寺

Translingual

Stroke order

Traditional	寺
Simplified	寺
Japanese	寺
Korean	寺

Han character

寺 (Kangxi radical 41, 寸 3, 6 strokes, cangjie input 土木戈 (GDI), four-corner 4034₁, composition ⿱土寸(GJKV) or ⿱士寸(HT))

Alternative forms

Note that in Japanese, Korean and Simplified Chinese scripts, the top half of the character is 土 (instead of 士 as seen in Traditional Chinese), which is also the historical form found in the Kangxi Dictionary.

Derived characters

侍, 𠱾, 𭎒, 峙, 待, 持, 洔, 𮥂, 恃, 時(时), 㭙, 𭷅, 歭, 特, 畤, 𪿚, 秲, 𥩳, 𥹩, 𫊵, 𧠴, 𫸺, 詩(诗), 䝰, 跱, 𣊒, 𩶬, 𪀔, 鼭, 𫅌, 𪗺
邿, 𪰛, 𪧸, 䓁, 㫭, 等, 𫴶, 庤, 痔, 䦙

References

Kangxi Dictionary: page 293, character 33
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 7414
Dae Jaweon: page 581, character 8
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 503, character 11
Unihan data for U 5BFA

Chinese

trad.		寺
simp. ^#		寺

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 寺
Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

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

	Old Chinese
等	tɯːʔ, tɯːŋʔ
待	*dɯːʔ
寺	*ljɯs
持	*l'ɯ
峙	*dɯʔ
痔	*dɯʔ
跱	*dɯʔ
歭	*dɯʔ
洔	dɯʔ, tjɯʔ
畤	dɯʔ, tjɯʔ, *djɯʔ
秲	dɯʔ, djɯs
庤	*dɯʔ
時	*djɯ
鰣	*djɯ
塒	*djɯ
蒔	djɯ, djɯs
榯	*djɯ
恃	*djɯʔ
侍	*djɯs
詩	*hljɯ
邿	*hljɯ
特	*dɯːɡ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ljɯs) : phonetic 𡳿 (OC *tjɯ, “to go”) semantic 又 (“hand”) – to grasp, to hold. Phonetic 𡳿 (之), which represents a footprint pointing up, became 土 or 士 in the clerical script from the late Western Han to the Eastern Han, and semantic 又 become 寸 in Small Seal Script. The derivative 持 (OC *l'ɯ) refers to the original word.

The character was often used in the place of a more specialized form. For example, in the Chu Silk Manuscript (see table above) it clearly stood for 時 (OC *djɯ, “season”).

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Pronunciation 1

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): sì (si⁴)

(Zhuyin): ㄙˋ

(Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): сы (sɨ, III)
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): zi⁶ / zi^6-2

(Taishan, Wiktionary): du⁵ / du^5*
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): sṳ
Eastern Min (BUC): sê
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): sī / sū / sīr

(Teochew, Peng'im): ri⁷
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶zy

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)
  - Hanyu Pinyin: sì
  - Zhuyin: ㄙˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: sìh
  - Wade–Giles: ssŭ⁴
  - Yale: sz̀
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: syh
  - Palladius: сы (sy)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sz̩⁵¹/
- (Dungan)
  - Cyrillic and Wiktionary: сы (sɨ, III)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sz̩⁴⁴/
  (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: zi⁶ / zi^6-2
  - Yale: jih / jí
  - Cantonese Pinyin: dzi⁶ / dzi^6-2
  - Guangdong Romanization: ji⁶ / ji^6-2
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡siː²²/, /t͡siː²²⁻³⁵/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: du⁵ / du^5*
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tu³²/, /tu³²⁻³²⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: sṳ
  - Hakka Romanization System: sii
  - Hagfa Pinyim: si⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /sɨ⁵⁵/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: sê
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɛi²⁴²/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sī
  - Tâi-lô: sī
  - Phofsit Daibuun: si
  - IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /si³³/
  - IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang): /si⁴¹/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /si²²/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sū
  - Tâi-lô: sū
  - Phofsit Daibuun: su
  - IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /su³³/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /su²²/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sīr
  - Tâi-lô: sīr
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /sɯ⁴¹/

Note:

sī - vernacular;
sū/sīr - literary.

(Teochew)
- Peng'im: ri⁷
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: jī
- Sinological IPA ^(key): /d͡zi¹¹/

Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁶zy
  - MiniDict: zy^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³zr
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /zz̩²³/

Middle Chinese: ziH

Rime
Character	寺
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	邪 (17)
Final (韻)	之 (19)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	祥吏切
Baxter	ziH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/zɨ^H/
Pan Wuyun	/zɨ^H/
Shao Rongfen	/zie^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/zɨ^H/
Li Rong	/ziə^H/
Wang Li	/zĭə^H/
Bernhard Karlgren	/zi^H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	sì
Expected Cantonese Reflex	zi⁶

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*s-[d]əʔ-s/

(Zhengzhang): /*ljɯs/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	寺
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	sì
Middle Chinese	‹ zi^H ›
Old Chinese	/*s-[d]əʔ-s/
English	hall
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	寺
Reading #	1/1
No.	12030
Phonetic component	寺
Rime group	之
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	寺
Old Chinese	/*ljɯs/
Notes	說文之聲，文源雲象手持

Definitions

寺

(historical) government court; office (before the Han dynasty)
大理寺 ― Dàlǐsì ― Court of Judicature and Revision
(Buddhism) temple; monastery
白馬寺／白马寺 ― Báimǎsì ― White Horse Temple

少林寺 ― Shàolínsì ― Shaolin Monastery

哲蚌寺 ― Zhébàngsì ― Drepung Monastery
place of worship; shrine
清真寺 ― qīngzhēnsì ― mosque

仙鶴寺／仙鹤寺 ― Xiānhèsì ― Crane Mosque

西敏寺 ― Xīmǐnsì ― Westminster Abbey
(obsolete) Original form of 持 (chí, “to hold; to grasp”).
a surname

Usage notes

Not used for places of worship of Taoism and Chinese folk religion.

Synonyms

(temple):

edit

佛寺 (fósì) (Buddhist temple)
宮廟／宫庙 (Hokkien, Teochew)
寶剎／宝刹 (bǎochà) (Buddhist temple)
寺廟／寺庙 (sìmiào)
尪廟／尪庙 (Zhangzhou Hokkien)
廟／庙 (miào)
廟宇／庙宇 (miàoyǔ)
廟寺／庙寺 (Taiwanese Hokkien)
梵宇 (fànyǔ) (literary, Buddhist temple)
禪寺／禅寺 (chánsì) (Buddhist temple)
禪寺／禅寺 (chánsì) (Buddhist temple)
禪房／禅房 (chánfáng) (Buddhist temple)
禪林／禅林 (chánlín) (Buddhist temple)
禪院／禅院 (chányuàn) (Buddhist temple)

Compounds

佛寺 (fósì)
光祿寺／光禄寺
化度寺碑
南菊寺 (Nánjúsì)
古寺
團山寺／团山寺 (Tuánshānsì)
地藏寺
大招寺
大理寺
大相國寺／大相国寺
太常寺 (Tàichángsì)
婦寺／妇寺 (fùsì)
安福寺 (Ānfúsì)
寒山寺
寶月寺／宝月寺 (Bǎoyuèsì)
寺人 (sìrén)
寺卿
寺坪 (Sìpíng)
寺庫／寺库
寺廟／寺庙 (sìmiào)
寺舍
寺院 (sìyuàn)
少林寺 (Shàolínsì)
左溪寺 (Zuǒxīsì)
布達拉寺／布达拉寺
庵寺
慈恩寺
普救寺
普濟寺／普济寺
棘寺
水月寺 (Shuǐyuèsì)
法源寺
法門寺／法门寺
清真寺 (qīngzhēnsì)
炳靈寺／炳灵寺
白馬寺／白马寺 (Báimǎsì)
監寺／监寺
知寺
破山寺
碧雲寺／碧云寺 (Bìyúnsì)
福田寺 (Fútiánsì)
禪寺／禅寺 (chánsì)
禮拜寺／礼拜寺 (lǐbàisì)
紅寺堡／红寺堡 (Hóngsìbǔ, “Hongsibu”)
紅岩寺／红岩寺 (Hóngyánsì)
花林寺 (Huālínsì)
蕭寺／萧寺
藏寺
西敏寺 (Xīmǐnsì)
貂寺
都寺
金山寺
門古寺／门古寺 (Méngǔsì)
閽寺／阍寺
閹寺／阉寺 (yānsì)
雲林寺／云林寺
章田寺 (Zhāngtiánsì)
顓褚寺／颛褚寺 (Zhuānchǔsì)
鴻臚寺／鸿胪寺
麓山寺碑
龍山寺／龙山寺 (Lóngshānsì)
龍藏寺碑／龙藏寺碑

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (寺):

→ Japanese: 寺(じ) (ji)
→ Korean: 사(寺) (sa)

Pronunciation 2

Mandarin
(Pinyin): shì, sì (shi⁴, si⁴)

(Zhuyin): ㄕˋ, ㄙˋ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, Mainland)
  - Hanyu Pinyin: shì
  - Zhuyin: ㄕˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: shìh
  - Wade–Giles: shih⁴
  - Yale: shr̀
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shyh
  - Palladius: ши (ši)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʂʐ̩⁵¹/
- (Standard Chinese, Taiwan)
  - Hanyu Pinyin: sì
  - Zhuyin: ㄙˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: sìh
  - Wade–Giles: ssŭ⁴
  - Yale: sz̀
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: syh
  - Palladius: сы (sy)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sz̩⁵¹/

Definitions

寺

(obsolete) internal court official, especially a eunuch

Japanese

Kanji

寺

(Second grade kyōiku kanji)

(Buddhism) temple

Readings

Go-on: じ (ji, Jōyō)
Kan-on: し (shi)
Kun: てら (tera, 寺, Jōyō)

Compounds

誕(たん)生(じょう)寺(じ) (Tanjō-ji): Tanjō-ji, Tanjō Temple: any of various Buddhist temples or places in Japan
寺(じ)域(いき) (jīki): the grounds of a temple
寺(じ)印(いん) (jīn): the official stamp or seal of a Buddhist temple
寺(じ)院(いん) (jīn): a Buddhist temple
寺(じ)社(しゃ) (jisha): temples and shrines

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
寺
てら Grade: 2
kun'yomi

From Old Japanese. Appears in the Nihon Shoki of 720 CE,^[1] and in the Man'yōshū, completed some time after 759 CE.^[2]

There are various theories regarding the ultimate derivation.

Some sources^[3]^[4] derive Japanese tera from an ancestor of Middle Korean 졀 (jeol) (likely Baekje). This is from earlier 뎔 (dyeol, “temple”) and is the nativised reading of 찰 (刹, chal, “Buddhist temple”) below, deriving in turn from Middle Chinese 剎 (MC tsrhaet), shortened from 剎多羅 (MC tsrhaet ta la, “Buddhist monastery, temple or shrine”), borrowed from Sanskrit क्षेत्र (kṣetra, “land, area, domain”), from Proto-Indo-Aryan *ṭṣáytram, from Proto-Indo-Iranian *ćšáytram, from Proto-Indo-European *tḱéytrom.
Other sources^[5] describe Japanese tera as cognate with modern Korean 찰 (刹, chal, “temple”), appearing as a component in terms such as 선찰 (禪刹, seonchal, “Zen temple”), 사찰 (寺刹, sachal, “Buddhist temple”).
Another derivation^[4]^[5] is given as Pali thera (“elders”) in reference to the monks.

Considering the phonetic development in Korean, the avenues for transmission of Buddhist terms to Japan, and the consistent temple sense of the Japanese term throughout recorded history, the now-obsolete Korean 뎔 (dyeol, “temple”) may be a more likely source than Pali thera (“elders”).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) てら [tèráꜜ] (Odaka – [2])^[3]^[6]^[7]
(Tokyo) てら [tèrá] (Heiban – [0])^[3]
IPA^(key): [te̞ɾa̠]

Noun

寺(てら) • (tera) (counter 軒)

(chiefly Buddhism) a temple

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
寺
じ Grade: 2
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 寺 (MC ziH).

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [d͡ʑi]

The pitch accent depends on the suffixed term.

Suffix

寺(じ) • (-ji)

(chiefly Buddhism) a temple

References

^ “寺”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
^
c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 16, poem 3822:
, text here
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
↑ ^4.0 ^4.1 Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN
↑ ^5.0 ^5.1 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
^ 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
^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Korean

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Middle Korean readings, if any”)

Pronunciation

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [sʰa̠]
Phonetic hangul: [사]

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

寺

Wikisource

寺 (eumhun 절 사 (jeol sa))

hanja form^? of 사 (“temple”)

Compounds

寺刹 (사찰, sachal)

Vietnamese

Han character

寺: Hán Nôm readings: tự, chùa

Buddhist monastery

[KDJ2-1] “寺”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎^[1] (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006

[2] 
c. 759, Man’yōshū, book 16, poem 3822:
, text here

[DJR-3] 3.0 ^3.1 ^3.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[DJS-4] 4.0 ^4.1 Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[KDJ-5] 5.0 ^5.1 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[NHK-6] 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

[SMK5-7] Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

寺

Contents

Translingual

Han character

Alternative forms

Derived characters

References

Chinese

Glyph origin

Etymology

Pronunciation 1

Definitions

Usage notes

Synonyms

Compounds

Descendants

Pronunciation 2

Definitions

Further reading

Japanese

Kanji

Readings

Compounds

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Noun

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Suffix

References

Korean

Etymology

Pronunciation

Hanja

Compounds

Vietnamese

Han character