腦

See also: 脳 and 脑

腦	U+8166, 腦 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-8166

← 腥
[U+8165]

CJK Unified Ideographs

腧 →
[U+8167]

Translingual

Traditional	腦
Shinjitai	脳
Simplified	脑

Han character

腦 (Kangxi radical 130, 肉+9, 13 strokes, cangjie input 月女女田 (BVVW), four-corner 7226₃, composition ⿰⺼𡿺)

Derived characters

𫇂, 𥀮

References

Kangxi Dictionary: page 988, character 20
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 29681
Dae Jaweon: page 1440, character 32
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 2100, character 7
Unihan data for U+8166

Chinese

Glyph origin

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

	Old Chinese
腦	nuːʔ, nuːs
惱	*nuːʔ
瑙	*nuːʔ
匘	*nuːʔ
碯	*nuːʔ
硇	*rnuː
𣳦	*rnuː

Originally 匘, an ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 匕 + 巛 (“hair”) + 囟 (“head; fontanel”). 匕 was later replaced with 肉 (“flesh”).

Etymology 1

trad.		腦
simp.		脑
2nd round simp.		㐫
alternative forms		匘𦛁

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *s-nəw-k. Cognate with Burmese ဦးနှောက် (u:hnauk), Nuosu ꀑꆊ (o not, “brain”), Jingpho nu' (“brain”), Drung unu (“brain; mind”), Japhug tɯrnoʁ, S'gaw Karen ခိၣ်နူာ် (khoh̀noọ, “brain”).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): nǎo (nao³)

(Zhuyin): ㄋㄠˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): nou⁵
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): nó

(Meixian, Guangdong): nau³
Eastern Min (BUC): nō̤
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): náu / nó͘ / ló

(Teochew, Peng'im): nao² / lo²
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶nau
Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): lau³

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: nǎo
  - Zhuyin: ㄋㄠˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: nǎo
  - Wade–Giles: nao³
  - Yale: nǎu
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: nao
  - Palladius: нао (nao)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /nɑʊ̯²¹⁴/
- (Standard Chinese, erhua-ed)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: nǎor
  - Zhuyin: ㄋㄠˇㄦ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: nǎor
  - Wade–Giles: nao³-ʼrh
  - Yale: nǎur
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: naol
  - Palladius: наор (naor)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /naʊ̯ɻʷ²¹⁴/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: nou⁵
  - Yale: nóuh
  - Cantonese Pinyin: nou⁵
  - Guangdong Romanization: nou⁵
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /nou̯¹³/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: nó
  - Hakka Romanization System: no^ˋ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: no³
  - Sinological IPA: /no³¹/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: nau³
  - Sinological IPA: /nau³¹/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: nō̤
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /nˡo³³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: náu
  - Tâi-lô: náu
  - Phofsit Daibuun: nao
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /nãu⁴¹/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei): /nãu⁵³/
- (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: nó͘
  - Tâi-lô: nóo
  - Phofsit Daibuun: nor
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /nɔ̃⁵⁵⁴/
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ló
  - Tâi-lô: ló
  - Phofsit Daibuun: loir
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /lo⁵⁵⁴/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei): /lo⁵³/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /lɤ⁴¹/

Note:

Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taiwan:
- náu - vernacular;
- ló - literary.

(Teochew)
- Peng'im: nao² / lo²
- Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: náu / ló
- Sinological IPA ^(key): /nau⁵²/, /lo⁵²/

Note:

nao2 - literary;
lo2 - vernacular.

Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁶nau
  - MiniDict: nau^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³nau
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /nɔ²³/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: lau³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɒu̯⁴¹/

Middle Chinese: nawX

Rime
Character	腦
Reading #	1/2
Initial (聲)	泥 (8)
Final (韻)	豪 (89)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	奴晧切
Baxter	nawX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/nɑu^X/
Pan Wuyun	/nɑu^X/
Shao Rongfen	/nɑu^X/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/naw^X/
Li Rong	/nɑu^X/
Wang Li	/nɑu^X/
Bernhard Karlgren	/nɑu^X/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	nǎo
Expected Cantonese Reflex	nou⁵

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*nˤ[u]ʔ/

(Zhengzhang): /*nuːʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	腦
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	nǎo
Middle Chinese	‹ naw^X ›
Old Chinese	/*nˁ[u]ʔ/
English	brain
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	腦
Reading #	1/2
No.	9370
Phonetic component	匘
Rime group	幽
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	堖
Old Chinese	/*nuːʔ/
Notes	見左傳，說文作匘

Definitions

腦

(anatomy) brain (Classifier: 個／个 m c)
head
brains; mind
唔使用腦諗／唔使用脑谂 [Cantonese] ― m⁴ sai² jung⁶ nou⁵ nam² [Jyutping] ― no need to use one's brains
^† to smash one's head
^† core; central part
(in compounds) brain-like object or substance
豆腐腦／豆腐脑 ― dòufunǎo ― tofu pudding

電腦／电脑 ― diànnǎo ― computer
(in compounds) essence
樟腦／樟脑 ― zhāngnǎo ― camphor

龍腦／龙脑 ― lóngnǎo ― borneol

薄荷腦／薄荷脑 ― bóhénǎo ― menthol
(Hong Kong Cantonese) Short for 電腦／电脑 (din⁶ nou⁵, “computer”). (Classifier: 部 c)

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 電腦 (“computer”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		電腦, 電子計算機, 計算機, 電算機, 電算
Northeastern Mandarin	Taiwan	電腦
	Malaysia	電腦
	Singapore	電腦
Central Plains Mandarin	Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan)	電腦, 康比尤特
Central Plains Mandarin	Masanchin (Shaanxi Dungan)	康比尤特
Southwestern Mandarin	Guilin	電腦
	Dagudi (Maliba)	電腦
	Reshuitang (Longling)	電腦
	Mae Salong (Lancang)	電腦
	Mae Sai (Tengchong)	電腦
Cantonese	Guangzhou	電腦
	Hong Kong	電腦, 腦
	Taishan	電腦
	Taishan (Guanghai)	電腦
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô)	電腦
	Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà)	電腦
	Fangchenggang (Fangcheng)	電腦
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	電腦
	Singapore (Guangfu)	電腦
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	電腦
	Móng Cái	電腦
	Yangon (Taishan)	電腦
	Mandalay (Taishan)	電腦
Hakka	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	電腦
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	電腦
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	電腦
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	電腦
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	電腦
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	電腦
	Senai (Huiyang)	電腦
Eastern Min	Matsu	電腦
Southern Min	Xiamen	電腦
	Quanzhou	電腦
	Zhangzhou	電腦
	Penang (Hokkien)	電腦
	Singapore (Hokkien)	電腦
	Manila (Hokkien)	電腦
	Bangkok (Teochew)	電腦
	Chiang Mai (Teochew)	電腦
	Hat Yai (Teochew)	電腦
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	電腦
	Singapore (Teochew)	電腦
Wu	Shanghai	電腦
Xiang	Changsha	電子計算機, 電腦

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (腦):

→ Japanese: 脳(のう) (nō)
→ Korean: 뇌(腦) (noe)
→ Vietnamese: não (腦)

Compounds

Etymology 2

trad.		腦
simp.		脑

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): nào (nao⁴)

(Zhuyin): ㄋㄠˋ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: nào
  - Zhuyin: ㄋㄠˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: nào
  - Wade–Giles: nao⁴
  - Yale: nàu
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: naw
  - Palladius: нао (nao)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /nɑʊ̯⁵¹/

Middle Chinese: nawH

Rime
Character	腦
Reading #	2/2
Initial (聲)	泥 (8)
Final (韻)	豪 (89)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	那到切
Baxter	nawH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/nɑu^H/
Pan Wuyun	/nɑu^H/
Shao Rongfen	/nɑu^H/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/naw^H/
Li Rong	/nɑu^H/
Wang Li	/nɑu^H/
Bernhard Karlgren	/nɑu^H/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	nào
Expected Cantonese Reflex	nou⁶

Old Chinese
(Zhengzhang): /*nuːs/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	腦
Reading #	2/2
No.	9375
Phonetic component	匘
Rime group	幽
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	腝
Old Chinese	/*nuːs/

Definitions

腦

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

Japanese

Shinjitai	脳
Kyūjitai	腦

Kanji

腦

(Hyōgai kanji, kyūjitai kanji, shinjitai form 脳)

Kyūjitai form of 脳

Readings

Go-on: のう (nō)^{←なう (nau, historical)}
Kan-on: どう (dō)^{←だう (dau, historical)}
Kun: あたま (atama, 腦)、なずき (nazuki, 腦)^{←なづき (naduki, 腦, historical)}

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 腦 (MC nawX).

Historical Readings
Dongguk Jeongun Reading
Dongguk Jeongun, 1448	노ᇢ〯 (Yale: nwǒw)
Middle Korean
Text	Eumhun
Text	*Gloss (hun)*	Reading
Hunmong Jahoe, 1527^[1]	골〮치〮 (Yale: kwólchí)	노〯 (Yale: nwǒ)

Pronunciation

(SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [nwe̞] ~ [nø̞]
Phonetic hangul: [눼/뇌]

Noun

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

腦

Wikisource

腦 (eumhun 머릿골 뇌 (meoritgol noe))

hanja form^? of 뇌 (“brain”) [noun]

Compounds

소뇌 (小腦, sonoe)
뇌리 (腦裡, noeri)
뇌염 (腦炎, noeyeom)
뇌막 (腦膜, noemak)
뇌회 (腦回, noehoe)
장뇌 (樟腦, jangnoe)
후뇌 (嗅腦, hunoe)
간뇌 (間腦, gannoe)
두뇌 (頭腦, dunoe)
대뇌 (大腦, daenoe)
세뇌 (洗腦, senoe)
뇌사 (腦死, noesa)
뇌파 (腦波, noepa)
수뇌 (首腦, sunoe)
수뇌부 (首腦部, sunoebu)
뇌진탕 (腦震蕩, noejintang)
뇌졸중 (腦卒中, noejoljung)
뇌혈관 (腦血管, noehyeolgwan)
뇌경색 (腦梗塞, noegyeongsaek)
뇌척수 (腦脊髓, noecheoksu)
뇌종양 (腦腫瘍, noejong'yang)
뇌신경 (腦神經, noesin'gyeong)
뇌사자 (腦死者, noesaja)
뇌척수액 (腦脊髓液, noecheoksuaek)
뇌척수막 (腦脊髓膜, noecheoksumak)
뇌하수체 (腦下垂體, noehasuche)
대뇌반구 (大腦半球, daenoeban'gu)

References

국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [2]

Old Japanese

Etymology

The 連用形 (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of verb 漬く (naduku, “to be immersed in water (or other liquid)”).

Noun

腦 (naduki₁) (kana なづき)

the brain
- 794, Shin'yaku Kegonkyō Ongi Shiki, page 68:
  ^[1]
  髄腦　上須年、下奈豆技。
  髄 and 腦: the former sune (“shin”), the latter naduki₁ (“brain”).

Descendants

Japanese: 脳, 髄 (nazuki)

References

^ Unknown (794) Yoshinori Kobayashi, editor, Shin'yaku Kegonkyō Ongi Shiki (Kojisho Ongi Shūsei) (in Japanese), volume 1, Kyūko Shoin, published 1978, →ISBN.

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
腦

Han character

腦: Hán Nôm readings: não

Noun

腦

chữ Hán form of não (“brain”).

[1] Unknown (794) Yoshinori Kobayashi, editor, Shin'yaku Kegonkyō Ongi Shiki (Kojisho Ongi Shūsei) (in Japanese), volume 1, Kyūko Shoin, published 1978, →ISBN.

[1]