Meanings & readings
Meanings & dictionary uses
2 senses · 4 wordsOccurrence and discovery in established verbs
Setting out and developing in established verbs
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 發 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 ↗
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
- 발
- 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
3 direct parts- Layout
- complex
- Index radical
- 癶 · 105 · 7 residual strokes
The modern form has an upper 癶-shaped region and lower 弓 and 殳-shaped regions. This visual inventory is separate from the historical account, which discusses earlier bow forms and changing additions.
Follow the recorded parts
- recorded boundary
- 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
12 strokesModern stroke order; regional conventions can differ. [47]
Words & connections
Examples
2 sentences我們明天早上出發。
我们明天早上出发。
We set out tomorrow morning.
我發現了一條新的小路。
我发现了一条新的小路。
I discovered a new little path.
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.
History & distinctions
Etymology & evidence
2 accountsReleasing a bow
CUHK explains early forms in relation to a bow and its released string. It describes later added elements and a development toward an analysis with 弓 and phonetic 癹, citing earlier paleographic scholarship.
Graphic history is not every word’s history
The historical account helps explain the written form. It does not by itself date the emergence of every modern compound containing 發. Those words are presented separately with their modern readings and meanings.
Reading this character · explanatory note
發 occurs in many common verbs: 發生 / 发生 means to happen, 發現 / 发现 to discover, 出發 / 出发 to set out, and 發展 / 发展 to develop. These are whole-word meanings, so translating every 發 mechanically as “send” will mislead. The ordinary reading in these examples is fā. Simplified writing merges this character with the separate hair character 髮 under 发. Traditional spelling keeps them apart. CUHK’s historical account connects 發 with the release of a bow, not with hair, making this a clear example of why one simplified shape can lead to more than one historical dossier.
Historical specimens remain at their sources. No dated attestation sequence or licensed specimen image is claimed.
Inspect CUHK’s forms and discussion ↗Forms & distinctions
發 becomes 发 in simplified writing: 發現 → 发现. Hair 髮 also becomes 发: 頭髮 → 头发. The reverse conversion therefore requires word context. Traditional 發型 is not the correct ordinary spelling for a hairstyle; write 髮型.
髮 is the hair character, usually fà in mainland Mandarin and fǎ in Taiwan’s dictionary standard. 發 is fā in the verbs illustrated here. Their merger in simplified writing does not merge their histories.
廢 includes the outer 广 structure and is a different character. A shared inner shape does not make it interchangeable with 發.
Historical readings
- Middle Chinese
- pjot · 方伐 反切 · #3361
Guangyun-based transcriptions · PHONO-ML · CC BY 4.0. These describe historical reading categories, not modern word pronunciation.
Source row & reading categories
CSV line 17385 · pjot = 山合三入元幫
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
5 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
漢語拼音; definition 1 · link_only · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
17.0.0 · permitted · 2026-10-12
Locator & rights
bddc96d41bef78427ed0e034e9f7e31d71fd1b92 · permitted · 2026-10-12
Open research · 1 items
- No independent specialist review has been performed. Historical specimen images are linked at source; no image-reuse permission has been obtained.
Cited claims compared with the consulted entries; no independent expert review recorded.
Readings across dictionaries
- Hanyu Da Zidian
- fā,bō 42761.040
- Xiandai Hanyu · 1983
- fā 0292.011
- Reading counts · XDHYPLCD
- fā(4834) fa(174) fà(80)
- Mandarin / Cantonese · SMSZD
- fā粵faat3