倉

See also: 仓

倉 U+5009, 倉 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5009 ← 倈 [U+5008] CJK Unified Ideographs 倊 → [U+500A]

Translingual

Han character

倉 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+8, 10 strokes, cangjie input 人戈日口 (OIAR) or 人一日口 (OMAR), four-corner 8060₇, composition ⿱亽⿸⿴尸一口(G) or ⿱亼⿸⿴尸一口(HTJKV))

1. Shuowen Jiezi radical №183

Derived characters

• 傖, 凔, 創, 嗆, 嵢, 愴, 戧, 搶, 槍, 滄, 熗, 牄, 獊, 瑲, 瘡, 䅮, 篬, 艙, 蒼, 螥, 謒, 賶, 蹌, 䢢, 䤌, 鎗, 䱽, 鶬

Additional Derived Characters

• 𠏓, 𠏧, 𠑐, 𠑜, 𠞴, 𠟐, 𠥐, 𣯙, 𤚬, 𤾙, 𥎄, 𥏲, 𥻲, 𦃹, 𦞛, 𧽜, 𨜾, 𨶆, 𩀞, 𩝞, 𩮩, 𪙎
• 𪤇, 𪦔, 𪰻, 𫀞, 𬔎, 𬚤, 𬡧, 𰧕, 𱝷, 𱭟, 𱏗, 𲉝, 𲊶

Related characters

• 仓 (Simplified Chinese)

Further reading

• Kangxi Dictionary: 人部/八畫 on the Chinese Wikisource.
• Kangxi Dictionary: page 107, character 14
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 756
• Dae Jaweon: page 227, character 22
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 169, character 15
• Unihan data for U+5009

Chinese

trad.		倉
simp.		仓*
alternative forms		仺 ancient 𠆳 𫝉 𡶍

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 倉
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States			Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)		Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Qin slip script	Odd character	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts
Oracle bone script j13026 Bronze inscriptions b08054 b08055 b08056 Small seal script s03774 s03775 Transcribed ancient scripts L32910 L32911 L32912 L32913 L09963 L09964 L09965 L09966 L09967 L09968 L09969 L09970 L09971 L09972 L09973 L09974
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 (倉) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
艙	*sʰaːŋ
倉	*sʰaːŋ
蒼	*sʰaːŋ, *sʰaːŋʔ
滄	*sʰaːŋ, *sʰraŋs
傖	*sʰaːŋ, *zraːŋ
鶬	*sʰaːŋ
凔	*sʰaːŋ
槍	*sʰaŋ, *sʰraːŋ
搶	*sʰaŋ, *sʰaŋʔ, *sʰraŋʔ
蹌	*sʰaŋ
瑲	*sʰaŋ
牄	*sʰaŋ
嗆	*sʰaŋs
創	*sʰraŋ, *sʰraŋs
瘡	*sʰraŋ
愴	*sʰraŋʔ, *sʰraŋs
鎗	*sʰraːŋ

In oracle bone and bronze inscriptions, pictogram (象形): a granary, depicting its roof (亼), a door (戶), and a pit for storing grain (口). Alternatively an ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): 合 (“gather”) + 戶 (“door”) – a warehouse. The component 戶 corrupted into 𠁣 in Qin bamboo slips. This form was inherited in small seal script and was misinterpreted as cognate with the unrelated 食 in the Shuowen Jiezi.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): cāng (cang¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄘㄤ

  (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): cang¹

• Cantonese (Jyutping): cong¹
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): chhông

  (Hailu, HRS): cong^ˋ

  (Meixian, Guangdong): cong¹

• Eastern Min (BUC): chŏng
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): chhng / chhong

  (Teochew, Peng'im): cang¹ / ceng¹

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹tshaon

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: cāng
    • Zhuyin: ㄘㄤ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: cang
    • Wade–Giles: tsʻang¹
    • Yale: tsāng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tsang
    • Palladius: цан (can)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɑŋ⁵⁵/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: cang¹
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: cang
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰaŋ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: cong¹
    • Yale: chōng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: tsong¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: cong¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰɔːŋ⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chhông
    • Hakka Romanization System: cong^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: cong¹
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰoŋ²⁴/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: cong^ˋ
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰoŋ⁵³/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: cong¹
    • Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰɔŋ⁴⁴/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: chŏng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰouŋ⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: chhng / chhong
    • Tâi-lô: tshng / tshong
    • Phofsit Daibuun: zhngf, zhofng
    • IPA (Xiamen): /t͡sʰŋ̍⁴⁴/, /t͡sʰɔŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /t͡sʰŋ̍³³/, /t͡sʰɔŋ³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /t͡sʰŋ̍⁴⁴/, /t͡sʰɔŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /t͡sʰŋ̍⁴⁴/, /t͡sʰɔŋ⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /t͡sʰŋ̍⁴⁴/, /t͡sʰɔŋ⁴⁴/

Note: chhng - vernacular, chhong - literary.

• • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: cang¹ / ceng¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tshang / tshṳng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡sʰaŋ³³/, /t͡sʰɯŋ³³/

Note: cang1 - literary.

• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹tshaon
    • MiniDict: tshaon^平
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹tshaan
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /t͡sʰɑ̃⁵³/

---

• Middle Chinese: tshang

Rime
Character	倉
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	清 (14)
Final (韻)	唐 (101)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	七岡切
Baxter	tshang
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/t͡sʰɑŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/t͡sʰɑŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/t͡sʰɑŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/t͡sʰaŋ/
Li Rong	/t͡sʰɑŋ/
Wang Li	/t͡sʰɑŋ/
Bernhard Karlgren	/t͡sʰɑŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	cāng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	cong1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*[s.r̥]ˤaŋ/, /*tsʰˤaŋ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*sʰaːŋ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	倉	倉
Reading #	1/2	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	cāng	cāng
Middle Chinese	‹ tshang ›	‹ tshang ›
Old Chinese	/*[s.r̥]ˁaŋ/	/*tsʰˁaŋ/
English	tshang-kæng "oriole"	granary
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	倉
Reading #	1/1
No.	1125
Phonetic component	倉
Rime group	陽
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	倉
Old Chinese	/*sʰaːŋ/

Definitions

倉

1. granary
2. warehouse
   • 1996, 《新標點和合本》 [Chinese Union Version Modern Punctuation], 聯合聖經公會, 路加福音 [Luke] 12:24:

     你想烏鴉，也不種也不收，又沒有倉又沒有庫，神尚且養活牠。你們比飛鳥是何等地貴重呢！ [MSC, trad.]
     你想乌鸦，也不种也不收，又没有仓又没有库，神尚且养活它。你们比飞鸟是何等地贵重呢！ [MSC, simp.]

     Nǐ xiǎng wūyā, yě bù zhǒng yě bù shōu, yòu méiyǒu cāng yòu méiyǒu kù, Shén shàngqiě yǎnghuó tā. Nǐmen bǐ fēiniǎo shì héděng de guìzhòng ne! [Pinyin]

     Consider the ravens: they don’t sow, they don’t reap, they have no warehouse or barn, and God feeds them. How much more valuable are you than birds! [World English Bible]

3. (trading) position
4. (Cantonese) prison
5. alternative form of 艙 / 舱 (cāng)
6. alternative form of 滄 / 沧 (cāng)

Compounds

• 三倉 / 三仓
• 京倉 / 京仓
• 倉促 / 仓促 (cāngcù)
• 倒倉 / 倒仓
• 倉倉皇皇 / 仓仓皇皇
• 倉儲 / 仓储 (cāngchǔ)
• 倉公 / 仓公
• 倉卒 / 仓卒 (cāngcù)
• 倉埠 / 仓埠 (Cāngbù)
• 倉容 / 仓容 (cāngróng)
• 倉庚 / 仓庚 (cānggēng)
• 倉庫 / 仓库 (cāngkù)
• 倉庾 / 仓庾
• 倉廒 / 仓廒 (cāng'áo)
• 倉廩 / 仓廪 (cānglǐn)
• 倉忙 / 仓忙 (cāngmáng)
• 倉房 / 仓房 (cāngfáng)
• 倉猝 / 仓猝 (cāngcù)
• 倉皇 / 仓皇 (cānghuáng)
• 倉皇失措 / 仓皇失措
• 倉皇無措 / 仓皇无措
• 倉神 / 仓神
• 倉租 / 仓租
• 倉頡篇 / 仓颉篇 (Cāngjiépiān)
• 倉鼠 / 仓鼠 (cāngshǔ)
• 冷藏倉庫 / 冷藏仓库
• 千倉萬箱 / 千仓万箱
• 司倉 / 司仓
• 四行倉庫 / 四行仓库
• 囷倉 / 囷仓
• 填倉 / 填仓
• 大倉 / 大仓 (Dàcāng)
• 太倉 / 太仓 (Tàicāng)
• 太倉一粟 / 太仓一粟
• 太倉稊米 / 太仓稊米
• 小倉山 / 小仓山
• 廣惠倉 / 广惠仓
• 快碼倉頡 / 快码仓颉
• 暗度陳倉 / 暗度陈仓 (àndùchéncāng)
• 清倉 / 清仓 (qīngcāng)
• 添倉 / 添仓
• 監倉 / 监仓
• 社倉 / 社仓
• 穀倉 / 谷仓 (gǔcāng)
• 米倉 / 米仓 (mǐcāng)
• 米爛成倉 / 米烂成仓
• 糧倉 / 粮仓 (liángcāng)
• 義倉 / 义仓 (yìcāng)
• 貨倉 / 货仓 (huòcāng)
• 買空倉 / 买空仓 (mǎikōngcāng)
• 鐮倉 / 镰仓 (Liáncāng)
• 鐮倉幕府 / 镰仓幕府

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (倉):

• → Japanese: 倉(そう) (sō)
• → Korean: 창(倉) (chang)
• → Vietnamese: thương (倉)

• → Classical Mongolian: ᠰᠠᠩ (sang)
  • Mongolian: ᠰᠠᠩ (sang) / сан (san)
  • → Buryat: сан (san), һан (han)
  • → Khamnigan Mongol: сан
  • → Tuvan: саң (sañ)
  • → Written Oirat: ᠰᠠᡊ (sang)
    • Kalmyk: саң (sañ)
• → Thai: ฉาง (chǎang)

References

• “倉”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.
• “倉”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–

Japanese

Kanji

See also:

Category:Japanese terms spelled with 倉

倉

(Fourth grade kyōiku kanji)

Readings

• Go-on: そう (sō, Jōyō)^{←さう (sau, historical)}
• Kan-on: そう (sō, Jōyō)^{←さう (sau, historical)}
• Kun: くら (kura, 倉, Jōyō)、にわか (niwaka, 倉か)

Compounds

• 倉稲魂(うかたま) (Ukatama)
• 倉庫(そうこ) (sōko)
• 倉皇(そうこう) (sōkō)
• 倉廩(そうりん) (sōrin)
• 営倉(えいそう) (eisō)
• 監倉(かんそう) (kansō)
• 穀倉(こくそう) (kokusō)
• 常平倉(じょうへいそう) (jōheisō)
• 船倉(せんそう) (sensō)
• 弾倉(だんそう) (dansō)
• 土倉(どそう) (dosō)

Etymology

Kanji in this term
倉
くら Grade: 4
kun'yomi

For pronunciation and definitions of 倉 – see the following entry.

【蔵くら】6 [noun] warehouse, storehouse Alternative spelling 庫

(This term, 倉, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

Derived terms

• 倉入(くらい)れ (kuraire)
• 倉敷(くらしき) (Kurashiki)
• 倉出(くらだ)し (kuradashi)
• 倉荷(くらに) (kurani)
• 倉主(くらぬし) (kuranushi)
• 校倉(あぜくら) (azekura)
• 内倉(うちぐら) (uchigura)
• 鎌倉(かまくら) (Kamakura)
• 小倉(こくら) (Kokura)
• 米倉(こめぐら) (komegura)
• 高倉(たかくら) (takakura)
• 武器倉(ぶきぐら) (bukigura)
• 胸倉(むなぐら) (munagura)
• 矢倉(やぐら) (yagura)

Korean

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 倉 (MC tshang). Recorded as Middle Korean 차ᇰ (chang) (Yale: chang) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

Pronunciation

• (granary; warehouse; etc.):
  • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕʰa̠ŋ]
  • Phonetic hangul: [창]
• (in 창졸 (倉卒, changjol)):
  • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕʰa̠(ː)ŋ]
  • Phonetic hangul: [창(ː)]
    • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

倉

倉 (eumhun 곳집 창 (gotjip chang))

1. hanja form^? of 창 (“granary”)
2. hanja form^? of 창 (“warehouse; storage”)

Compounds

• 개창 (開倉, gaechang)
• 곡창 (穀倉, gokchang)
• 삼창 (三倉, samchang)
• 선창 (船倉, seonchang)
• 영창 (營倉, yeongchang)
• 창고 (倉庫, changgo)
• 창곡 (倉穀, changgok)
• 창름 (倉凜, changneum)
• 창부 (倉府, changbu)
• 창졸 (倉卒, changjol)
• 창힐 (倉頡, Changhil)
• 탄창 (彈倉, tanchang)

References

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

Vietnamese

Han character

倉: Hán Nôm readings: thương, thưng, thơng

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