階

See also: 阶

階 U+968E, 階 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-968E ← 隍 [U+968D] CJK Unified Ideographs 随 → [U+968F]

Translingual

Han character

階 (Kangxi radical 170, 阜+9, 12 strokes, cangjie input 弓中心心日 (NLPPA), four-corner 7126₁, composition ⿰阝皆)

Derived characters

• 𣾂

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 1357, character 9
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 41755
• Dae Jaweon: page 1861, character 9
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 6, page 4143, character 4
• Unihan data for U+968E

Chinese

trad.		階
simp.		阶
alternative forms		堦／阶 瑎

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 階
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

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

	Old Chinese
皆	*kriːl
偕	*kriːl
階	*kriːl
喈	*kriːl
稭	*kriːl, *kriːd
堦	*kriːl
楷	*kriːl, *kʰriːlʔ
鶛	*kriːl
湝	*kriːl, *ɡriːl
蝔	*kriːl, *ɡriːl
鍇	*kriːl, *kʰriːlʔ
揩	*kʰriːl
諧	*ɡriːl
瑎	*ɡriːl
龤	*ɡriːl

Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *kriːl): semantic 阝 + phonetic 皆 (OC *kriːl).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): jiē (jie¹)

  (Zhuyin): ㄐㄧㄝ

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): gaai¹

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): gai¹

• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): kiê / kiâi

  (Hailu, HRS): gai^ˋ

  (Meixian, Guangdong): giai¹

• Eastern Min (BUC): gā̤ / găi
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): kai

  (Teochew, Peng'im): gai¹

• Wu (Northern, Wugniu): ¹ka / ¹cia

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: jiē
    • Zhuyin: ㄐㄧㄝ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: jie
    • Wade–Giles: chieh¹
    • Yale: jyē
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: jie
    • Palladius: цзе (cze)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /t͡ɕi̯ɛ⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong–Macau)
    • Jyutping: gaai¹
    • Yale: gāai
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gaai¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: gai¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kaːi̯⁵⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: gai¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kai³³/
• Hakka
  • (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kiê
    • Hakka Romanization System: gie^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: gie¹
    • Sinological IPA: /ki̯e²⁴/
  • (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kiâi
    • Hakka Romanization System: giai^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: giai¹
    • Sinological IPA: /ki̯ai̯²⁴/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: gai^ˋ
    • Sinological IPA: /kai⁵³/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: giai¹
    • Sinological IPA: /kiaɪ⁴⁴/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: gā̤ / găi
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɛ³³/, /kai⁵⁵/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kai
    • Tâi-lô: kai
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kay
    • IPA (Xiamen): /kai⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /kai³³/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /kai⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /kai⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /kai⁴⁴/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: gai¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kai
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kai³³/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹ka
    • MiniDict: ka^平
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹ka
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ka⁵³/
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ¹cia
    • MiniDict: cia^平
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ¹jia
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /t͡ɕia⁵³/

Note:

• Shanghai:
  • 1ka - vernacular.

---

• Middle Chinese: keaj

Rime
Character	階
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	皆 (33)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	II
Fanqie	古諧切
Baxter	keaj
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/kˠɛi/
Pan Wuyun	/kᵚæi/
Shao Rongfen	/kɐi/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/kəɨj/
Li Rong	/kɛi/
Wang Li	/kɐi/
Bernhard Karlgren	/kăi/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	jiē
Expected Cantonese Reflex	gaai1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*kˤrij/

  (Zhengzhang): /*kriːl/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	階
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	jiē
Middle Chinese	‹ kɛj ›
Old Chinese	/*kˁrij/
English	steps, stairs
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	階
Reading #	1/1
No.	6417
Phonetic component	皆
Rime group	脂
Rime subdivision	1
Corresponding MC rime	皆
Old Chinese	/*kriːl/

Definitions

階

1. stair; step

   階梯／阶梯  ―  jiētī  ―  staircase

   • 夫不違，乃違也。夫不違，亡之階也。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, trad.]
     夫不违，乃违也。夫不违，亡之阶也。 [Traditional Chinese poetry, simp.]

     From: Guoyu, circa 4^th century BCE

     Fú bùwéi, nǎi wéi yě. Fú bùwéi, wáng zhī jiē yě. [Pinyin]

     They never go against you, which is indeed their way of betraying you. Their unconditional compliance is the stepstone to you ruin.

2. (figurative) rank; degree; level; seniority; order of precedence

   官階／官阶  ―  guānjiē  ―  rank of an official

   進階中文課／进阶中文课  ―  jìnjiē zhōngwén kè  ―  advanced(-level) course in Chinese

3. (figurative) phase; stage (serially-ordered division of time, level of completion, etc.)

   階段／阶段  ―  jiēduàn  ―  stage

4. (music) scale

   五聲音階／五声音阶  ―  wǔshēngyīnjiē  ―  pentatonic scale

5. (mathematics) order; degree (quantity signifying various concepts in mathematics, chiefly integer-valued)

   二階微分方程／二阶微分方程  ―  èrjiē wēifēnfāngchéng  ―  second-order differential equation

   1. (graph theory) the number of vertices in a graph

      • 顯然任何n階圖是一個n部圖。 [MSC, trad.]
        显然任何n阶图是一个n部图。 [MSC, simp.]

        From: 2012, Xiong Bin and Zheng Zhongyi, Graph Theory, page 18

        Xiǎnrán rènhé n jiē tú shì yīge n bù tú. [Pinyin]

        Evidently, every n-vertex graph is an n-partite graph.

6. a surname

Compounds

• 一階半級 / 一阶半级
• 一階半職 / 一阶半职
• 下層階級 / 下层阶级
• 下臺階 / 下台阶 (xià táijiē)
• 三階 / 三阶
• 三階佛法 / 三阶佛法
• 三階教 / 三阶教
• 中產階級 / 中产阶级 (zhōngchǎn jiējí)
• 亂階 / 乱阶
• 低階 / 低阶 (dījiē)
• 位階 / 位阶
• 初階 / 初阶
• 半音階 / 半音阶 (bànyīnjiē)
• 厲階 / 厉阶
• 土階茅屋 / 土阶茅屋
• 土階茅茨 / 土阶茅茨
• 堯階蓂莢 / 尧阶蓂荚
• 大音階 / 大音阶 (dàyīnjiē)
• 太階 / 太阶
• 官階 / 官阶 (guānjiē)
• 小音階 / 小音阶 (xiǎoyīnjiē)
• 工商階級 / 工商阶级
• 巧不可階 / 巧不可阶
• 平臺階段 / 平台阶段
• 循階 / 循阶
• 找臺階 / 找台阶
• 找臺階下 / 找台阶下
• 日轉千階 / 日转千阶
• 晉階 / 晋阶
• 月地雲階 / 月地云阶
• 有產階級 / 有产阶级 (yǒuchǎn jiējí)
• 木階 / 木阶
• 東階 / 东阶
• 泰階 / 泰阶
• 河階 / 河阶
• 泰階平 / 泰阶平
• 沿階草 / 沿阶草
• 海平階 / 海平阶
• 無產階級 / 无产阶级 (wúchǎn jiējí)
• 玉階 / 玉阶
• 玉階怨 / 玉阶怨
• 現階段 / 现阶段
• 瑤階 / 瑶阶
• 白領階級 / 白领阶级
• 知識階級 / 知识阶级
• 石階 / 石阶 (shíjiē)
• 社會階級 / 社会阶级 (shèhuì jiējí)
• 禍作福階 / 祸作福阶
• 臺階 / 台阶 (táijiē)
• 茅室土階 / 茅室土阶
• 茅茨土階 / 茅茨土阶
• 藍領階級 / 蓝领阶级
• 螺階 / 螺阶
• 西階 / 西阶
• 資產階級 / 资产阶级 (zīchǎn jiējí)
• 超階越次 / 超阶越次
• 躇階 / 躇阶
• 軍階 / 军阶 (jūnjiē)
• 連階累任 / 连阶累任
• 進身之階 / 进身之阶
• 進階 / 进阶 (jìnjiē)
• 阼階 / 阼阶
• 降階 / 降阶
• 階下 / 阶下 (jiēxià)
• 階下囚 / 阶下囚 (jiēxiàqiú)
• 階乘 / 阶乘 (jiēchéng)
• 階層 / 阶层 (jiēcéng)
• 階州 / 阶州 (Jiēzhōu)
• 階心 / 阶心
• 階梯 / 阶梯 (jiētī)
• 階段 / 阶段 (jiēduàn)
• 階砌 / 阶砌
• 階級 / 阶级 (jiējí)
• 階級意識 / 阶级意识
• 階級敵人 / 阶级敌人
• 階級矛盾 / 阶级矛盾
• 階級鬥爭 / 阶级斗争 (jiējí dòuzhēng)
• 階緣 / 阶缘
• 階進 / 阶进
• 階陛 / 阶陛
• 階除 / 阶除
• 雲階月地 / 云阶月地
• 音階 / 音阶 (yīnjiē)
• 高階 / 高阶 (gāojiē)
• 高階層 / 高阶层
• 高階語言 / 高阶语言 (gāojiē yǔyán)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (階):

• → Japanese: 階(かい) (kai)

References

• “階”, 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 階

階

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

1. storey; story; floor​

Readings

• Go-on: け (ke)
• Kan-on: かい (kai, Jōyō)
• Kun: きざはし (kizahashi, 階)、はしご (hashigo, 階)、しな (shina, 階)

Etymology

Kanji in this term
階
かい Grade: 3
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 階 (MC keaj).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) かい [kàí] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ka̠i]

Affix

階(かい) • (kai) 

1. step; stair; storey
2. class; rank; level

Counter

階(かい) • (-kai) 

1. floors, storeys (of a building)

   （私(わたし)の）オフィスは五(ご)階(かい)にあります。

   (Watashi no) ofisu wa go-kai ni arimasu.

   (My) office is on the fifth floor.

See also

v • d • e Japanese counter/suffix: 階 (かい, kai, "storey; floor of a building")
Number	Kanji	Kana	Romaji
1	一階	いっかい	ikkai
2	二階	にかい	nikai
3	三階	さんがい、さんかい	sangai, sankai
4	四階	よんかい	yonkai
5	五階	ごかい	gokai
6	六階	ろっかい	rokkai
7	七階	ななかい、しちかい	nanakai, shichikai
8	八階	はっかい、はちかい	hakkai, hachikai
9	九階	きゅうかい	kyūkai
10	十階	じっかい、じゅっかい	jikkai, jukkai
11	十一階	じゅういっかい	jūikkai
12	十二階	じゅうにかい	jūnikai
13	十三階	じゅうさんがい、じゅうさんかい	jūsangai, jūsankai
20	二十階	にじっかい、にじゅっかい	nijikkai, nijukkai
21	二十一階	にじゅういっかい	nijūikkai
100	百階	ひゃっかい	hyakkai
1,000	千階	せんかい	senkai
10,000	一万階	いちまんかい	ichimankai
100,000,000	一億階	いちおくかい	ichiokukai
0	０階、零階	ゼロかい、れいかい	zerokai, reikai
?	何階	なんかい、なんがい	nankai, nangai

References

• “^△階”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎ (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2025

Korean

Hanja

階 (eumhun 섬돌 계 (seomdol gye))

1. hanja form^? of 계 (“steps, stairs”)
2. hanja form^? of 계 (“rank, degree”)

Vietnamese

Han character

階: Hán Nôm readings: giai

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