燕

See also: 鷰

燕	U+71D5, 燕 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-71D5

← 燔
[U+71D4]

CJK Unified Ideographs

燖 →
[U+71D6]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

燕 (Kangxi radical 86, 火+12, 16 strokes, cangjie input 廿中心火 (TLPF), four-corner 4433₁, composition ⿳廿⿴北口灬)

Derived characters

嚥嬿曣臙觾讌(䜩) 醼驠酀䴏㬫𭗬𭣅𫿲𣟛𤃇𤒈𤫇𥍂𥗕𥽫𧔦𨇟𨯧𨽞𮩘𩽒𫋩𮨤𥷀𡤈𪈏𤓨

References

Kangxi Dictionary: page 683, character 16
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 19429
Dae Jaweon: page 1095, character 13
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 2239, character 6
Unihan data for U+71D5

Chinese

trad.		燕
simp. ^#		燕
2nd round simp.		𱍥
alternative forms		鷰／燕觾

Glyph origin

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

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

	Old Chinese
燕	qeːn, qeːns
驠	qeːn, qeːns
嬿	qeːnʔ, qeːns
鷰	*qeːns
醼	*qeːns
讌	*qeːns
嚥	*qeːns
酀	*qeːns

Pictogram (象形) – a swallow.

Etymology 1

Possibly related to 鳦 (OC *qriːd, *qrid) (Wang, 1982). Some have connected it with 咽 (OC *qiːns, “to swallow”), but it is unlikely to be related (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): yàn (yan⁴)

(Zhuyin): ㄧㄢˋ
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): jin³ / jin^3-2

(Taishan, Wiktionary): yen⁴ / yen¹
Gan (Wiktionary): ien³ / ien⁴
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): yen / yan

(Meixian, Guangdong): yan⁴
Jin (Wiktionary): ie³
Northern Min (KCR): i̿ng
Eastern Min (BUC): iéng
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): ìⁿ / iàn

(Teochew, Peng'im): in³ / iang³ / iêng³
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁵i

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: yàn
  - Zhuyin: ㄧㄢˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: yàn
  - Wade–Giles: yen⁴
  - Yale: yàn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yann
  - Palladius: янь (janʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɛn⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: jin³ / jin^3-2
  - Yale: yin / yín
  - Cantonese Pinyin: jin³ / jin^3-2
  - Guangdong Romanization: yin³ / yin^3-2
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jiːn³³/, /jiːn³³⁻³⁵/

Note:

jin3 - “swallow”;
jin3-2 - “shuttlecock”.

(Taishanese, Taicheng)
- Wiktionary: yen⁴ / yen¹
- Sinological IPA ^(key): /jen²¹/, /jen³³/

Note:

yen4 - “swallow”;
yen1 - “shuttlecock”.

Gan
- (Nanchang)
  - Wiktionary: ien³ / ien⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /iɛn²¹³/, /iɛn³⁵/
Hakka
- (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yen
  - Hakka Romanization System: ien
  - Hagfa Pinyim: yan⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /i̯en⁵⁵/
- (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yan
  - Hakka Romanization System: (r)ian
  - Hagfa Pinyim: yan⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /(j)i̯an⁵⁵/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: yan⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /ian⁵³/
Jin
- (Taiyuan)⁺
  - Wiktionary: ie³
  - Sinological IPA (old-style): /ie⁴⁵/
Northern Min
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: i̿ng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /iŋ³³/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: iéng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /iɛŋ²¹³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ìⁿ / iàn
  - Tâi-lô: ìnn / iàn
  - Phofsit Daibuun: vix, iexn
  - IPA (Xiamen): /ĩ²¹/, /iɛn²¹/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /ĩ⁴¹/, /iɛn⁴¹/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /ĩ²¹/, /iɛn²¹/
  - IPA (Taipei): /ĩ¹¹/, /iɛn¹¹/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /ĩ²¹/, /iɛn²¹/

Note:

ìⁿ - vernacular;
iàn - literary.

(Teochew)
- Peng'im: in³ / iang³ / iêng³
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: ìⁿ / iàng / ièng
- Sinological IPA ^(key): /ĩ²¹³/, /iaŋ²¹³/, /ieŋ²¹³/

Note:

in3 - vernacular;
iang3/iêng3 - literary (iêng3 - Chaozhou).

Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁵i
  - MiniDict: i^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ²i
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /i³⁴/

Middle Chinese: 'enH

Rime
Character	燕
Reading #	2/2
Initial (聲)	影 (34)
Final (韻)	先 (85)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	IV
Fanqie	於甸切
Baxter	'enH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ʔen^H/
Pan Wuyun	/ʔen^H/
Shao Rongfen	/ʔɛn^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ʔɛn^H/
Li Rong	/ʔen^H/
Wang Li	/ien^H/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ʔien^H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	yàn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	jin³

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*ʔˤe[n]-s/

(Zhengzhang): /*qeːns/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	燕
Reading #	1/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	yàn
Middle Chinese	‹ ʔen^H ›
Old Chinese	/*ʔˁe[n]-s/
English	swallow (n.)
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	燕
Reading #	2/2
No.	14443
Phonetic component	燕
Rime group	元
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	宴
Old Chinese	/*qeːns/

Definitions

燕

swallow (family Hirundinidae) or swift (family Apodidae)
(dialectal) shuttlecock used in jianzi
Alternative form: 毽

Usage notes

To distinguish the two families of birds, swifts are also called 雨燕 (yǔyàn).

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 燕子 (“swallow (bird)”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		燕, 玄鳥
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		燕子
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	小燕兒, 燕子
	Taiwan	燕子
	Harbin	燕子
	Singapore	燕子
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	燕子
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	燕兒
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	燕子, 小燕兒
	Wanrong	燕兒
	Xi'an	燕子, 小燕子, 燕兒, 小燕兒
	Xuzhou	小燕兒, 小燕子, 燕子
	Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan)	燕雞子, 燕雞兒, 燕雞雞
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	燕嘰子
Lanyin Mandarin	Ürümqi	燕雞子
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	燕子
	Wuhan	燕子
	Guiyang	燕子
	Liuzhou	燕子, 燕子鳥
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	燕子, 小燕子
	Yangzhou	燕子
	Hefei	燕子, 小燕子
Cantonese	Guangzhou	燕子
	Hong Kong	燕子
	Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)	燕子
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)	燕子
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	燕仔
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	燕子
	Macau	燕
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	燕子
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	燕子
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	燕子仔
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	燕子
	Foshan	燕子
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	燕
	Foshan (Shunde)	燕
	Foshan (Sanshui)	燕子
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	燕
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	燕
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	燕子
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	燕子
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	燕子
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	燕子
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	燕子
	Taishan	燕子
	Kaiping (Chikan)	燕子
	Enping (Niujiang)	燕子
	Heshan (Yayao)	燕子
	Dongguan	燕仔
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	燕仔
	Yangjiang	燕子, 燕雀
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	燕子
Gan	Nanchang	燕子
	Lichuan	燕兒
	Pingxiang	燕子
Hakka	Meixian	燕仔
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	燕
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	燕仔
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	燕仔
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	燕仔
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	燕仔
	Yudu	燕子
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	燕仔
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	燕仔
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	燕仔
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	燕
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	燕仔, 燕
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	燕
	Hong Kong	燕仔
	Senai (Huiyang)	燕仔
Huizhou	Jixi	燕
Jin	Taiyuan	燕子, 小燕兒, 燕兒
Jin	Xinzhou	燕兒
Northern Min	Jian'ou	燕仔
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	燕, 燕鳥
Southern Min	Xiamen	燕仔
	Quanzhou	燕仔
	Jinjiang	燕仔
	Zhangzhou	燕仔
	Zhao'an	燕仔
	Taipei	燕仔
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	燕仔
	Kaohsiung	燕仔
	Yilan	燕仔鳥
	Changhua (Lukang)	燕仔
	Taichung	燕仔
	Tainan	燕仔
	Hsinchu	燕仔
	Kinmen	烏燕仔
	Penghu (Magong)	燕仔
	Chaozhou	燕鳥
	Jieyang	燕鳥, 燕
	Bangkok (Teochew)	燕子
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	燕鳥
	Leizhou	燕鳥
	Haikou	燕鳥
Puxian Min	Putian	燕鳥
	Putian (Donghai, Chengxiang)	燕鳥
	Putian (Jiangkou, Hanjiang)	燕鳥
	Putian (Nanri, Xiuyu)	燕鳥
	Xianyou	燕鳥
	Xianyou (Fengting)	燕鳥
	Xianyou (Youyang)	燕鳥
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	燕鳥
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	燕子
Wu	Shanghai	燕子
	Shanghai (Chongming)	燕子
	Suzhou	燕子
	Danyang	燕子
	Hangzhou	燕子
	Ningbo	燕子
	Wenzhou	燕兒
	Jinhua	燕, 子燕
Xiang	Changsha	燕子
	Loudi	燕子
	Shuangfeng	燕子

Dialectal synonyms of 毽子 (“shuttlecock used in jianzi”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		毽子
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	毽子, 毽兒
	Taiwan	毽子
	Chengde	毽子, 毽兒
	Chifeng	毽子, 毽兒
	Hulunbuir (Hailar)	毽兒
	Heihe	毽子
	Qiqihar	毽子
	Harbin	毽子
	Jiamusi	毽兒
	Baicheng	毽子, 毽兒
	Changchun	毽兒
	Tonghua	毽子
	Shenyang	毽子, 毽球兒
	Jinzhou	毽子, 毽兒
Jilu Mandarin	Tianjin	翹兒
	Tangshan	毽兒
	Cangzhou	毽子, 毽兒
	Baoding	毽兒
	Shijiazhuang	毽兒
	Jinan	毽子
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Dalian	毽兒
	Dandong	毽子, 毽兒
	Yantai	毽兒
	Yantai (Muping)	毽兒
	Qingdao	毽兒
	Zhucheng	毽子
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	毽兒
	Lingbao	毽子
	Jining	毽子
	Wanrong	毽子
	Linfen	雞毛毽子
	Shangqiu	毽子, 毽兒
	Yuanyang	毽兒
	Zhengzhou	毽兒
	Xinyang	毽子
	Baihe	毽兒
	Xi'an	毽子
	Baoji	毽子
	Tianshui	毽子
	Xining	毽子
	Xuzhou	毛毽兒, 毽子
	Fuyang	毽子
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	毽子
	Lanzhou	毽子
	Dunhuang	毽子
	Hami	毽子
	Ürümqi	毽子
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	毽兒, 雞毛毽兒
	Nanchong	毽子
	Dazhou	毽兒
	Hanyuan	毽子
	Xichang	毽兒
	Zigong	毽兒
	Chongqing	毽兒
	Wuhan	毽垛, 毽兜
	Yichang	毽子, 毽兜
	Xiangyang	毽, 毽兜兒
	Tianmen	毽子
	Guiyang	毽, 毽子
	Zunyi	毽子, 毽兒
	Bijie	毽子
	Liping	毽子
	Zhaotong	毽子
	Dali	毽子
	Kunming	毽子
	Mengzi	雞毛毽兒
	Guilin	燕子
	Liuzhou	毽子
	Jishou	燕兒
	Changde	毽兒
	Hanzhong	毽子, 毽
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	毽子, 毽兒
	Yangzhou	毽子
	Lianyungang	毽子
	Lianshui	毽子
	Nantong	毽子
	Anqing	毽子
	Wuhu	毽子
	Hefei	毽子
	Hong'an	毽
Cantonese	Guangzhou	燕
	Hong Kong	燕
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)	燕
	Macau	燕
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	燕
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	燕
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	燕
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	燕
	Foshan	燕
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	燕
	Foshan (Shunde)	燕
	Foshan (Sanshui)	燕
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	燕子
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	燕
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	燕
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	燕
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	燕子
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	皮燕
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	燕子
	Taishan	雞毛燕
	Kaiping (Chikan)	雞毛燕
	Enping (Niujiang)	雞毛燕
	Heshan (Yayao)	燕子
	Dongguan	燕
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	燕
Gan	Nanchang	燕子
	Lichuan	燕兒
	Pingxiang	燕坨
Hakka	Meixian	燕仔
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	燕
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	燕仔
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	燕仔
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	燕
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	雞毛燕
	Yudu	燕子
Huizhou	Jixi	毽
Huizhou	Shexian	毽
Jin	Taiyuan	毽子
	Yangyuan	毽子, 毽兒
	Datong	毛兒
	Xinzhou	毛兒
	Lüliang (Lishi)	毽毽
	Changzhi	毽子
	Linhe	毛兒毽子
	Jining	毽子
	Hohhot	毽子
	Erenhot	毽子
	Pingshan	毽子, 毽兒
	Zhangjiakou	毽子
	Handan	毽子
	Linzhou	毽兒
	Suide	毽子
Northern Min	Jian'ou	球
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	毽
Southern Min	Xiamen	毽
	Tainan	毽子
	Shantou	毽
	Haikou	毽子
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	燕
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	燕子
Wu	Shanghai	毽子
	Shanghai (Chongming)	毽子
	Suzhou	毽子
	Danyang	毽子
	Hangzhou	毽子
	Ningbo	燕子
	Wenzhou	毽子
	Jinhua	毽兒, 球
Xiang	Changsha	燕子, 毽子

Compounds

Descendants

→ Proto-Tai: *ʔeːnᴮ
- Proto-Southwestern Tai: *ʔɛːnᴮ

Etymology 2

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

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): Yān (Yan¹)

(Zhuyin): ㄧㄢ
Cantonese (Jyutping): jin¹
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): yen / yan
Eastern Min (BUC): iĕng
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): ian

(Teochew, Peng'im): iang¹ / iêng¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: Yān
  - Zhuyin: ㄧㄢ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: Yan
  - Wade–Giles: Yen¹
  - Yale: Yān
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Ian
  - Palladius: Янь (Janʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɛn⁵⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: jin¹
  - Yale: yīn
  - Cantonese Pinyin: jin¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: yin¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jiːn⁵⁵/
Hakka
- (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yen
  - Hakka Romanization System: ien
  - Hagfa Pinyim: yan⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /i̯en⁵⁵/
- (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: yan
  - Hakka Romanization System: (r)ian
  - Hagfa Pinyim: yan⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /(j)i̯an⁵⁵/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: iĕng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ieŋ⁵⁵/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ian
  - Tâi-lô: ian
  - Phofsit Daibuun: iefn
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /iɛn³³/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /iɛn⁴⁴/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: iang¹ / iêng¹
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: iang / ieng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /iaŋ³³/, /ieŋ³³/

Note:

iang1 - Shantou;
iêng3 - Chaozhou.

Middle Chinese: 'en

Rime
Character	燕
Reading #	1/2
Initial (聲)	影 (34)
Final (韻)	先 (85)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	IV
Fanqie	烏前切
Baxter	'en
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ʔen/
Pan Wuyun	/ʔen/
Shao Rongfen	/ʔɛn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ʔɛn/
Li Rong	/ʔen/
Wang Li	/ien/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ʔien/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	yān
Expected Cantonese Reflex	jin¹

Old Chinese
(Zhengzhang): /*qeːn/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	燕
Reading #	1/2
No.	14440
Phonetic component	燕
Rime group	元
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	煙
Old Chinese	/*qeːn/

Definitions

燕

(historical) Yan, an ancient march, duchy, and kingdom of northeastern China during the Zhou dynasty
(historical) the four Yan kingdoms of the Sixteen Kingdoms
northern Hebei
- 燕草如碧絲，秦桑低綠枝。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
  燕草如碧丝，秦桑低绿枝。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
  From: 8th century, Li Bai, 春思
  Yān cǎo rú bì sī, Qín sāng dī lǜ zhī. [Pinyin]
  (please add an English translation of this usage example)
a surname

Compounds

Descendants

→ English: Yan, Yen

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): yàn (yan⁴)

(Zhuyin): ㄧㄢˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): jin³

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: yàn
  - Zhuyin: ㄧㄢˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: yàn
  - Wade–Giles: yen⁴
  - Yale: yàn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yann
  - Palladius: янь (janʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɛn⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: jin³
  - Yale: yin
  - Cantonese Pinyin: jin³
  - Guangdong Romanization: yin³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /jiːn³³/

Middle Chinese: 'enH

Rime
Character	燕
Reading #	2/2
Initial (聲)	影 (34)
Final (韻)	先 (85)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	IV
Fanqie	於甸切
Baxter	'enH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ʔen^H/
Pan Wuyun	/ʔen^H/
Shao Rongfen	/ʔɛn^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ʔɛn^H/
Li Rong	/ʔen^H/
Wang Li	/ien^H/
Bernhard Karlgren	/ʔien^H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	yàn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	jin³

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*ʔˤe[n]-s/

(Zhengzhang): /*qeːns/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	燕
Reading #	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	yàn
Middle Chinese	‹ ʔen^H ›
Old Chinese	/*ʔˁe[n]-s/
English	feast
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	燕
Reading #	2/2
No.	14443
Phonetic component	燕
Rime group	元
Rime subdivision	2
Corresponding MC rime	宴
Old Chinese	/*qeːns/

Definitions

燕

(obsolete) Alternative form of 宴 (yàn, “to feast”)

Japanese

Kanji

燕

(Jinmeiyō kanji)

swallow

Readings

Go-on: えん (en)
Kan-on: えん (en)
Kun: つばめ (tsubame, 燕)、さかもり (sakamori, 燕)、くつろぐ (kutsurogu, 燕ぐ)、つばくら (tsubakura, 燕)、つばくろ (tsubakuro, 燕)、つばくらめ (tsubakurame, 燕)
Nanori: やすし (yasushi)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
燕
つばくらめ Jinmeiyō
kun'yomi

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) つばくらめ [tsùbákúꜜràmè] (Nakadaka – [3])^[1]^[2]
(Tokyo) つばくらめ [tsùbákúráꜜmè] (Nakadaka – [4])^[1]
IPA^(key): [t͡sɨba̠kɯ̟ɾa̠me̞]

Noun

燕(つばくらめ) • (tsubakurame)

a swallow (bird)
- c. 890: Taketori Monogatari (page 11)
  石上(いそのかみ)の(の)中納言(ちゅうなごん)には、燕(つばくらめ)の持(も)たる子安(こやす)のかい、ひとつ取(と)りて賜(たま)へ
  Isonokami no chūnagon niwa, tsubakurame no motaru koyasu nokai, hitotsu torite tamahe
  To the Isonokami Counselor [she said] please obtain a cowrie shell which is possessed by a swallow.
- 938, Minamoto no Shitagō, Wamyō Ruijushō, volume 7, page 29:
  是我邦所謂豆波久良米也
  This is what is called a swallow in my country

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
燕
つばめ Jinmeiyō
kun'yomi

ツバメ on Japanese Wikipedia

Wikispecies has information on:

Hirundo rustica

Wikispecies

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) つばめ [tsùbámé] (Heiban – [0])^[1]^[2]^[3]
IPA^(key): [t͡sɨba̠me̞]

Noun

燕(つばめ) or 燕(ツバメ) • (tsubame)

a barn swallow

Usage notes

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as ツバメ.

Derived terms

雨(アマ)燕(ツバメ) (amatsubame)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
燕
つばめ Jinmeiyō
kun'yomi

Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:

燕市

Wikipedia ^ja

Pronunciation

(Tōkyō) つばめ [tsúꜜbàmè] (Atamadaka – [1])
(Tsubame) つばめ [tsùbáꜜmè] (Nakadaka – [2])
IPA^(key): [t͡sɨba̠me̞]

Proper noun

燕(つばめ) • (Tsubame)

Tsubame (a city in Niigata Prefecture, Japan)

References

Horiuchi, Hideaki with Ken Akiyama (1997) Taketori Monogatari, Ise Monogatari, Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
Minamoto, Shitagō with Kyōto Daigaku Bungakubu Kokugogaku Kokubungaku Kenkyūshitu (931–938) Shohon Shūsei Wamyō Ruijushō: Honbunhen (in Japanese), Kyōto: Rinsen, published 1968, →ISBN.
“燕”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2024

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 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

Hanja

燕 (eum 연 (yeon))

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

Vietnamese

Han character

燕: Hán Nôm readings: yến, én, yên, nhạn, hiên

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

[NHK-2] 2.0 ^2.1 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

[SMK5-3] 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]

燕

Translingual

Han character

Derived characters

References

Chinese

Glyph origin

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Definitions

Usage notes

Synonyms

Compounds

Descendants

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Definitions

Compounds

Descendants

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

Definitions

Japanese

Kanji

Readings

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

Noun

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

Noun

Usage notes

Derived terms

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

Proper noun

References

Korean

Hanja

Vietnamese

Han character

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