偉

Translingual

Japanese	偉
Simplified	伟
Traditional	偉

Alternative forms

In Japanese kanji, the bottom component of 韋 is written ヰ with four strokes. In Traditional Chinese, the bottom component is written 㐄 with three strokes.

Han character

偉 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+9 in Chinese, 人+10 in Japanese, 11 strokes in Chinese, 12 strokes in Japanese, cangjie input 人木一手 (ODMQ), four-corner 2425₆, composition ⿰亻韋)

Derived characters

𬎉, 𬿭, 𫉔

Related characters

伟 (Simplified Chinese)

References

Kangxi Dictionary: page 110, character 5
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 837
Dae Jaweon: page 234, character 2
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 198, character 4
Unihan data for U+5049

Chinese

trad.		偉
simp.		伟

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 偉
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Small seal script s05691 Transcribed ancient scripts L34579 L34580 L34581 L34582 L15287 L15288 L15289 L15290
References: Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation), which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including: Shuowen Jiezi (small seal), Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions), Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).

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

	Old Chinese
禕	*qral
郼	*qʷɯl
褘	*qʰʷɯl
諱	*qʰʷɯls
媁	qʷɯl, ɢʷɯlʔ
幃	*ɢʷɯl
違	*ɢʷɯl
圍	ɢʷɯl, ɢʷɯls
韋	*ɢʷɯl
闈	*ɢʷɯl
湋	*ɢʷɯl
鍏	ɢʷɯl, ɢʷɯlʔ
潿	*ɢɯl
韙	*ɢʷɯlʔ
煒	*ɢʷɯlʔ
暐	*ɢʷɯlʔ
偉	*ɢʷɯlʔ
瑋	*ɢʷɯlʔ
葦	*ɢʷɯlʔ
椲	*ɢʷɯlʔ
韡	*ɢʷɯlʔ
愇	*ɢʷɯlʔ
緯	*ɢʷɯls

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ɢʷɯlʔ) : semantic 亻 + phonetic 韋 (OC *ɢʷɯl).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): wěi (wei³)

(Zhuyin): ㄨㄟˇ
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): wai⁵

(Taishan, Wiktionary): vei²
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): vî

(Meixian, Guangdong): vi³
Northern Min (KCR): ṳ̌
Eastern Min (BUC): ūi
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): úi

(Teochew, Peng'im): ui²

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: wěi
  - Zhuyin: ㄨㄟˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: wěi
  - Wade–Giles: wei³
  - Yale: wěi
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: woei
  - Palladius: вэй (vɛj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /weɪ̯²¹⁴/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: wai⁵
  - Yale: wáih
  - Cantonese Pinyin: wai⁵
  - Guangdong Romanization: wei⁵
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /wɐi̯¹³/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: vei²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /vei⁵⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: vî
  - Hakka Romanization System: vi´
  - Hagfa Pinyim: vi¹
  - Sinological IPA: /vi²⁴/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: vi³
  - Sinological IPA: /ʋi³¹/
Northern Min
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: ṳ̌
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /y²¹/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: ūi
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ui³³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: úi
  - Tâi-lô: uí
  - Phofsit Daibuun: uie
  - IPA (Xiamen): /ui⁵³/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /ui⁵⁵⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /ui⁵³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /ui⁵³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /ui⁴¹/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: ui²
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: úi
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ui⁵²/

Middle Chinese: hjw+jX

Rime
Character	偉
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	云 (35)
Final (韻)	微 (21)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	于鬼切
Baxter	hjw+jX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɦʉi^X/
Pan Wuyun	/ɦʷɨi^X/
Shao Rongfen	/ɣiuəi^X/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɦuj^X/
Li Rong	/ɣiuəi^X/
Wang Li	/ɣĭwəi^X/
Bernard Karlgren	/we̯i^X/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	wěi
Expected Cantonese Reflex	wai⁵

Old Chinese
(Zhengzhang): /*ɢʷɯlʔ/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	偉
Reading #	1/1
No.	12825
Phonetic component	韋
Rime group	微
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	韙
Old Chinese	/*ɢʷɯlʔ/

Definitions

偉

extraordinary; magnificent; great; robust

Antonyms

庸 (yōng), 凡 (fán)

Compounds

Japanese

Shinjitai	偉
Kyūjitai ^[1]	偉󠄃 偉+`󠄃`^? (Hanyo-Denshi) (Moji_Joho)
The displayed kanji may be different from the image due to your environment. See here for details.

Kanji

偉

(Jōyō kanji)

admirable

Readings

Go-on: い (i, Jōyō)^{←ゐ (wi, historical)}
Kan-on: い (i, Jōyō)^{←ゐ (wi, historical)}
Kun: えらい (erai, 偉い, Jōyō); すぐれる (sugureru, 偉れる); えらぶる (eraburu, 偉ぶる); ひいでる (hīderu)
Nanori: いさむ (isamu); えら (era); おおい (ōi); たけ (take); より (yori)

Etymology

Kanji in this term
偉
い Grade: S
on'yomi

/wi/ → /i/

From Middle Chinese 偉 (MC hjw+jX).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) い [íꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])^[2]
IPA^(key): [i]

Noun

偉(い) • (i) ^{←ゐ (wi)^?}

(literary) greatness

Adjective

偉(い) • (i) ^{←ゐ (wi)^?}-na (adnominal 偉(い)な (i na), adverbial 偉(い)に (i ni))

(literary) great

Inflection

Inflection of 偉

Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形)	偉だろ	いだろ	i daro
Continuative (連用形)	偉で	いで	i de
Terminal (終止形)	偉だ	いだ	i da
Attributive (連体形)	偉な	いな	i na
Hypothetical (仮定形)	偉なら	いなら	i nara
Imperative (命令形)	偉であれ	いであれ	i de are
Key constructions
Informal negative	偉ではない偉じゃない	いではないいじゃない	i de wa nai i ja nai
Informal past	偉だった	いだった	i datta
Informal negative past	偉ではなかった偉じゃなかった	いではなかったいじゃなかった	i de wa nakatta i ja nakatta
Formal	偉です	いです	i desu
Formal negative	偉ではありません偉じゃありません	いではありませんいじゃありません	i de wa arimasen i ja arimasen
Formal past	偉でした	いでした	i deshita
Formal negative past	偉ではありませんでした偉じゃありませんでした	いではありませんでしたいじゃありませんでした	i de wa arimasen deshita i ja arimasen deshita
Conjunctive	偉で	いで	i de
Conditional	偉なら（ば）	いなら（ば）	i nara (ba)
Provisional	偉だったら	��だったら	i dattara
Volitional	偉だろう	いだろう	i darō
Adverbial	偉に	いに	i ni
Degree	偉さ	いさ	isa

Affix

偉(い) • (i) ^{←ゐ (wi)^?}

great, excellent, magnificent, extraordinary

Derived terms

References

^ “偉”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2024
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Korean

Hanja

偉 (eumhun 훌륭할 위 (hullyunghal wi))

hanja form^? of 위 (“to be extraordinary”)

Compounds

위대 (偉大, widae, “greatness”)

Vietnamese

Han character

偉: Hán Nôm readings: vĩ, vỉ

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

Derived terms

[1] “偉”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2024

[DJR-2] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[1]