míng
bright; clear; next
Meanings & readings
Meanings & dictionary uses
3 senses · 4 wordsBright or clear
Make something clear
Next, in time words
Languages & readings
Choose a recorded reading. Explore other varieties through their reference sources below.
Mandarin
Sense-linked readingsReadings & meanings
Usage scope
Regional and word-specific qualifications remain attached to the sense and vocabulary records.
Cantonese
Selected character readingSource & reading limitations
Jyutping · Unihan 17.0.0
This property supplies a customary character reading for collation and transliteration. It does not list every reading or identify the reading for each word and sense. It also does not encode a separate regional label for each value.
Other Chinese languages & varieties
Reference guides · character readings not yet imported.
Taiwanese Hokkien 臺灣台語Reference sources only
The Ministry of Education dictionary is the reference for Taiwanese vocabulary and readings. Its Tâi-lô guide distinguishes citation tones from changes in connected speech. Other Hokkien varieties require their own sources.
- Reference variety
- Taiwanese Hokkien, with the regional distinctions recorded by Taiwan's Ministry of Education
- Notation
- Tâi-lô (臺羅), as used by the linked MOE dictionary
Hakka 客語Reference sources only
Taiwan's Ministry of Education documents six Hakka varieties separately. Choose the variety before comparing readings; a single undifferentiated Hakka pronunciation would hide meaningful differences.
- Reference variety
- Taiwan: Sixian, Hailu, Dapu, Raoping, Zhao'an and Southern Sixian
- Notation
- Taiwan Hakka Romanization System (臺灣客語拼音方案)
Teochew 潮州話／潮汕話Reference sources only
Explore CUHK's published Chaozhou lexicon and its separate Shantou sound table. These reference locations remain explicit: readings from one locality should not stand in for every Teochew variety.
- Reference variety
- Chaozhou lexicon; separate Shantou syllable-table resource
- Notation
- Source phonetic transcription; no shared local romanization imported
Wu 吳語・上海話Reference sources only
The linked university resource documents Shanghai. Wu also includes other local varieties; Shanghai readings should retain that location label when compared with Mandarin or Cantonese.
- Reference variety
- Shanghai
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Eastern Min 閩東語・福州話Reference sources only
Fuzhou is an Eastern Min reference variety. Its dedicated CUHK sound table offers a starting point; other Eastern Min localities need distinct records and source attribution.
- Reference variety
- Fuzhou
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Gan 贛語・南昌話Reference sources only
Begin with CUHK's Nanchang sound table. The broader Gan group contains local differences, so future readings should identify Nanchang or another documented locality explicitly.
- Reference variety
- Nanchang
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Xiang 湘語・長沙話Reference sources only
Begin with CUHK's Changsha sound table. Keep Changsha separate from other Xiang localities when adding readings; the group name does not denote one uniform pronunciation.
- Reference variety
- Changsha
- Notation
- Phonetic transcription and tone values in the linked CUHK table
Readings in Japanese, Korean & Vietnamese
Readings recorded for 明 in other language traditions. These are character-level records, not word translations or interchangeable pronunciations.
Japanese 日本語
Grouped by the source’s kana notation; no frequency ranking is implied.
On’yomi · katakana
Kun’yomi · hiragana
Katakana generally indicates on’yomi; hiragana generally indicates kun’yomi. The source does not identify everyday, rare, historical or name use per reading. Kana strings are preserved, including any written endings; consult a Japanese word entry for actual use.
Go deeperJisho ↗Wiktionary ↗
Source record & scope
Unicode Unihan 17.0.0 · kJapanese ↗ · provisional property
メイ ミョウ ミン ベイ ボウ あかり あかるい あかるむ あからむ あきらか あける あく あくる あかす ひかりKorean 한국어
Hanja readings · Hangul
Source codes are separated below. They are neither sounds nor tones; a character reading alone does not specify a whole word’s pronunciation.
Go deeperNaver Hanja ↗Wiktionary ↗
Reading sources explained
- 명
- KS X 1001 (0) · Educational Hanja (E)
Vietnamese Tiếng Việt
Character readings · Quốc ngữ
Vietnamese readings associated with this Han character. This field alone does not establish word meanings, current usage, or a complete account of Hán-Nôm reading traditions.
Go deeperHán Việt (Thi Viện) ↗Wiktionary ↗
Form & structure
Structure & components
2 direct parts- Layout
- left right
- Index radical
- 日 · 72 · 4 residual strokes
日 is on the left and 月 on the right in the modern standard form. This is a graphical description. It must not erase earlier variants whose left-hand shape is discussed differently by paleographers.
Follow the recorded parts
- recorded boundary
- recorded boundary
A boundary means no finer analysis is published here; it does not assert an indivisible unit. Radical classification and component structure are separate.
Inspect the component network ↗Writing
8 strokesModern stroke order; regional conventions can differ. [47]
Words & connections
Examples
2 sentences現在我明白了。
现在我明白了。
Now I understand.
明天早上我們再見。
明天早上我们再见。
We will see each other again tomorrow morning.
Original editorial sentences. Pinyin uses dictionary tones; connected speech may differ.
Connections
0 phonetic neighboursThis pilot does not link this character to a sound (phonetic) family. Explore the other recorded relationships below.
Follow this component
Reverse links to attributed component analyses. Open each character for its role, source and words. Shared components do not establish word ancestry.
Sentence context · 1 matches
你无法证明。
Source, contributors & licenses
Mandarin: Tatoeba #402873 · Original contributor: FeuDRenais · Text editors: GlossaMatik · CC BY 2.0 FR · Attribution log · Current owner: GlossaMatik
English: Tatoeba #402870 · Original contributor: FeuDRenais · CC BY 2.0 FR · Attribution log · Current owner: CM
Source text unchanged. Original contributor and text editors are credited from the source log, separately from the current owner.
History & distinctions
Etymology & evidence
2 accountsMore than one early form
CUHK discusses early 日-and-月 forms alongside forms associated with 囧, interpreted as a window. Its account also flags uncertain identifications among eye-like forms. Not every superficially similar early graph has an equally secure identification.
Interpretation remains layered
The entry attributes a dawn interpretation to Xu Zhongshu and a brightness interpretation to Shen Pei for 日-and-月 forms. It also quotes the Shuowen analysis of 朙 with 月 and 囧. These are attributed treatments; a second independently consulted scholarly study is still needed before adjudicating them.
Reading this character · explanatory note
明 links several familiar ideas in modern words: brightness in 明亮, understanding in 明白, and the next day in 明天. The present form visibly contains 日 and 月, but the historical record is more varied than the slogan “sun plus moon equals bright.” CUHK discusses early forms with different left-side shapes and more than one interpretation of their meaning. Start with the modern word you are reading, then examine the historical evidence separately. That approach makes the familiar form useful to remember while keeping a memorable explanation from becoming stronger than its supporting evidence.
Historical specimens remain at their sources. No dated attestation sequence or licensed specimen image is claimed.
Inspect CUHK’s forms and discussion ↗Forms & distinctions
明 is shared in modern simplified and traditional writing. Historical 朙 is relevant to the evidence discussion, but it is not presented here as an interchangeable everyday form. The Ming dynasty and the surname Míng require their own named-entity context.
晴 also begins with 日, but its right side is 青 and its ordinary meaning concerns weather. 明 has 月 and a broader range of light, clarity, and time-related uses.
Historical readings
- Middle Chinese
- mjaeng · 武兵 反切 · #877
Guangyun-based transcriptions · PHONO-ML · CC BY 4.0. These describe historical reading categories, not modern word pronunciation.
Source row & reading categories
CSV line 7063 · mjaeng = 梗開三平庚明
Automatically generated in the source dataset; the authors checked a subset and acknowledge possible errors. All source readings are retained separately. Notation & method ↗
Sources & reference
Sources & research
4 sourcesLocator & rights
Character entry; 形義通解, 繁簡對應, and cited Shuowen discussion where present · link_only · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
Release 2026-10-12T08:13:53Z. Exact word-reading locators are retained with each WordRecord. · permitted · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
17.0.0 · permitted · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
bddc96d41bef78427ed0e034e9f7e31d71fd1b92 · permitted · 2026-10-12
Open research · 2 items
- Competing origin accounts are reported through CUHK; the cited scholars have not yet been consulted directly.
- No independently verified specimen sequence or image-reuse permission.
Cited claims compared with the consulted entries; no independent expert review recorded.
Readings across dictionaries
- Hanyu Da Zidian
- míng,mèng 21491.080
- Xiandai Hanyu · 1983
- míng 0793.060
- Tongyong Guifan · 2013
- míng 254.120
- Reading counts · XDHYPLCD
- míng(1887) ming(96)
- Mandarin / Cantonese · SMSZD
- míng粵ming4