# 若干
## Chinese
### Etymology 1
#### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): ruògān
    (Zhuyin): ㄖㄨㄛˋ ㄍㄢ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): joek$^6$ gon$^1$
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): jio̍k-kan / lio̍k-kan / jia̍k-kan
    (Teochew, Peng'im): riag$^8$ gang$^1$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: ruògān
*** Zhuyin: ㄖㄨㄛˋ ㄍㄢ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: ruògan
*** Wade–Giles: jo$^4$-kan$^1$
*** Yale: rwò-gān
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ruohgan
*** Palladius: жогань (žoganʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /ʐu̯ɔ⁵¹ kän⁵⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: joek$^6$ gon$^1$
*** Yale: yeuhk gōn
*** Cantonese Pinyin: joek$^9$ gon$^1$
*** Guangdong Romanization: yêg$^6$ gon$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /jœːk̚² kɔːn⁵⁵/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Kaohsiung)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: jio̍k-kan
*** Tâi-lô: jio̍k-kan
*** Phofsit Daibuun: jiogkafn
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /ziɔk̚⁴⁻³² kan⁴⁴/
** (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Taipei, Xiamen)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lio̍k-kan
*** Tâi-lô: lio̍k-kan
*** Phofsit Daibuun: liogkafn
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /liɔk̚²⁴⁻² kan³³/
*** IPA (Taipei, Xiamen): /liɔk̚⁴⁻³² kan⁴⁴/
** (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: jia̍k-kan
*** Tâi-lô: jia̍k-kan
*** Phofsit Daibuun: jiagkafn
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /d͡ziak̚¹²¹⁻²¹ kan⁴⁴/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: riag$^8$ gang$^1$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: jia̍k kang
*** Sinological IPA : /d͡ziak̚⁴⁻² kaŋ³³/

#### Adverb

若干
* (literary) how many; how much

#### Determiner

若干
* (formal) several; a few

##### See also

* 幾個／几个 (jǐgè)
* 一些 (yīxiē)

### Etymology 2

Most likely from Xianbei 若干 (*ñaqañ) meaning "dog", related to Mongolian нохой (noxoj).

#### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): rěgān
    (Zhuyin): ㄖㄜˇ ㄍㄢ
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: rěgān
*** Zhuyin: ㄖㄜˇ ㄍㄢ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: rěgan
*** Wade–Giles: jê$^3$-kan$^1$
*** Yale: rě-gān
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: reegan
*** Palladius: жэгань (žɛganʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /ʐɤ²¹⁴⁻²¹ kän⁵⁵/

#### Proper noun

若干
* a surname

### Descendants

* → Japanese: 若(じゃっ)干(かん) (jakkan)
* → Korean: 약간(若干) (yakgan)

## Japanese
### Etymology 1

Kanji in this term :
| 若 | 干 |
| じゃく > じゃっ Grade: 6 | かん Grade: 6 |
| on'yomi ||

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) じゃっかん [jàkkáń] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [d͡ʑa̠k̚kã̠ɴ]

#### Noun

若(じゃっ)干(かん) • (jakkan)
* a few, some

### Etymology 2

Kanji in this term :
| 若 | 干 |
| そこばく ||
| Grade: 6 | Grade: 6 |
| jukujikun ||
* Alternative spelling
* 幾許
そこば (sokoba, see 若干#Etymology_5) + く (ku, ancient suffix used to form adverbs; compare か (ka) used to form adjectives)

#### Adverb

若干(そこばく) • (sokobaku)
* a little, any

### Etymology 3

Kanji in this term :
| 若 | 干 |
| そくばく ||
| Grade: 6 | Grade: 6 |
| jukujikun ||
* Alternative spelling
* 幾許
Shift from そこばく (sokobaku).

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) そくばく [sòkúbákú] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [so̞kɯ̟ba̠kɯ̟]

#### Adverb

若干(そくばく) • (sokubaku)
* a little, any

### Etymology 4

Kanji in this term :
| 若 | 干 |
| そこばこ ||
| Grade: 6 | Grade: 6 |
| jukujikun ||
* Alternative spelling
* 幾許
Shift from そこばく (sokobaku).

#### Adverb

若干(そこばこ) • (sokobako)
* a little, any

### Etymology 5

Kanji in this term :
| 若 | 干 |
| そこば ||
| Grade: 6 | Grade: 6 |
| jukujikun ||
* Alternative spelling
* 幾許
そこ (soko) + ば (ba, “much, amount”, ancient element, also appears in 幾許 (kokoba) and 幾許 (ikubaku))

#### Adverb

若干(そこば) • (sokoba)
* a little, any
    Synonym: そこらく (sokoraku)

### References

* 1 2 3 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* ↑ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
* ↑ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* 1 2 3 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN