zimai字脈
LookupMandarin · 繁體 · English
Mandarin–English · CC-CEDICTSources ↗
CANTONESE ↔ ENGLISH · CC-CANTO

發

简 发 · 繁 發
Cantonese · source Jyutpingfaat3#

Meanings · faat3

  1. rise or expand when fermented or soaked (food)
  2. to prosper or become rich
Cantonese · source Jyutpingbut3#

Meanings · but3

  1. the sound of fish diving
Cantonese · source Jyutpingbut 6#

Meanings · but 6

  1. the sound of fish diving
Cantonese · source Jyutpingfaat3#

Meanings · faat3

  1. to send out
  2. to show (one's feeling)
  3. to issue
  4. to develop
  5. to make a bundle of money
  6. classifier for gunshots (rounds)
  7. to emit
  8. to dispatch
  9. to launch
  10. to generate
  11. to transmit
  12. to produce
  13. to trigger off
  14. to expose
  15. to discover
  16. to prosper
  17. to turn into
Cantonese · source Jyutpingfat3#

Meanings · fat3

  1. to send out
  2. to show (one's feeling)
  3. to issue
  4. to develop
  5. to make a bundle of money
  6. classifier for gunshots (rounds)
  7. to emit
  8. to dispatch
  9. to launch
  10. to generate
  11. to transmit
  12. to produce
  13. to trigger off
  14. to expose
  15. to discover
  16. to prosper
  17. to turn into
About these definitions

Source definition segments, in their original order. Characters a definition cites are shown without their Mandarin pinyin; classifier lists that CC-Canto copied from CC-CEDICT are marked Mandarin. The community dictionary is not independently verified by zimai.

Full entryShow on map

Reading & tones

Schematic citation-tone diagrams from the source numbers. These are not recordings or predictions of connected speech.

Same syllable, six tones

faatfaat1—faat2—发faat3to send outfaat4—faat5—faat6—

Characters whose customary Unihan reading (kCantonese) is this syllable in each tone, chosen as in the tone atlas (2013 standard level, then the number of CC-CEDICT words they form), with CC-Canto 2017's meaning for that reading; a dash means no catalogue character has that reading. Checked syllables (-p, -t, -k) normally carry tones 1, 3 and 6. Character readings, not word readings; no frequency implied.

Explore words with this reading ↗

Written characters

發发

Both source spellings are represented. Written membership is not an etymological or semantic claim.

Cantonese entries with 發 ↗Cantonese entries with 发 ↗

Cantonese characters and the Mandarin bridge ↗

Mandarin comparison · separate source entries

CC-CEDICT, the Mandarin–English dictionary, lists the same written form:

  • 發 fā CC-CEDICT · Mandarinto send out; to show (one's feeling); to issue; to develop; to make a bundle of money; classifier for gunshots (rounds)

A separate source entry, shown for comparison. The same characters can carry different senses in Mandarin and in Cantonese; zimai does not align these senses.

CC-Canto includes this pinyin reference: fa1. It does not establish a Mandarin word with the same meaning.

Look up this spelling in the Mandarin dictionary ↗
Compare dictionary sources Wiktionary · 32 senses · 4 Cantonese readings

Rime Cantonese 粵拼

but3 · but6 · faat3 · fat3

Cantonese word readings for 發. This lexicon supplies readings, not definitions.

CanCLID contributors · CC BY 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

Wiktionary English definitions · Chinese section

Independent source senses for this spelling, with usage labels retained. Not matched to the pronunciation above.

character · Etymology 1

  1. to shoot; to launch
  2. to issue
  3. to issue — to distribute
  4. to issue — to ship; to send for delivery
  5. to issue — to post; to send message
  6. to issue — to publish
  7. to issue — to emit
  8. to issue — to escape
  9. to issue — (chiefly of plants or plant parts) to grow out; (of flowers) to blossom
  10. to issue — (Hokkien) to grow out (teeth, etc.)
  11. to depart; to leave
  12. to dispatch
  13. to expand; to extend; to spread
  14. to expand; to extend; to spread — to rise; to emerge
  15. to expand; to extend; to spread — (colloquial) to gain wealth; to become rich; to make a fortune
  16. to expand; to extend; to spread — (of food) to rise, expand, or become porous, especially as a result of leavening
  17. to expand; to extend; to spread — (of food) to rise, expand, or become porous, especially as a result of leavening — (Mainland China Hokkien) to become fluffy and large or bloom like a flower due to leavening
  18. to initiate; to give start to
  19. to generate; to produce
  20. to become; to get into a certain state
  21. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to open; to remove what seals, blocks, or shuts
  22. to make manifest; to express; to act out
  23. (figurative, of the mind) to make clear; to enlighten; to open up; to stimulate
  24. Classifier for ammunition.
  25. (slang) Classifier for ejaculation.
  26. (Hokkien) to show effect; to break out
  27. (Mainland China Hokkien) to go bad; to deteriorate; to become rotten
  28. (Xiamen and Zhangzhou Hokkien) to have quicklime react by mixing with water
  29. (Zhangzhou Hokkien) stirred with water and squeezed repeatedly becoming dense and flexible (of flour, earth, etc.)

character · Etymology 2

  1. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) bent; crooked
  2. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) used in 發發／发发 (bōbō, “numerous; sound of strong wind or fish jumping”)

character · Etymology 3

  1. (Cantonese) alternative form of 𢪎 (“to whip; to whisk”)

Source page · dump 2026-09-02 · Contributors & history

Wiktionary contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · source & license · Data pack

CC-Canto · Pleco Inc. · edition 2017-02-02
Source lines 13,272, 30,536, 30,537, 30,538, 30,539 · Original publisher · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Edition & transformations

Original source comment: adapted from cc-cedict

Original source comment: adapted from cc-cedict

Original source comment: adapted from cc-cedict

Original source comment: adapted from cc-cedict

Mandarin comparison: CC-CEDICT 2026-10-13, CC BY-SA 4.0. Source reading differences and six-tone sets: computed by zimai from Unihan 17.0.0 (Unicode License V3).

Exact source records & identity發 发 [fa1] {faat3} /rise or expand when fermented or soaked (food)/to prosper or become rich/

SHA-256: 4f6b31d31b4c762c2e4ec0f24842647c9488376bdbbc95dded7fd0dc248dc803

發 发 [fa1] {but3} /the sound of fish diving/ # adapted from cc-cedict

SHA-256: 50cb63c6ed5bb0b025d50acf55155141b39c8f9ce7d0b7100f86b6a62e0f3258

發 发 [fa1] {but 6} /the sound of fish diving/ # adapted from cc-cedict

SHA-256: 4979956b0f86662c4a20ec69586fc48fd075faa1b346fb2feacedc8c0a08b722

發 发 [fa1] {faat3} /to send out/to show (one's feeling)/to issue/to develop/to make a bundle of money/classifier for gunshots (rounds)/to emit/to dispatch/to launch/to generate/to transmit/to produce/to trigger off/to expose/to discover/to prosper/to turn into/ # adapted from cc-cedict

SHA-256: 4e5f4e1fdd2d24c199da2d30fd3e94631a018cd84efbf5ede77e931a8f565d24

發 发 [fa1] {fat3} /to send out/to show (one's feeling)/to issue/to develop/to make a bundle of money/classifier for gunshots (rounds)/to emit/to dispatch/to launch/to generate/to transmit/to produce/to trigger off/to expose/to discover/to prosper/to turn into/ # adapted from cc-cedict

SHA-256: 1fb9ac4082fd7f3cab34f90f1065c56fd5c0a07837ead00ad56c1aa3088abb78