棺

棺 U+68FA, 棺 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-68FA ← 棹 [U+68F9] CJK Unified Ideographs 棻 → [U+68FB]

Translingual

Han character

棺 (Kangxi radical 75, 木+8, 12 strokes, cangjie input 木十口口 (DJRR), four-corner 4397₇, composition ⿰木官)

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 535, character 4
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 14993
• Dae Jaweon: page 922, character 23
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1238, character 9
• Unihan data for U+68FA

Chinese

simp. and trad.		棺
alternative forms		栕 𣑄

Glyph origin

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

	Old Chinese
官	*koːn
棺	*koːn, *koːns
倌	*koːn, *kroːns
悹	*koːn, *koːnʔ, *koːns
涫	*koːn, *koːns
管	*koːnʔ
琯	*koːnʔ, *kuːns
痯	*koːnʔ, *koːns
輨	*koːnʔ
錧	*koːnʔ, *koːns
館	*koːnʔ, *koːns
婠	*koːns, *qoːn, *qruːd
悺	*koːns
逭	*ɡoːns
菅	*kroːn
綰	*qroːnʔ, *qroːns
捾	*qoːd

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *koːn, *koːns): semantic 木 + phonetic 官 (OC *koːn).

Etymology

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *kwaŋ (“trough; boat; box; tray”) (STEDT's provisional reconstruction).

Pronunciation 1

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): guān (guan¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄢ

  (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): guan¹

  (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): гуан (guan, I)

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): gun¹

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): gon¹

• Gan (Wiktionary): guon¹
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): kôn

  (Hailu, HRS): gon^ˋ

  (Meixian, Guangdong): guon¹

• Jin (Wiktionary): guan¹
• Northern Min (KCR): guíng
• Eastern Min (BUC): guăng
• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): guang¹ / guong¹
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): koaⁿ / koan

  (Teochew, Peng'im): guan¹

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ¹kuoe
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): gonn¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: guān
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: guan
    • Wade–Giles: kuan¹
    • Yale: gwān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: guan
    • Palladius: гуань (guanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ku̯än⁵⁵/
  • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: guan¹
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: guan
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kuan⁵⁵/
  • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic and Wiktionary: гуан (guan, I)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kuæ̃²⁴/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: gun¹
    • Yale: gūn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gun¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: gun¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kuːn⁵⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: gon¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kᵘɔn³³/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: guon¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kuɵn⁴²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kôn
    • Hakka Romanization System: gon^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: gon¹
    • Sinological IPA: /kon²⁴/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: gon^ˋ
    • Sinological IPA: /kon⁵³/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: guon¹
    • Sinological IPA: /kuɔn⁴⁴/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: guan¹
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /kuæ̃¹¹/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: guíng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kuiŋ⁵⁴/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: guăng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kuaŋ⁵⁵/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: guang¹
    • Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: guang
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kuaŋ⁵³³/
  • (Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: guong¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kuoŋ⁵⁴⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: koaⁿ / koan
    • Tâi-lô: kuann / kuan
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kvoaf, koafn
    • IPA (Xiamen): /kuã⁴⁴/, /kuan⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kuã³³/, /kuan³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /kuã⁴⁴/, /kuan⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /kuã⁴⁴/, /kuan⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /kuã⁴⁴/, /kuan⁴⁴/

Note:

• koaⁿ - vernacular;
• koan - literary.

• • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: guan¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kuaⁿ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kũã³³/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹kuoe
    • MiniDict: kuoe^平
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹kuoe
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /kuø⁵³/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: gonn¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kõ³³/

---

• Middle Chinese: kwan

Rime
Character	棺
Reading #	1/2
Initial (聲)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	桓 (62)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	古丸切
Baxter	kwan
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kuɑn/
Pan Wuyun	/kʷɑn/
Shao Rongfen	/kuɑn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kwan/
Li Rong	/kuɑn/
Wang Li	/kuɑn/
Bernhard Karlgren	/kuɑn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	guān
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gun1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*kʷˤa[n]/

  (Zhengzhang): /*koːn/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	棺
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	guān
Middle Chinese	‹ kwan ›
Old Chinese	/*kʷˁa[n]/
English	inner coffin
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	棺
Reading #	1/2
No.	4436
Phonetic component	官
Rime group	元
Rime subdivision	3
Corresponding MC rime	官
Old Chinese	/*koːn/

Definitions

棺

1. (now Southern Min or in compounds) coffin; inner coffin

   • 鯉也死，有棺而無椁。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     鲤也死，有棺而无椁。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE

     Lǐ yě sǐ, yǒu guān ér wú guǒ. [Pinyin]

     There was Li; when he died, he had a coffin but no outer shell.

   Coordinate term: 槨 / 椁 (guǒ)

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 棺材 (“coffin”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		棺, 木, 棺木
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		棺材, 棺木, 壽材 †
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	棺材, 材
	Taiwan	棺材
	Harbin	棺材, 壽材 †
	Singapore	棺材
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	棺材, 壽材 †
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	棺材, 壽材 †
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	棺材, 坷漏
	Wanrong	壽木 †
	Xi'an	枋, 棺子, 棺材, 材, 壽材 †
	Xining	棺材, 棺木, 壽材 †
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	棺材, 壽板 †, 壽材 †
	Ürümqi	棺材, 壽材 †
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	棺材, 枋子, 壽枋 †, 壽木 †
	Wuhan	棺材, 壽木 †
	Guiyang	木頭, 大木, 材子, 老家 †, 大老家 †, 壽木 †
	Guilin	棺材
	Liuzhou	棺木, 棺材, 四塊半, 壽枋 †, 壽板 †, 長生板 †
	Dagudi (Maliba)	棺材
	Reshuitang (Longling)	棺材
	Mae Salong (Lancang)	棺材, 壽木 †
	Mae Sai (Tengchong)	棺材
Jianghuai Mandarin	Nanjing	棺材, 四塊板, 壽材 †
	Yangzhou	棺材, 壽材 †
	Hefei	棺材
Cantonese	Guangzhou	棺材, 四塊半, 四塊板, 四方竇, 長生板, 壽板
	Hong Kong	棺材, 四塊半, 長生板, 壽板
	Hong Kong (San Tin; Weitou)	棺材, 壽板
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin; Weitou)	棺材
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	棺材
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	棺材
	Macau	棺材, 壽板
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	棺材
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	棺材
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	棺材
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	棺材
	Foshan	棺材
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	棺材
	Foshan (Shunde)	棺材
	Foshan (Sanshui)	棺材
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	棺材
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	棺材
	Zhuhai (Qianshan, Xiangzhou)	壽木
	Zhuhai (Shangheng, Doumen; Tanka)	棺材
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	棺材
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	棺材
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	棺材
	Taishan	棺材
	Kaiping (Chikan)	木, 棺材
	Enping (Niujiang)	棺材
	Heshan (Yayao)	棺材
	Dongguan	棺材, 四塊半, 木訥, 壽材 †, 壽方 †
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	棺材
	Yangjiang	棺材
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	棺材, 四塊半, 壽板
	Singapore (Guangfu)	棺材
Gan	Nanchang	棺材, 壽材 †
	Lichuan	棺材, 壽木 †, 壽材 †
	Pingxiang	棺材, 長生, 料, 壽樹 †
Hakka	Meixian	棺材, 棺木, 長生板, 壽材
	Xingning	長生
	Dabu (Xihe)	棺材, 壽枋
	Huizhou (Huicheng; Bendihua)	棺材
	Huiyang	棺材, 長生
	Huidong (Daling)	長生, 大屋
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	棺材
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	棺材
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	棺材
	Wuhua (Shuizhai)	棺材
	Wuhua (Huacheng)	棺材
	Wuhua (Changbu)	棺材
	Wuhua (Mianyang)	棺材
	Heyuan (Bendihua)	棺材
	Wengyuan	木頭
	Shaoguan (Qujiang)	木頭
	Liannan	壽棺材
	Guangzhou (Lütian, Conghua)	棺材
	Jiexi	長生大屋, 長生板
	Luhe	棺材
	Zhao'an (Xiuzhuan)	棺木
	Changting	壽木
	Wuping	木頭
	Wuping (Yanqian)	棺木, 福板
	Wuping (Pingyu)	長生木
	Liancheng	木頭
	Ninghua	壽木, 老屋, 壽具, 蓄樹
	Yudu	棺材, 壽床, 老屋, 壽木 †
	Ningdu	萬年床
	Ruijin	壽櫃
	Shicheng	壽木
	Shangyou (Shexi)	壽木
	Tonggu (Sandu)	壽材
	Ganzhou (Panlong)	壽木
	Dayu	壽木
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	棺材, 大壽 ‡, 大屋 ‡
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	棺材, 壽 ‡, 大屋 ‡
	Pingtung (Wuluo, Ligang; S. Sixian)	棺材, 壽記 ‡
	Kaohsiung (Meinong; S. Sixian)	棺材, 大壽 ‡, 大屋 ‡
	Kaohsiung (Shanlin; S. Sixian)	棺材, 大屋 ‡
	Hong Kong	棺材, 壽房
	Yangxi (Tangkou)	棺材
	Yangchun (Sanjia)	長生
	Xinyi (Sihe)	棺材
	Xinyi (Qianpai)	棺材
	Gaozhou (Xindong)	棺材
	Maoming (Shalang, Dianbai)	棺材
	Huazhou (Xin'an)	棺材
	Lianjiang (Shijiao)	長生, 壽板
	Lianjiang (Qingping)	棺材
	Mengshan (Xihe)	壽
	Luchuan	壽木
	Sabah (Longchuan)	棺材
	Kuala Lumpur (Dabu)	棺材, 壽板, 棺木
	Senai (Huiyang)	棺材, 四塊半, 長生板
	Senai (Hepo)	棺材
	Sungai Tapang, Batu Kawa (Hepo)	棺樵, 大屋
	Singkawang	棺材
Huizhou	Jixi	棺材, 材, 壽材 †, 壽木 †
Jin	Taiyuan	棺材, 壽材 †, 壽木 †
	Xinzhou	棺材, 壽器 †, 大頭 †
Northern Min	Jian'ou	棺木, 四塊板
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	棺材, 棺木, 壽板 †
Southern Min	Xiamen	棺柴, 棺, 壽板 †, 壽柴, 大厝 dated
	Quanzhou	棺柴, 棺, 壽柴
	Jinjiang	壽板, 老壽
	Yongchun	棺柴
	Zhangzhou	棺柴, 棺, 壽板 †, 壽柴
	Taipei	棺柴, 大壽 ‡, 壽板 ‡
	Taipei (Wanhua)	棺柴
	New Taipei (Tamsui)	棺柴, 大壽 ‡
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	棺柴, 壽板 ‡
	New Taipei (Pingxi)	棺柴
	Kaohsiung	棺柴, 壽 ‡, 壽板 ‡
	Yilan	棺柴, 大壽 ‡, 壽板 ‡
	Changhua (Lukang)	棺柴, 大壽 ‡, 壽 ‡
	Taichung	棺柴, 棺木 ‡
	Taichung (Wuqi)	棺柴
	Tainan	棺柴, 板仔, 大厝 ‡, 壽板 ‡, 大壽 ‡, 壽 ‡
	Taitung	棺柴
	Hsinchu	棺柴, 大壽 ‡
	Kinmen	棺柴, 壽板 ‡, 壽枋 ‡, 大厝 ‡, 棺木 ‡
	Penghu (Magong)	棺柴, 壽 ‡
	Singapore (Hokkien)	棺柴, 大厝
	Manila (Hokkien)	棺柴, 棺
	Chaozhou	棺柴
	Shantou	棺柴, 大厝, 長生
	Shantou (Chenghai)	棺柴
	Jieyang	棺柴, 大厝
	Haifeng	棺柴
	Bangkok (Teochew)	棺柴, 大厝
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	大厝, 四個半
	Singapore (Teochew)	棺柴
	Haikou	棺材, 壽板 †
Zhongshan Min	Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi)	棺材
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	棺材, 四塊半, 四合板, 壽木 †, 壽板 †
Wu	Shanghai	棺材, 壽材 †, 壽器 †
	Shanghai (Chongming)	棺材, 材, 壽材 †
	Suzhou	棺材, 壽材 †, 壽器 †
	Danyang	棺材, 壽材 †
	Hangzhou	棺材, 壽材 †
	Ningbo	棺材, 壽材 †
	Wenzhou	棺材, 枋
	Jinhua	棺材, 材, 壽材 †, 壽屋 †
Xiang	Changsha	棺材, 料, 棺木, 壽枋 †
	Loudi	棺材, 料, 長生 †, 壽器 †
	Shuangfeng	木, 大料
Note	† - prepared before one's death; ‡ - elegant name

• 壽棺／寿棺
• (Hokkien) 杉板, 薄板仔

Compounds

• 一棺之土
• 同棺
• 命棺
• 大劈棺
• 大棺
• 封棺
• 屬棺 / 属棺
• 弔棺 / 吊棺
• 懸棺葬 / 悬棺葬
• 斲棺
• 杝棺
• 東園梓棺 / 东园梓棺
• 桐棺
• 桐棺三寸
• 梓棺
• 棺中懸鏡 / 棺中悬镜
• 棺具
• 棺函
• 棺器
• 棺屍 / 棺尸
• 棺斂 / 棺敛
• 棺木 (guānmù)
• 棺束
• 棺材
• 棺材座子
• 棺材本
• 棺材板
• 棺材楦子
• 棺材瓤子
• 棺材穰子
• 棺柩 (guānjiù)
• 棺椑
• 棺槨 / 棺椁 (guānguǒ)
• 棺槥
• 棺櫝 / 棺椟
• 棺櫬 / 棺榇
• 棺殮 / 棺殓
• 棺殯槨葬 / 棺殡椁葬
• 棺罩 (guānzhào)
• 棺蓋 / 棺盖 (guāngài)
• 棺衾
• 棺郭
• 棺釘 / 棺钉
• 棺錢 / 棺钱
• 棺題 / 棺题
• 棺飾 / 棺饰 (guānshì)
• 正棺
• 殯棺 / 殡棺
• 水晶棺
• 沒底棺材 / 没底棺材
• 玉棺
• 瓦棺
• 瓦棺篆鼎
• 白玉棺
• 石棺 (shíguān)
• 糊假棺
• 老棺材
• 蓋棺 / 盖棺
• 蓋棺事定 / 盖棺事定
• 蓋棺定論 / 盖棺定论 (gàiguāndìnglùn)
• 蓋棺論定 / 盖棺论定 (gàiguānlùndìng)
• 裏棺 / 里棺
• 起棺
• 輿棺 / 舆棺
• 通替棺
• 進棺材 / 进棺材 (jìn guāncái)
• 采棺
• 金棺
• 闔棺 / 阖棺
• 革棺
• 飾棺 / 饰棺

Pronunciation 2

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): guān, guàn (guan¹, guan⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄢ, ㄍㄨㄢˋ

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: guān
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: guan
    • Wade–Giles: kuan¹
    • Yale: gwān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: guan
    • Palladius: гуань (guanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ku̯än⁵⁵/
      
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: guàn
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄢˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: guàn
    • Wade–Giles: kuan⁴
    • Yale: gwàn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: guann
    • Palladius: гуань (guanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ku̯än⁵¹/

---

• Middle Chinese: kwanH

Rime
Character	棺
Reading #	2/2
Initial (聲)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	桓 (62)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Closed
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	古玩切
Baxter	kwanH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kuɑnH/
Pan Wuyun	/kʷɑnH/
Shao Rongfen	/kuɑnH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kwanH/
Li Rong	/kuɑnH/
Wang Li	/kuɑnH/
Bernhard Karlgren	/kuɑnH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	guàn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gun3

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*koːns/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	棺
Reading #	2/2
No.	4452
Phonetic component	官
Rime group	元
Rime subdivision	3
Corresponding MC rime	貫
Old Chinese	/*koːns/

Definitions

棺

1. (obsolete) to lay a body in a coffin

   • 為其所得者，棺而出之。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     为其所得者，棺而出之。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

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

     Wèi qí suǒ dé zhě, guān ér chū zhī. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

References

• “棺”, 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–
• Dictionary of Chinese Character Variants (教育部異體字字典), A01952