姑

姑 U+59D1, 姑 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-59D1 ← 姐 [U+59D0] CJK Unified Ideographs 姒 → [U+59D2]

See also: 故

Translingual

Han character

姑 (Kangxi radical 38, 女+5, 8 strokes, cangjie input 女十口 (VJR), four-corner 4446₀, composition ⿰女古)

Derived characters

• 㑬, 𠵎, 㣨, 𢯐, 㴌, 𧍏, 𦁿, 𪂯, 𫱬, 𪦭, 菇, 𨐞

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 258, character 32
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 6174
• Dae Jaweon: page 524, character 6
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1035, character 4
• Unihan data for U+59D1

Chinese

trad.		姑
simp. #		姑

Glyph origen

Historical forms of the character 姑
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 (古) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
箇	*kaːls
個	*kaːls
居	*kɯ, *kas
橭	*kaː, *kʰaː
嫴	*kaː
姑	*kaː
辜	*kaː
酤	*kaː, *kaːs, *ɡaːʔ
蛄	*kaː
鴣	*kaː
沽	*kaː, *kaːʔ, *kaːs
盬	*kaː, *kaːʔ
古	*kaːʔ
罟	*kaːʔ
估	*kaːʔ
鈷	*kaːʔ
詁	*kaːʔ
牯	*kaːʔ
故	*kaːs
固	*kaːs
稒	*kaːɡs
痼	*kaːɡs
錮	*kaːɡs
鯝	*kaːɡs
棝	*kaːɡs
凅	*kaːɡs
枯	*kʰaː
軲	*kʰaː
跍	*kʰaː
骷	*kʰaː
苦	*kʰaːʔ, *kʰaːs
葫	*qʰaː, *ɡaː
餬	*ɡaː
瑚	*ɡaː
湖	*ɡaː
鶘	*ɡaː
猢	*ɡaː
醐	*ɡaː
糊	*ɡaː
箶	*ɡaː
蝴	*ɡaː
胡	*ɡaː
瓳	*ɡaː
怙	*ɡaːʔ
祜	*ɡaːʔ
岵	*ɡaːʔ
婟	*ɡaːʔ, *ɡaːɡs
楛	*ɡaːʔ
据	*ka
裾	*ka
琚	*ka
椐	*ka, *kas, *kʰa
鶋	*ka
蜛	*ka
崌	*ka
涺	*ka
腒	*ka, *ɡa
鋸	*kas
倨	*kas
踞	*kas
涸	*ɡaːɡ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *kaː) : semantic 女 (“woman”) + phonetic 古 (OC *kaːʔ) – a type of woman (aunt, mother-in-law).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): gū (gu¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨ

  (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): gu¹

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): gu¹

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): gu¹

• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): kû

  (Meixian, Guangdong): gu¹

• Eastern Min (BUC): gŭ
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): ko͘

  (Teochew, Peng'im): gou¹

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹ku

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: gū
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄨ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: gu
    • Wade–Giles: ku¹
    • Yale: gū
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gu
    • Palladius: гу (gu)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ku⁵⁵/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: gu¹
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: gu
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ku⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: gu¹
    • Yale: gū
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gu¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: gu¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kuː⁵⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: gu¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ku³³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kû
    • Hakka Romanization System: gu^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: gu¹
    • Sinological IPA: /ku²⁴/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: gu¹
    • Sinological IPA: /ku⁴⁴/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: gŭ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ku⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, General Taiwanese, Philippines)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: ko͘
    • Tâi-lô: koo
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kof
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /kɔ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Philippines): /kɔ³³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: gou¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kou
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kou³³/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹ku
    • MiniDict: ku^平
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹ku
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ku⁵³/

---

• Middle Chinese: ku

Rime
Character	姑
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	模 (23)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	古胡切
Baxter	ku
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kuo/
Pan Wuyun	/kuo/
Shao Rongfen	/ko/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kɔ/
Li Rong	/ko/
Wang Li	/ku/
Bernhard Karlgren	/kuo/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	gū
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gu1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*kˤa/

  (Zhengzhang): /*kaː/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	姑
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	gū
Middle Chinese	‹ ku ›
Old Chinese	/*kˁa/
English	father"s sister
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	姑
Reading #	1/1
No.	4212
Phonetic component	古
Rime group	魚
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	孤
Old Chinese	/*kaː/

Definitions

姑

1. father's sister

   • 姪其從姑 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     侄其从姑 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Commentary of Zuo, c. 4^th century BCE

     Zhí qí cóng gū [Pinyin]

     The (paternal) nephew follows his (paternal) aunt

2. husband's sister

   • 新婦初來時，小姑始扶床；今日被驅遣，小姑如我長。 [MSC, trad.]
     新妇初来时，小姑始扶床；今日被驱遣，小姑如我长。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 〈孔雀東南飛〉 "The Peacock Flies Southeast" in 《樂府詩集》 "Collected songs of the Music Bureau style" by 郭茂倩 Guo Maoqian.

     Xīnfù chūlái shí, xiǎogū shǐ fú chuáng; jīnrì bèi qūqiǎn, xiǎogū rú wǒ cháng. [Pinyin]

     When I was a newcome bride, my husband's little sister just began to lean on the bed. Today when I'm banished, my husband's little sister is as tall as I.

3. husband's mother

   • 婦事舅姑，如事父母。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     妇事舅姑，如事父母。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Book of Rites, c. 4^th – 2^nd century BCE

     Fù shì jiùgū, rú shì fùmǔ. [Pinyin]

     A wife shall serve her father-in-law and mother-in-law, just as she served her father and mother.

4. woman
5. nun
6. mole cricket
7. tentatively
8. a surname

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 姑姑 (“paternal aunt (father's sister)”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		姑母
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	姑媽 §, 姑姑, 姑兒, 娘兒
	Taiwan	姑姑
	Harbin	姑, 姑姑
	Shenyang	姑姑
	Singapore	姑姑
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	姑姑, 姑
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	姑
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	姑
	Wanrong	姑
	Wanrong (Ronghe)	姑
	Xi'an	姑媽 †, 姑 ‡
	Xining	娘娘
	Xuzhou	姑娘, 姑姑, 姑兒
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	姑媽
	Lanzhou	娘娘
	Ürümqi	姑媽 †, 姑姑 ‡
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	姑媽 §, 娘娘
	Wuhan	姑媽 §, 娘娘, 葉葉, 小爹 dated
	Guiyang	姑媽 §, 娘娘 ‡≠
	Kunming	姑媽 §, 娘 ≠
	Liuzhou	姑媽 †, 姑 ‡, 阿姑 ‡
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	姑媽 †, 娘娘 ‡
	Yangzhou	娘娘, 大姑子 † eldest
	Nantong	姑媽 †
	Hefei	姑佬, 佬佬, 佬
Cantonese	Guangzhou	姑媽 †, 姑姐 ‡
	Hong Kong	姑媽 †, 姑姐 ‡
	Hong Kong (San Tin; Weitou)	大姑 †, 姑仔 ‡
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin; Weitou)	大姑 †, 阿姑 ‡
	Macau	姑媽 †, 姑姐 ‡
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	姑媽 †, 姑姐 ‡
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	姑母 †, 娘仔 ‡
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	阿娘 †, 阿姑 ‡
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	大姑 †, 姑媽 †, 阿姑 ‡, 姑姐 ‡
	Foshan	姑媽 †, 姑姐 ‡
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	姑姐
	Foshan (Shunde)	姑媽 †, 姑姐 ‡
	Foshan (Sanshui)	姑媽 †, 姑姐 ‡
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	阿姑
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	姑媽 †, 姑姐 ‡
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	姑媽 †, 姑姐 ‡
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	阿姑
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	阿姑
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	阿姑 †, 姑仔 ‡
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	阿姑
	Taishan	阿姑, 大姑 †, 姑 ‡, 姑仔 ‡
	Kaiping (Chikan)	阿姑
	Enping (Niujiang)	阿姑
	Heshan (Yayao)	姑媽 †, 阿姑 ‡
	Dongguan	阿姑, 姑媽 †, 姑姐 ‡
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	大姑 †, 姑媽 †, 阿姑 ‡, 姑姐 ‡
	Shaoguan	姑媽, 姑姐
	Yunfu	阿姑
	Yangjiang	大姑 †, 阿姑 ‡
	Xinyi	阿姑
	Lianjiang	𡜵奶 †, 姑 ‡, 姑仔 ‡, 阿姑 ‡
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	姑媽, 姑姐 ≠
	Singapore (Guangfu)	姑媽
Gan	Nanchang	姑娘, 姑姑, 姑, 大娘, 大姑娘
	Lichuan	姑
	Pingxiang	姑娘
Hakka	Meixian	阿姑
	Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua)	阿姑
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	大姑 †, 阿姑 ‡
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	大姑 †, 細姑 ‡
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	大姑 †, 姑仔 ‡
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	阿姑
	Yudu	姑姑, 姑姊
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	阿姑
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	阿姑
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	阿姑
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	阿姑
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	阿姑
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	阿姑
	Hong Kong	大姑 †, 姑仔 ‡
	Senai (Huiyang)	阿姑
Huizhou	Jixi	姑, 姑姑
Jin	Taiyuan	姑姑, 姑媽
	Xinzhou	姑姑 ∅, 姑姑啊 ¶
Northern Min	Jian'ou	姑姑
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	大細姑, 姑媽 †, 姑 ‡, 依姑 ‡
	Fuqing	姑姐 †, 大姐 †, 姑 ‡, 阿姑 ‡
	Matsu	依姑
	Singapore (Fuqing)	姑姑
Southern Min	Xiamen	阿姑
	Quanzhou	阿姑
	Zhangzhou	阿姑
	Kaohsiung	阿姑
	Yilan	阿姑
	Changhua (Lukang)	阿姑
	Taichung	阿姑
	Taichung (Wuqi)	阿姑
	Tainan	阿姑
	Taitung	阿姑
	Hsinchu	阿姑
	Penghu (Magong)	阿姑
	Penang (Hokkien)	阿姑
	Singapore (Hokkien)	阿姑
	Manila (Hokkien)	阿姑, 姑姑
	Chaozhou	阿姑
	Shantou	阿姑
	Bangkok (Teochew)	阿姑
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	阿姑
	Singapore (Teochew)	阿姑
	Leizhou	姑母, 尼姑 ‡, ∅, 姑 ‡, ¶, 父姑 ‡
	Wenchang	姆 †, 姑㜥 ‡, 㜥 ‡
	Haikou	姑母 ∅, 阿姑 ¶
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	姑母 †, 姑 ‡
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	姑母 †, 姑 ‡
Wu	Shanghai	娘娘, 姑母, 姑媽 ‡
	Shanghai (Chongming)	姑娘
	Suzhou	嬤嬤 †, 娘娘 ‡
	Danyang	親嫚
	Hangzhou	乾娘
	Ningbo	姑嬤 †, 阿姑 ‡
	Wenzhou	阿娘
	Jinhua	娘娘, 姑 ∅
Xiang	Changsha	姑媽 §, 姑子 ≠, 大姑子 †, 細姑子 ‡
	Loudi	大唧 †, 嫚嫚 ‡
	Shuangfeng	大基 †, 嫚嫚 ‡
	Hengyang	姑伯娘 †, 姑唧 ‡, 嫚嫚 ‡
Note	† - father's elder sister; ‡ - father's younger sister; § - married; ≠ - unmarried; ¶ - face-to-face; ∅ - non-face-to-face

Compounds

• 七姑店 (Qīgūdiàn)
• 三姑六婆 (sāngūliùpó)
• 仙姑 (xiāngū)
• 何仙姑
• 伴姑
• 伴姑兒 / 伴姑儿
• 僕姑 / 仆姑
• 僕射姑 / 仆射姑
• 公姑
• 列姑射
• 卦姑 (guàgū)
• 固姑
• 堂分姑娘
• 外姑
• 大姑 (dàgū)
• 大姑娘 (dàgūniang)
• 大姑子
• 姑丈 (gūzhàng)
• 姑丈人
• 姑且 (gūqiě)
• 姑公
• 姑夫
• 姑太太
• 姑奶奶 (gūnǎinai)
• 姑妄聽之 / 姑妄听之
• 姑妄言之
• 姑姑
• 姑姊
• 姑姥姥 (gūlǎolao)
• 姑娘
• 姑娘兒 / 姑娘儿 (gūniangr)
• 姑娘家
• 姑娘氣 / 姑娘气
• 姑婆 (gūpó)
• 姑婆芋 (gūpóyù)
• 姑婿
• 姑嫂 (gūsǎo)
• 姑媽 / 姑妈 (gūmā)
• 姑媳
• 姑嫜 (gūzhāng)
• 姑子 (gūzi)
• 姑家
• 姑射
• 姑射神人
• 姑息 (gūxī)
• 姑息政策
• 姑息養奸
• 姑惡 / 姑恶
• 姑母 (gūmǔ)
• 姑洗 (gūxiǎn)
• 姑父
• 姑爹 (gūdiē)
• 姑爺 / 姑爷
• 姑爺爺 / 姑爷爷 (gūyéye)
• 姑老爺 / 姑老爷
• 姑舅
• 姑舅作親 / 姑舅作亲
• 姑蘇 / 姑苏 (Gūsū)
• 姑表 (gūbiǎo)
• 婦姑 / 妇姑
• 婦姑勃谿 / 妇姑勃谿
• 嫜姑
• 小姑 (xiǎogū)
• 小姑娘 (xiǎogūniang)
• 小姑子 (xiǎogūzi)
• 小姑獨處 / 小姑独处
• 尼姑 (nígū)
• 尼姑庵 (nígū'ān)
• 師姑 / 师姑
• 慈姑 (cígū)
• 摩姑 (mógu)
• 新姑爺 / 新姑爷
• 月姑
• 村姑 (cūngū)
• 火金姑
• 灰姑娘 (Huīgūniang)
• 皇姑 (huánggū)
• 皇姑屯
• 秀姑巒溪 / 秀姑峦溪
• 箕姑
• 紅姑娘 / 红姑娘 (hónggūniang)
• 紫姑
• 翁姑 (wēnggū)
• 老姑娘 (lǎogūniang)
• 胖姑
• 胡姑姑
• 舅姑
• 花姑
• 菜姑 (chhài-ko͘) (Min Nan)
• 藐姑射
• 藍姑草 / 蓝姑草
• 虎姑婆
• 豆姑娘
• 迎紫姑
• 道姑 (dàogū)
• 金僕姑 / 金仆姑
• 阿姑 (āgū)
• 雪姑
• 魯義姑 / 鲁义姑
• 麻姑 (Mágū)
• 麻姑山
• 麻姑搔癢 / 麻姑搔痒
• 麻姑獻壽 / 麻姑献寿
• 黃姑 / 黄姑

 

References

• “姑”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎^[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Japanese

Kanji

姑

(Hyōgai kanji)

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

Readings

• Go-on: く (ku)
• Kan-on: こ (ko)
• Kun: しゅうとめ (shūtome, 姑)、しゅうと (shūto, 姑)、しばらく (shibaraku, 姑く)、おば (oba)

Compounds

Compounds

• 外姑(がいこ) (gaiko)
• 舅姑(きゅうこ) (kyūko)
• 姑娘(クーニャン) (kūnyan)
• 慈姑(くわい) (kuwai)
• 姑洗(こせん) (kosen)
• 姑臧(こぞう) (Kozō): Guzang
• 姑息(こそく) (kosoku)
• 姑射山(こやさん) (koyasan)
• 梯姑(でいご) (deigo): Indian coral tree
• 麻姑(まこ) (Mako)
• 鼠姑(わらじむし) (warajimushi)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
姑
しひとめ Hyōgai
irregular

/sihi₁to₂me₁/: [shipitwome] → [shiɸitwome] → [shiɸitome]. Compound of 舅 (shihito, “in law”) and 女 (me, “woman”). See next entry.

Noun

姑(しひとめ) • (shihitome) 

1. a mother-in-law

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
姑
しゅうとめ Hyōgai
kun'yomi

From shihitome: [shipitwome] → [shiɸitwome] → [shiɸitome] → [shiɸutome] → [shiwutome] → [shiutome] → [shuːtome].

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) しゅうとめ [shùútómé] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ɕɨːto̞me̞]

Noun

姑(しゅうとめ) • (shūtome) ^{←しうとめ (siutome)?}

1. a mother-in-law

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 妹姑(いもしゅうとめ) (imoshūtome), 姨(いもしゅうとめ) (imoshūtome)
• 小姑(こじゅうとめ) (kojūtome)
• 姑御(しゅうとめご) (shūtomego)
• 姑去(しゅうとめざ)り (shūtomezari)
• 蕗(ふき)の姑(しゅうとめ) (fuki no shūtome)
• 嫁(よめ)が姑(しゅうとめ)に成(な)り上(あ)がる (yome ga shūtome ni nariagaru)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
姑
しゅうと Hyōgai
kun'yomi

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) しゅうと [shùútó] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ɕɨːto̞]

Noun

姑(しゅうと) • (shūto) ^{←しうと (siuto)?}

1. a mother-in-law

Derived terms

Derived terms

• 姉姑(あねじゅうと) (anejūto)
• 小姑(こじゅうと) (kojūto)
• 姑御(しゅうとご) (shūtogo)

Korean

Hanja

姑 (eumhun 시어미 고 (sieomi go))

1. hanja form^? of 고 (“mother-in-law”)

Vietnamese

Han character

姑: Hán Việt readings: cô
姑: Nôm readings: cô, co, go, o, cua

1. chữ Hán form of cô (“paternal aunt, young lady”).
2. Nôm form of o (“dialectal form of cô”).