation,2015–2025

FromMiddle Chinese形 (MC heng).

• (SK Standard/Seoul)IPA^(key):[çʌ̹ŋ]
• Phonetic hangul:[형]

KoreanWikisource has texts containing thehanja:

形

形 (eumhun모양형(moyang hyeong))

1. hanja form^? of형(“form;shape”)

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary,전자사전／電子字典.[6]

形:Hán Nôm readings:hình,hềnh

1. image
2. afigure or asilhouette
3. (Southern Vietnam) aphoto; apicture
4. (geometry) ashape
5. clipping ofhình học(“geometry”)

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