間

See also: 间, 閒, and 閑

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

間 (Kangxi radical 169, 門+4, 12 strokes, cangjie input 日弓日 (ANA), four-corner 7760₇, composition ⿵門日)

Derived characters

• 僴, 𭂠, 墹, 𡢃(㛠), 𡼏, 𢢀(𫺒), 𢵧, 澗(涧), 𣊺, 𬛖, 橺, 𭮣, 𤏐(𭴳), 𤩎, 瞷(𬑗), 磵, 𥼴, 𦅘, 𦗬, 𧒄, 襇(裥), 𧢑, 𧬘, 𧯑, 𨅍(𨁴), 𨣉(𬪫), 鐧(锏), 𩻾, 𪙨, 覸, 𩴦, 鷼, 𪪢, 癎, 蕳(𫈉), 簡(简), 鬝, 𪧶
• 㗴 (Exception: Only for Japanese character form which contains ⿰口間. Other regional forms contain ⿰口閒 instead)

Related characters

• 间 (Simplified Chinese)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1333, character 1
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 41249
• Dae Jaweon: page 1839, character 1
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 7, page 4288, character 6
• Unihan data for U+9593

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Chinese

trad.		間
simp.		间
alternative forms		閒

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 間
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 (閒) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
間	*kreːn, *kreːns
簡	*kreːnʔ
澗	*kreːns, *kraːns
鐧	*kreːns, *kraːns
蕑	*kreːn
覵	*kreːn, *kreːns, *pkrenʔ
襉	*kreːnʔ, *kreːns
僩	*kreːnʔ, *ɡraːnʔ
鬜	*kʰreːn, *kʰraːn, *kʰreːd
癇	*ɡreːn
瞯	*ɡreːn
憪	*ɡreːn, *ɡraːnʔ
橌	*ɡraːnʔ
撊	*ɡraːnʔ

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 門 (“door”) + 日 (“sun”). Originally 閒, moonlight peeking through a door – interstice; space.

Etymology

The two pronunciations are related, with Pronunciation 2 being the exoactive of Pronunciation 1.

Related to:

• 隙 (OC *kʰraɡ, “crack; chink”), 澗 (OC *kreːns, *kraːns, “ravine; brook (between mountains)”) (Wang, 1982);
• 閒 (OC *ɡreːn, “lazy; leisure”) (Karlgren, 1957; Baxter, 1992).

Externally, likely related to Mizo kâr (“space between; interval”), Burmese ကြား (kra:, “in-between; interval; interim”), အကြား (a.kra:, “gap; break”) (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation 1

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): jiān (jian¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄐㄧㄢ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): gaan¹

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): gan¹

• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): kiên / kiân
• Northern Min (KCR): gáing
• Eastern Min (BUC): găng
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): keng / kuiⁿ / kaiⁿ / kan

  (Teochew, Peng'im): goin¹ / gain¹ / gang¹

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹ke; ¹ji

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jiān
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jian
    • Wade–Giles: chien¹
    • Yale: jyān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jian
    • Palladius: цзянь (czjanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: gaan¹
    • Yale: gāan
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gaan¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: gan¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kaːn⁵⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: gan¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kan³³/
• Hakka
  • (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kiên
    • Hakka Romanization System: gien^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: gian¹
    • Sinological IPA: /ki̯en²⁴/
  • (Southern Sixian, incl. Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kiân
    • Hakka Romanization System: gian^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: gian¹
    • Sinological IPA: /ki̯an²⁴/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: gáing
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kaiŋ⁵⁴/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: găng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kaŋ⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: keng
    • Tâi-lô: king
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kefng
    • IPA (Xiamen, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /kiɪŋ⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kuiⁿ
    • Tâi-lô: kuinn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kvuy
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kuĩ³³/
  • (Hokkien: Tong'an, Kinmen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kaiⁿ
    • Tâi-lô: kainn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kvay
    • IPA (Tong'an, Kinmen): /kãi⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kan
    • Tâi-lô: kan
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kafn
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /kan⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kan³³/

Note:

• Xiamen, Quanzhou, Taiwan:
  • keng/kuiⁿ/kaiⁿ - vernacular (“room, classifier”);
  • kan - literary.

• (Teochew)
  • Peng'im: goin¹ / gain¹ / gang¹
  • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: koiⁿ / kaiⁿ / kang
  • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kõĩ³³/, /kãĩ³³/, /kaŋ³³/

Note:

• goin1/gain1 - vernacular (“room, classifier”);
• gang1 - literary.

• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹ke; ¹ji
    • MiniDict: ke^平; ji^平
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹ke; ¹jji
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ke⁵³/, /d͡ʑi⁵³/

Note:

• 1ke - vernacular;
• 1ji - literary.

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• Middle Chinese: kean

Rime
Character	間
Reading #	1/2
Initial (聲)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	山 (73)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Öffnen Sie
Division (等)	II
Fanqie	古閑切
Baxter	kean
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kˠɛn/
Pan Wuyun	/kᵚæn/
Shao Rongfen	/kæn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kəɨn/
Li Rong	/kɛn/
Wang Li	/kæn/
Bernard Karlgren	/kăn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	jiān
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gaan1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*kˤre[n]/

  (Zhengzhang): /*kreːn/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	間
Reading #	1/3
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	jiān
Middle Chinese	‹ kɛn ›
Old Chinese	/*kˁre[n]/
Englisch	interval
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	間
Reading #	1/2
No.	6226
Phonetic component	閒
Rime group	元
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	閒
Old Chinese	/*kreːn/
Notes	原作閒同說文

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 間

1. within a definite time period or place
   • 時間／时间  ―  shíjiān  ―  time, period
   • 晚間／晚间  ―  wǎnjiān  ―  evening, night
   • 世間／世间  ―  shìjiān  ―  world, earth
   • 空間／空间  ―  kōngjiān  ―  space
3. among; between

   • 小鳥們在樹枝間唱歌。 [MSC, trad.]
     小鸟们在树枝间唱歌。 [MSC, simp.]

     Xiǎo niǎo men zài shùzhī jiān chàng gē. [Pinyin]

     The birds were singing among the branches of the tree.

   • 兩個公司間的談判非常成功。 [MSC, trad.]
     两个公司间的谈判非常成功。 [MSC, simp.]

     Liǎng ge gōngsī jiān de tánpàn fēicháng chénggōng. [Pinyin]

     The negotiations between the two companies were successful.

   • 兩點間直線最短。 [MSC, trad.]
     两点间直线最短。 [MSC, simp.]

     Liǎng diǎn jiān zhíxiàn zuì duǎn. [Pinyin]

     The shortest distance between two points is a straight line.

4. a moment; a little while; instant
5. room; chamber
   • 房間／房间  ―  fángjiān  ―  room
   • 衛生間／卫生间  ―  wèishēngjiān  ―  bathroom, toilet
   • 衣帽間／衣帽间  ―  yīmàojiān  ―  cloakroom
   • 雙人間／双人间  ―  shuāngrénjiān  ―  double room
6. section of a room; lateral space between two pairs of pillars
7. Classifier for smallest units of housing, such as rooms and shopfronts.
8. (chiefly Cantonese) Classifier for buildings in general, including schools, banks, cinemas, hospitals, shops, factories.
9. a surname

Pronunciation 2

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 間

1. opening; gap; break
2. estrangement; alienation; hostility
3. spy; secret agent
4. to keep away from; to keep apart
5. to separate; to partition
6. to alternate; to do something alternately
7. to be mixed up with; to be intermingled
8. to sow discord
9. to blame; to reproach
10. intermittently; sometimes
11. in secret; clandestinely

Compounds

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Ryakuji for 間, based on ryakuji for 門; compare also 開.

Kanji

間

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: けん (ken, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: かん (kan, Jōyō)
• Kun: あいだ (aida, 間, Jōyō)、ま (ma, 間, Jōyō)、あい (ai, 間)
• Nanori: ちか (chika)

Compounds

• 間性(かんせい) (kansei): intersex
• 人間(にんげん) (ningen)
• 時間(じかん) (jikan)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
間
あいだ Grade: 2
kun'yomi

Nomen

間(あいだ) • (aida) ^{←あひだ (afida)?}

1. a space
2. a while; an interval
3. between
4. during

Derived terms

• この間(あいだ) (kono aida)
• 間中(あいだじゅう) (aidajū)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
間
ま Grade: 2
kun'yomi

Nomen

間(ま) • (ma) 

1. space; room

Derived terms

• 床(とこ)の間(ま) (toko no ma)
• 茶(ちゃ)の間(ま) (cha no ma)
• 束(つか)の間(ま) (tsukano ma)
• 間(ま)に合(あ)う (ma ni au)

Synonyms

• 中(なか) (naka)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
間
あい Grade: 2
kun'yomi

Nomen

間(あい) • (ai) ^{←あひ (afi)?}

1. interval

Etymology 4

Kanji in this term
間
かん Grade: 2
on'yomi

From (deprecated template usage) [etyl] Middle Chinese 間／间 (kɛn, “interval”).

Nomen

間(かん) • (kan) 

1. interval

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Korean

Hanja

間 • (gan)

• Eumhun:
  • Sound (hangeul): 간 (revised: gan, McCune–Reischauer: kan, Yale: kan)
  • Name (hangeul): 사이
    (revised: sai, McCune–Reischauer: sai)

1. A second, a moment.

1. A period of time, when suffixed to a word for time, e.g., 한 시간 (one hour of time), 세 주간 (a period of three weeks).

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Vietnamese

Han character

(deprecated template usage) 間 (gian, dán, gián)

1. (deprecated template usage) (deprecated use of |lang= parameter) This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

References

• Nom Foundation