似

似	U+4F3C, 似 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-4F3C

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

似 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+4 in Chinese, 人+5 in Japanese, 6 strokes in Chinese, 7 strokes in Japanese, cangjie input 人女戈人 (OVIO), four-corner 2820₀, composition ⿰亻以)

Derived characters

𠳎, 娰, 𬠊, 𩛮, 𠏳, 𫣵, 𫈄

References

Kangxi Dictionary: page 97, character 10
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 485
Dae Jaweon: page 205, character 16
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 127, character 2
Unihan data for U+4F3C

Chinese

trad.		似
simp. ^#		似
alternative forms		佀仏𠚦

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 似
Bronze inscriptions b12336 b12337 b12338 b12339 b12340 b12341 b12342 b12343 b12344 b12345 b12346 b12347 b12348 b12349 b12350 b12351 Small seal script s05799 Transcribed ancient scripts L34166 L13771
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 (以) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
似	*ljɯʔ
姒	*ljɯʔ
耜	*ljɯʔ
佀	*ljɯʔ
以	*lɯʔ
苡	*lɯʔ
苢	*lɯʔ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *ljɯʔ) : semantic 亻 (“human”) + phonetic 以 (OC *lɯʔ).

Pronunciation 1

Mandarin
(Pinyin): sì (si⁴)

(Zhuyin): ㄙˋ
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): ci⁵

(Taishan, Wiktionary): ti⁴ / lhu⁴
Eastern Min (BUC): sê̤ṳ
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): sāi / sǐr / sū / sī

(Teochew, Peng'im): se⁶

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/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: ci⁵
  - Yale: chíh
  - Cantonese Pinyin: tsi⁵
  - Guangdong Romanization: qi⁵
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰiː¹³/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: ti⁴ / lhu⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰi²¹/, /ɬu²¹/

Note:

ti4 - vernacular;
lhu4 - literary.

Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: sê̤ṳ
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /søy²⁴²/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Quanzhou, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sāi
  - Tâi-lô: sāi
  - Phofsit Daibuun: sai
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /sai⁴¹/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /sai²²/
  - IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /sai³³/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sǐr
  - Tâi-lô: sǐr
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /sɯ²²/
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Xiamen)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sū
  - Tâi-lô: sū
  - Phofsit Daibuun: su
  - IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /su³³/
  - IPA (Xiamen): /su²²/
- (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sī
  - Tâi-lô: sī
  - Phofsit Daibuun: si
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /si²²/

Note:

sāi - vernacular;
sǐr/sū/sī - literary.

(Teochew)
- Peng'im: se⁶
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: sṳ̆
- Sinological IPA ^(key): /sɯ³⁵/

Middle Chinese: ziX

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

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*sə.ləʔ/

(Zhengzhang): /*ljɯʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	似
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	sì
Middle Chinese	‹ zi^X ›
Old Chinese	/*sə.ləʔ/
English	resemble
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	似
Reading #	1/1
No.	14925
Phonetic component	以
Rime group	之
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	似
Old Chinese	/*ljɯʔ/
Notes	說文做佀金文從臺

Definitions

似

to be like; to be similar to; to resemble
類似／类似 ― lèisì ― similar; similar to

相似 ― xiāngsì ― similar

你似唔似你阿媽㗎？ [Cantonese, trad.]
你似唔似你阿妈㗎？ [Cantonese, simp.]
nei⁵ ci⁵ m⁴ ci⁵ nei⁵ aa³ maa¹ gaa³? [Jyutping]
Do you look like your mom?
Used in conjunction with another adjective in a comparison that the first object/person is in a better position than the second.
他的點子真多，一個好似一個。 [MSC, trad.]
他的点子真多，一个好似一个。 [MSC, simp.]
Tā de diǎnzi zhēn duō, yīge hǎosì yīge. [Pinyin]
He has so many ideas, each one better than the next.
as if; it seems that...
似乎 ― sìhū ― as if
^† to give; to present
^† Alternative form of 嗣 (sì, “to inherit”)
^† Alternative form of 以 (yǐ)

Synonyms

(to be like):

Dialectal synonyms of 像 (“to be like; to be similar to; to resemble”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		似
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		像
Northeastern Mandarin	Taiwan	像
	Malaysia	像
	Singapore	像
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	像
Central Plains Mandarin	Wanrong	像
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	像
	Wuhan	像
	Guilin	像
Cantonese	Guangzhou	似
	Hong Kong	似
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	似
	Singapore (Guangfu)	似
Gan	Nanchang	像
Gan	Lichuan	像
Jin	Taiyuan	像
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	像
Southern Min	Xiamen	像
	Taipei	像
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	像
	Kaohsiung	像
	Yilan	像
	Changhua (Lukang)	像
	Taichung	像
	Tainan	像
	Hsinchu	像
	Kinmen	像
	Penghu (Magong)	像
	Singapore (Hokkien)	𫝛, macam
	Chaozhou	然
	Shantou	然
	Jieyang	然
	Puning	肖
	Singapore (Teochew)	然, macam
	Batam (Teochew)	然, macam
	Haikou	像
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	像
Wu	Danyang	像
Wu	Ningbo	像, 像人家, 像家

(as if):

edit

不啻 (bùchì) (literary)
似乎 (sìhū)
似如 (si⁴ y²) (Xiang)
像 (xiàng)
像係／像系 (Hakka)
像是 (xiàngshì)
儼如／俨如 (yǎnrú) (literary)
儼然／俨然 (yǎnrán)
儼若／俨若 (yǎnruò) (literary)
勝如／胜如 (⁵sen-zy) (Wu)
好似 (hǎosì)
好像 (hǎoxiàng)
如同 (rútóng)
好比 (hǎobǐ)
宛 (Classical Chinese, or compounds only)
宛如 (wǎnrú) (literary)
宛然 (wǎnrán) (literary)
宛若 (wǎnruò) (literary)
就像 (jiùxiàng)
彷彿／仿佛 (fǎngfú)
忽如 (hūrú) (literary)
恍若 (huǎngruò)
敢若 (Hokkien)
敢若是 (Hokkien)
𣍐輸／𫧃输 (bē-su) (Hokkien)
有如 (yǒurú) (formal)
猶似／犹似 (yóusì) (literary)
猶像／犹像 (yóuxiàng) (literary)
猶如／犹如 (yóurú) (formal)
甲像 (Hokkien)
甲像是 (Hokkien)
甲親像／甲亲像 (Hokkien)
看上去 (kàn shàngqù)
看似 (kànsì)
看來／看来 (kànlái)
看樣子／看样子 (kànyàngzi)
看起來／看起来 (kànqilai)
若 (Classical Chinese, or compounds only)
若像 (Hokkien)
若親像／若亲像 (Hokkien)
表面上 (biǎomiànshang)
親像／亲像 (Hakka, Hokkien)
象 (xiàng)
貌似 (màosì)
賽可／赛可 (Ningbonese)
較像／较像 (Hokkien)
較像是／较像是 (Hokkien)
較親像／较亲像 (Hokkien)
顯得／显得 (xiǎnde)

Compounds

Pronunciation 2

Mandarin
(Pinyin): shì, sì

(Zhuyin): ㄕˋ, ㄙˋ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, standard in 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, standard in Taiwan; variant in Mainland)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: sì
  - Zhuyin: ㄙˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: sìh
  - Wade–Giles: ssŭ⁴
  - Yale: sz̀
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: syh
  - Palladius: сы (sy)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /sz̩⁵¹/

Definitions

似

Only used in 似的 (shìde, “like”).

Compounds

Japanese

Kanji

似

(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

Go-on: じ (ji, Jōyō)
Kan-on: し (shi)
Kun: にる (niru, 似る, Jōyō)、にせる (niseru, 似せる)、にたり (nitari, 似たり)、ごとし (gotoshi, 似し)

Korean

Hanja

似 (eum 사 (sa))

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

Vietnamese

Han character

似: Hán Nôm readings: tự, tợ, tựa, từa

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

References

Nom Foundation

^ 李榮 (1998) 成都方言詞典（現代漢語方言大詞典·分卷）, 江蘇教育出版社, →ISBN

[1] 李榮 (1998) 成都方言詞典（現代漢語方言大詞典·分卷）, 江蘇教育出版社, →ISBN