啟

See also: 啓 and 启

啟 U+555F, 啟 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-555F ← 啞 [U+555E] CJK Unified Ideographs 啠 → [U+5560]

Translingual

Traditional	啟
Simplified	启
Japanese	啓
Korean	啓

Han character

啟 (Kangxi radical 66, 攴+7, 11 strokes, cangjie input 竹口人大 (HROK), four-corner 3860₄, composition ⿰户攵(G) or ⿰启攵(HT))

Usage notes

This character form is not found in the Kangxi dictionary and is not used in Japan or Korea (啓 is used instead). It is the preferred form used in Hong Kong and Taiwan; historically the preferred form is 啓 in Hong Kong, but this has shifted in recent years.

Derived characters

• 闙, 𥳃, 𣘼, 𭨠, 𦘦, 𮮝, 𫫤, 𫹢

Related characters

• 啓 (Form used in Japan and Korea) (Also found in the Kangxi Dictionary)

Descendants

• 启 (Simplified Chinese)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: not present, would follow page 196, character 26
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 3821
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1463, character 8
• Unihan data for U+555F

Chinese

trad.		啟/啓
simp.		启
alternative forms		唘 啔

Wikipedia has articles on:

• 啟 (Written Standard Chinese^?)
• 啓 (Cantonese)
• 啓 (Classical)
• Khé (Southern Min)
• 启 (Wu)
• Qi of Xia (English)

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 啟
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

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

	Old Chinese
啓	*kʰeːʔ
啟	*kʰeːʔ
棨	*kʰeːʔ
綮	*kʰeːʔ
晵	*kʰeːʔ, *kʰens
闙	*kʰeːʔ
启	*kʰeːʔ

Shu-ta Yang: Ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): 戶 (“door”) + 又 (“hand”) — to open a door with the hand. Later, 口 was added and 又 evolved to 攴.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): qǐ (qi³)

  (Zhuyin): ㄑㄧˇ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): kai²
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): khí
• Eastern Min (BUC): kiē
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): khé

  (Teochew, Peng'im): ki²

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: qǐ
    • Zhuyin: ㄑㄧˇ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: cǐ
    • Wade–Giles: chʻi³
    • Yale: chǐ
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: chii
    • Palladius: ци (ci)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕʰi²¹⁴/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: kai²
    • Yale: kái
    • Cantonese Pinyin: kai²
    • Guangdong Romanization: kei²
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰɐi̯³⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: khí
    • Hakka Romanization System: ki^ˋ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: ki³
    • Sinological IPA: /kʰi³¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: kiē
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰie³³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khé
    • Tâi-lô: khé
    • Phofsit Daibuun: qea
    • IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang): /kʰe⁵⁵⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /kʰe⁴¹/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei): /kʰe⁵³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: ki²
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: khí
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʰi⁵²/

---

• Middle Chinese: khejX

Rime
Character	啟
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	溪 (29)
Final (韻)	齊 (39)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	IV
Fanqie	康禮切
Baxter	khejX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kʰeiX/
Pan Wuyun	/kʰeiX/
Shao Rongfen	/kʰɛiX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kʰɛjX/
Li Rong	/kʰeiX/
Wang Li	/kʰieiX/
Bernhard Karlgren	/kʰieiX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	qǐ
Expected Cantonese Reflex	hai2

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*kʰˤijʔ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*kʰeːʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	啟
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	qǐ
Middle Chinese	‹ khejX ›
Old Chinese	/*kʰˁijʔ/
English	open (v.)
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	啟
Reading #	1/1
No.	10129
Phonetic component	啓
Rime group	支
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	啓
Old Chinese	/*kʰeːʔ/
Notes	啓通用異體見漢簡

Definitions

啟

1. to open

   啟封／启封  ―  qǐfēng  ―  to unseal; to break a seal

2. to start; to begin; to commence

   啟用／启用  ―  qǐyòng  ―  to start using

3. to inform; to state; to explain

   敬啟者／敬启者  ―  jìngqǐzhě  ―  to whom this may concern

4. to enlighten; to educate; to inspire

   啟發／启发  ―  qǐfā  ―  to enlighten; to inspire; to stimulate; to arouse

5. (literary) short letter; note

   謝啟／谢启  ―  xièqǐ  ―  note of thanks

6. (historical) letter from a government official
7. (Chinese mythology) Qi of Xia (second king of the semi-legendary Xia dynasty)
8. short for 啟示錄／启示录 (Qǐshìlù, “Revelation”)
9. a surname

Synonyms

Terms for the book of Revelation in different branches of Christianity

Branch	Names	Abbreviations edit
Protestant	啟示錄	啟
Roman Catholic	若望默示錄, 默示錄	默
Eastern Orthodox	約安之啟示錄

Compounds

• 不好啟齒 / 不好启齿
• 丹脣啟秀 / 丹唇启秀
• 光啟 / 光启
• 公啟 / 公启
• 再啟者 / 再启者
• 副啟 / 副启
• 哀啟 / 哀启 (āiqǐ)
• 夏啟 / 夏启
• 天啟 / 天启 (Tiānqǐ)
• 山公啟事 / 山公启事
• 徵啟 / 征启
• 徵求啟事 / 征求启事
• 承上啟下 / 承上启下 (chéngshàngqǐxià)
• 承先啟後 / 承先启后 (chéngxiānqǐhòu)
• 承前啟後 / 承前启后 (chéngqiánqǐhòu)
• 拜啟 / 拜启
• 啟乞 / 启乞
• 啟事 / 启事 (qǐshì)
• 啟動 / 启动 (qǐdòng)
• 啟動程式 / 启动程式
• 啟口 / 启口
• 啟告 / 启告
• 啟問 / 启问
• 啟土 / 启土
• 啟報 / 启报
• 啟奏 / 启奏
• 啟封 / 启封 (qǐfēng)
• 啟建 / 启建
• 啟手足 / 启手足
• 啟明 / 启明 (qǐmíng)
• 啟智 / 启智
• 啟沃 / 启沃
• 啟浪 / 启浪 (Qǐlàng)
• 啟用 / 启用 (qǐyòng)
• 啟發 / 启发 (qǐfā)
• 啟白 / 启白
• 啟碇 / 启碇
• 啟示 / 启示 (qǐshì)
• 啟示錄 / 启示录 (qǐshìlù)
• 啟程 / 启程 (qǐchéng)
• 啟節 / 启节
• 啟聰 / 启聪
• 啟航 / 启航 (qǐháng)
• 啟蒙 / 启蒙 (qǐméng)
• 啟蒙哲學 / 启蒙哲学
• 啟蒙時代 / 启蒙时代 (Qǐméng Shídài)
• 啟蒙運動 / 启蒙运动 (qǐméng yùndòng)
• 啟處 / 启处
• 啟蟄 / 启蛰
• 啟行 / 启行
• 啟請 / 启请
• 啟迪 / 启迪 (qǐdí)
• 啟運 / 启运
• 啟釁 / 启衅 (qǐxìn)
• 啟閉 / 启闭
• 啟顏 / 启颜
• 啟齒 / 启齿 (qǐchǐ)
• 敬啟 / 敬启
• 敬啟者 / 敬启者 (jìngqǐzhě)
• 更正啟事 / 更正启事
• 書啟 / 书启
• 款啟寡聞 / 款启寡闻
• 殷憂啟聖 / 殷忧启圣
• 臺啟 / 台启
• 茲啟者 / 兹启者
• 親啟 / 亲启
• 謝啟 / 谢启
• 警告啟事 / 警告启事
• 逕啟者 / 迳启者 (jìngqǐzhě)
• 通知啟事 / 通知启事
• 道歉啟事 / 道歉启事
• 鄂君啟節 / 鄂君启节
• 鈞啟 / 钧启
• 開啟 / 开启 (kāiqǐ)
• 鳴謝啟事 / 鸣谢启事

Japanese

Kanji

啟

(Hyōgai kanji)

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Readings

• On (unclassified): けい (kei)
• Kun: ひらく (hiraku)、もうす (mōsu)

Korean

Hanja

啟 • (gye) (hangeul 계, revised gye, McCune–Reischauer kye)

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Vietnamese

Han character

啟: Hán Nôm readings: khải, khơi, khui

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