# 蝉

| 蝉 | U+8749, &#34633; CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-8749 |
| ← 蝈 [U+8748] | CJK Unified Ideographs | 蝊 → [U+874A] |

## Translingual

| Traditional | 蟬 |
| Shinjitai (extended) | 蝉 |
| Simplified | 蝉 |

### Han character

蝉 (Kangxi radical 142, 虫+8 in Chinese, 虫+9 in Japanese, 14 strokes in Chinese, 15 strokes in Japanese, cangjie input 中戈金田十 (LICWJ), four-corner 5815$_6$, composition ⿰虫单 (G) or ⿰虫単 (J))

#### Usage notes

Due to Han unification, this Unicode character appears as 蝉 (虫单) in PRC-style fonts and 蝉 (虫単) in Japan-style fonts.

#### References

* Kangxi Dictionary: not present, would follow page 1088, character 34
* Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 4, page 2866, character 1
* Unihan data for U+8749

## Chinese
### Glyph origin

Simplified from 蟬 (單 → 单).

### Definitions

* For pronunciation and definitions of 蝉 – see 蟬 (“cicada; a type of silk as thin as a cicada's wing; etc.”). (This character is the simplified form of 蟬).
* Notes:Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore.Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

## Japanese

| Shinjitai (extended) | 蝉 |
| Kyūjitai | 蟬 |

### Kanji

(Hyōgai kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 蟬)
* Extended shinjitai form of 蟬: cicada

#### Readings

* Go-on: ぜん (zen)
* Kan-on: せん (sen)
* Kun: せみ (semi, 蝉)、せび (sebi, 蝉)
* Nanori: せみ (semi)

#### Compounds

* 蝉(セミ)海老(エビ) (semiebi, “blunt slipper lobster (Scyllarides squammosus)”)
* 蝉(セミ)魴鮄(ホウボウ) (semi-hōbō, “Oriental flying gurnard”)
* 川蝉(カワセミ) (kawasemi, “kingfisher”)
* 寒蝉(かんせん) (kansen), 寒蝉(かんぜん) (kanzen, “cicadas which sing in late autumn​”)
* 秋蝉(しゅうせん) (shūsen, “cicadas that sing when autumn comes”)
* 耳蝉(ミミズク) (mimizuku, “eared leaf-hopper”)

### Etymology 1

* Kanji in this term
* 蝉
* せみ Hyōgai
* kun'yomi
* Alternative spelling
* 蟬 (kyūjitai)
/sen/ → */semu/ → /semi/
Ultimately from Middle Chinese 蟬 (MC dzyen). (Can this etymology be sourced?) Compare 文 (fumi).

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) せみ [sèmí] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [se̞mʲi]

#### Noun

蝉(せみ) or 蝉(セミ) • (semi)
* generic name for a cicada (any of several insects of the order Hemiptera); locust (chiefly US)
* the back part a 横笛 (yokobue, “Japanese transverse flute”), about one centimeter from the embouchure hole, usually shaped like a cicada (Can we verify this sense?)
* a small pulley used to raise objects to high places
* (by extension) a pulley used to lift sails in a 和船 (wasen, “Japanese-style ship”) (Can we verify this sense?)

##### Synonyms

* (flute part): 蝉口(せみぐち) (semiguchi) 蝉本(せみもと) (semimoto)

##### Derived terms

* 蝉(せみ)の羽(は)月(づき) (semi no hazuki, “sixth lunar month”)
* 蝉(せみ)時雨(しぐれ) (semi-shigure, “outburst of cicadas singing​”)
* 秋蝉(あきぜみ) (akizemi, “cicadas that sing when autumn comes​”)
* 秋(あき)の蝉(せみ) (aki no semi, “cicadas that sing even in autumn​”)
* 油(アブラ)蝉(ゼミ), 鳴蜩(アブラゼミ) (aburazemi)
* 空蝉(うつせみ), 虚蝉(うつせみ) (utsusemi)
* 蝦夷(エゾ)蝉(セミ) (Ezo semi)
* 唖蝉(オシゼミ) (oshizemi)
* 寒蝉(かんぜみ) (kanzemi, “cicadas which sing in late autumn​”)
* 熊蝉(クマゼミ) (kumazemi)
* 角蝉(ツノゼミ) (tsunozemi)
* 夏蝉(なつぜみ) (natsuzemi, “summer cicadas”)
* 春蝉(ハルゼミ) (haruzemi)
* 法(ホウ)師(シ)蝉(ゼミ) (hōshi-zemi)
* 松蝉(まつぜみ) (matsuzemi, “cicada abundant in late spring​”)
* みんみん蝉(ゼミ), 蛁蟟(ミンミンゼミ) (minmin-zemi)
* にいにい蝉(ゼミ) (niinii-zemi)
* 夕蝉(ゆうぜみ) (yūzemi, “cicada singing at dusk”)

##### See also

* 飛蝗(バッタ) (batta, “locust, grasshopper”)

### Etymology 2

* Kanji in this term
* 蝉
* せび Hyōgai
* kun'yomi
* Alternative spelling
* 蟬 (kyūjitai)
/semi/ ⇔ /sebi/
A shift from semi above. Bilabial nasal /m/ becomes bilabial plosive /b/. (Can this etymology be sourced?) Appears in the Shinsen Jikyō.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [se̞bʲi]

#### Noun

蝉(せび) • (sebi)
* Synonym of 蝉 (semi, “cicada”)

### References

* ↑ 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