# 或

| 或 | U+6216, &#25110; CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-6216 |
| ← 戕 [U+6215] | CJK Unified Ideographs | 戗 → [U+6217] |

## Translingual
### Han character

或 (Kangxi radical 62, 戈+4, 8 strokes, cangjie input 戈口一 (IRM), four-corner 5310$_0$, composition ⿹戈⿱口㇀)

#### Derived characters

* 㖪, 域, 惐, 掝, 淢, 䧕, 棫, 𤊨, 琙, 㽣, 䂸, 稢, 緎, 聝, 𠒬, 戫, 蜮, 䬎(𬱿), 馘, 䤋, 䮙, 魊, 䱛(𮬟), 𠜻, 㰲, 㚜, 罭, 窢, 䈅, 䍞, 閾(阈), 惑, 㳼, 𤦂, 𢨋, 䰥, 彧, 𤷇, 國(国)

#### References

* Kangxi Dictionary: page 412, character 18
* Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 11563
* Dae Jaweon: page 754, character 17
* Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 1402, character 8
* Unihan data for U+6216

## Chinese
### Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 或 :
| Shang | Western Zhou | Spring and Autumn | Warring States | Warring States | Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) | Guwen Sishengyun (compiled in Song) | Jizhuan Guwen Yunhai (compiled in Song) | Liushutong (compiled in Ming) |
| Oracle bone script | Bronze inscriptions | Bronze inscriptions | Chu slip and silk script | Qin slip script | Small seal script | Transcribed ancient scripts | Transcribed ancient scripts | Transcribed ancient scripts |
| | Old Chinese |
| 幗 | *kʷɯːɡs, *kʷrɯːɡ |
| 慖 | *kʷɯːɡs, *kʷrɯːɡ |
| 簂 | *kʷɯːɡs |
| 蔮 | *kʷɯːɡs |
| 國 | *kʷɯːɡ |
| 或 | *ɡʷɯːɡ |
| 惑 | *ɡʷɯːɡ |
| 蜮 | *ɡʷɯːɡ, *ɢʷrɯɡ |
| 閾 | *qʰʷrɯɡ |
| 緎 | *qʰʷrɯɡ, *ɡʷrɯɡ |
| 淢 | *qʰʷrɯɡ, *ɡʷrɯɡ |
| 域 | *ɢʷrɯɡ |
| 罭 | *ɢʷrɯɡ |
| 棫 | *ɡʷrɯɡ |
| 琙 | *ɡʷrɯɡ |
| 魊 | *ɡʷrɯɡ |
| 馘 | *kʷrɯːɡ |
| 聝 | *kʷrɯːɡ |
| 膕 | *kʷrɯːɡ |
| 摑 | *kʷrɯːɡ |
| 漍 | *kʷrɯːɡ |
| 嘓 | *kʷrɯːɡ |
| 蟈 | *kʷrɯːɡ |
| 掝 | *qʰʷrɯːɡ |
| 彧 | *qʷrɯɡ |
| 稶 | *qʷɯɡ |
Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 戈 (“dagger-axe (used to defend the territory)”) + 囗 (“city wall”) + 一, “territory”. The most ancient version is 戓, then modified into 或; the stroke was added perhaps when the pronunciation of the character evolved.
Borrowed for abstract meanings. The derivative 國 (OC *kʷɯːɡ), 域 (OC *ɢʷrɯɡ), and perhaps 淢 refer to the original word. The last character can be seen in the ancient name of the Han river, 㵄.

### Etymology

或 (OC *ɡʷɯːɡ, “someone; some”) is the result of the distributive suffix *-k being added to 有 (OC *ɢʷɯʔ, “there is”).
Cognate with 又 (OC *ɢʷɯs, “again”) (Schuessler, 2007).

### Pronunciation 1

* Mandarin
    (Standard)
       (Pinyin): huò (huo$^4$)
       (Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄛˋ
    (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): hue$^2$
    (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): хуэй (huey, III)
* Cantonese
    (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): waak$^6$
    (Taishan, Wiktionary): vak$^5$
* Gan (Wiktionary): fet$^6$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): fe̍t
    (Meixian, Guangdong): fêd$^6$
* Jin (Wiktionary): hueh$^4$
* Northern Min (KCR): hŏ
* Eastern Min (BUC): hĕ̤k
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): hia̍k / he̍k
    (Teochew, Peng'im): hog$^8$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^8$ghoq; $^8$weq
* Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): ho$^6$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: huò
*** Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄛˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: huò
*** Wade–Giles: huo$^4$
*** Yale: hwò
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: huoh
*** Palladius: хо (xo)
*** Sinological IPA : /xu̯ɔ⁵¹/
** (Chengdu)
*** Sichuanese Pinyin: hue$^2$
*** Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: xue
*** Sinological IPA : /xuɛ²¹/
** (Dungan)
*** Cyrillic and Wiktionary: хуэй (huey, III)
*** Sinological IPA : /xuɛi⁴⁴/
    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: waak$^6$
*** Yale: waahk
*** Cantonese Pinyin: waak$^9$
*** Guangdong Romanization: wag$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /waːk̚²/
** (Taishanese, Taicheng)
*** Wiktionary: vak$^5$
*** Sinological IPA : /vak̚³²/
* Gan
** (Nanchang)
*** Wiktionary: fet$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /fɛt̚⁵/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: fe̍t
*** Hakka Romanization System: fed
*** Hagfa Pinyim: fed$^6$
*** Sinological IPA: /fet̚⁵/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: fêd$^6$
*** Sinological IPA: /fɛt̚⁵/
* Jin
** (Taiyuan)
*** Wiktionary: hueh$^4$
*** Sinological IPA (old-style): /xuəʔ²/
* Northern Min
** (Jian'ou)
*** Kienning Colloquial Romanized: hŏ
*** Sinological IPA : /xo²⁴/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: hĕ̤k
*** Sinological IPA : /høyʔ⁵/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Jinjiang)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: hia̍k
*** Tâi-lô: hia̍k
*** Phofsit Daibuun: hiak
*** IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang): /hiak̚²⁴/
** (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: he̍k
*** Tâi-lô: hi̍k
*** Phofsit Daibuun: hek
*** IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung, Xiamen): /hiɪk̚⁴/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /hiɪk̚¹²¹/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: hog$^8$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: ho̍k
*** Sinological IPA : /hok̚⁴/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^8$ghoq; $^8$weq
*** MiniDict: ghoh$^入$; weh$^入$
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^5$hhoq; $^5$hhueq
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɦoʔ¹²/, /ɦuəʔ¹²/
* Xiang
** (Changsha)
*** Wiktionary: ho$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /xo²⁴/
* Dialectal data
| Variety | Location | edit或 |
| Mandarin | Beijing | /xuo⁵¹/ |
| Mandarin | Harbin | /xuei²¹³/ /xuo⁵³/ |
| Mandarin | Tianjin | /xɤ⁵³/ |
| Mandarin | Jinan | /xuei⁴²/ |
| Mandarin | Qingdao | /xuə⁴²/ /xue⁴²/ |
| Mandarin | Zhengzhou | /xuai⁴²/ |
| Mandarin | Xi'an | /xuei²⁴/ |
| Mandarin | Xining | /xuɨ²⁴/ |
| Mandarin | Yinchuan | /xuə¹³/ |
| Mandarin | Lanzhou | /xuə¹³/ |
| Mandarin | Ürümqi | /xuɤ²¹³/ |
| Mandarin | Wuhan | /xuɤ²¹³/ |
| Mandarin | Chengdu | /xue³¹/ |
| Mandarin | Guiyang | /xuɛ²¹/ |
| Mandarin | Kunming | /xo³¹/ |
| Mandarin | Nanjing | /xueʔ⁵/ |
| Mandarin | Hefei | /xuɐʔ⁵/ |
| Jin | Taiyuan | /xuəʔ²/ |
| Jin | Pingyao | /xuʌʔ⁵³/ |
| Jin | Hohhot | /xuaʔ⁴³/ |
| Wu | Shanghai | /ɦoʔ¹/ |
| Wu | Suzhou | /ɦuəʔ³/ |
| Wu | Hangzhou | /ɦoʔ²/ |
| Wu | Wenzhou | /va²¹³/ |
| Hui | Shexian | /xuɛʔ²¹/ |
| Hui | Tunxi | /xo⁵/ |
| Xiang | Changsha | /xo²⁴/ |
| Xiang | Xiangtan | /ho²⁴/ |
| Gan | Nanchang | /fɛʔ⁵/ |
| Hakka | Meixian | /fet̚⁵/ |
| Hakka | Taoyuan | /fet̚⁵⁵/ |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | /wak̚²/ |
| Cantonese | Nanning | /wak̚²²/ |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | /wak̚²/ |
| Min | Xiamen (Hokkien) | /hik̚⁵/ |
| Min | Fuzhou (Eastern Min) | /høyʔ⁵/ |
| Min | Jian'ou (Northern Min) | /xo²⁴/ |
| Min | Shantou (Teochew) | /hok̚⁵/ |
| Min | Haikou (Hainanese) | /hok̚³/ |
* Middle Chinese: hwok
Rime :
| Character | 或 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 匣 (33) |
| Final (韻) | 德 (132) |
| Tone (調) | Checked (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Closed |
| Division (等) | I |
| Fanqie | 胡國切 |
| Baxter | hwok |
| Reconstructions ||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /ɦwək̚/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /ɦʷək̚/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /ɣuək̚/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /ɦwək̚/ |
| Li Rong | /ɣuək̚/ |
| Wang Li | /ɣuək̚/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /ɣwək̚/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | huó |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | wak$^6$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*[ɢ]ʷˤək/
    (Zhengzhang): /*ɡʷɯːɡ/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 或 |
| Reading # | 1/2 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | huò |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ hwok › |
| Old Chinese | /*[ɢ]ʷˁək/ |
| English | some; or |
| 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 | 或 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| No. | 5548 |
| Phonetic component | 或 |
| Rime group | 職 |
| Rime subdivision | 0 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 或 |
| Old Chinese | /*ɡʷɯːɡ/ |

#### Definitions

或
* or; either ... or ... (used to list alternatives)
    中國或日本／中国或日本 ― Zhōngguó huò Rìběn ― China or Japan
    或多或少 ― huòduōhuòshǎo ― more or less, some amount
       kěyǐ shuō liǎng zhǒng huò liǎng zhǒng yǐshàng de yǔyán [Pinyin]
       able to speak two or more languages
* (literary, including in news headlines) perhaps; maybe
** 1046 October 17, 范仲淹 [Fan Zhongyan], 岳陽樓記 [Memorial to Yueyang Tower]:
       Jiēfū! Yǔ cháng qiú gǔ rénrén zhī xīn, huò yì èr zhě zhī wèi. [Pinyin]
       Alas! I once investigated the thoughts of the ancient sages, they were perhaps different from the behaviour of the two.
       Dàibiǎotuán yǐ chūfā, míngtiān shàngwǔ huò kě dàodá. [Pinyin]
       The delegation has set out, and will probably arrive tomorrow morning.
* occasionally; sometimes
* if; assuming; should ...
* (logic, computing) OR; inclusive or
* particle used in negative sentences to reinforce the negative tone
* (literary) some; someone; something
    From: Mencius, c. 4th century BCE
    Qí rén fá yàn, shèng zhī. Xuān wáng wèn yuē: “Huò wèi guǎrén wù qǔ, huò wèi guǎrén qǔ zhī.” [Pinyin]
    Qi attacked Yan, conquering it. King Xuan said: "Some people tell me not to take it [Yan] for myself; some tell me to take it".
* Ancient form of 惑 (huò, “doubt”).

#### Compounds

* 不可或缺 (bùkěhuòquē)
* 倘或 (tǎnghuò)
* 偶或 (ǒuhuò)
* 即或
* 多言或中
* 容或 (rónghuò)
* 或人
* 或則／或则 (huòzé)
* 或是 (huòshì)
* 或時／或时
* 或曰 (huòyuē)
* 或有 (huòyǒu)
* 或然率 (huòránlǜ)
* 或缺
* 或者 (huòzhě)
* 或許／或许 (huòxǔ)
* 或謂／或谓 (huòwèi)
* 或體／或体 (huòtǐ)
* 抑或 (yìhuò)
* 甚或 (shènhuò)
* 設或／设或 (shèhuò)
* 間或／间或 (jiànhuò)

#### Descendants

* → Vietnamese: hoặc (或)

### Pronunciation 2

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): yù (yu$^4$)
    (Zhuyin): ㄩˋ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): wik$^6$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: yù
*** Zhuyin: ㄩˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: yù
*** Wade–Giles: yü$^4$
*** Yale: yù
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yuh
*** Palladius: юй (juj)
*** Sinological IPA : /y⁵¹/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: wik$^6$
*** Yale: wihk
*** Cantonese Pinyin: wik$^9$
*** Guangdong Romanization: wig$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /wɪk̚²/
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*[ɢ]ʷrək/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 或 |
| Reading # | 2/2 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | yù |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ hwik › |
| Old Chinese | /*[ɢ]ʷrək/ |
| English | territory |
| 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. ||

#### Definitions

或
* Original form of 域 (yù, “range; territory”).
* Original form of 國／国 (guó, “country”).

### Further reading

* Jing-Schmidt, Zhuo, Peng, Xinjia (2016 February 1) “The emergence of disjunction: A history of constructionalization in Chinese”, in Cognitive Linguistics‎, volume 27, number 1, →DOI, →ISSN, pages 101–136.

## Japanese
### Kanji

(Jinmeiyō kanji)
* a certain ...; some ...​

#### Readings

* Go-on: わく (waku)
* Kan-on: こく (koku)
* Kun: ある (aru, 或る)、あるいは (arui wa, 或るいは)

## Korean
### Hanja

或 • (hok) (hangeul 혹, revised hok, McCune–Reischauer hok, Yale hok)
* This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

## Vietnamese
### Han character

或: Hán Nôm readings: hoặc, hoắc
* This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.