# 貴

| 貴 | U+8CB4, &#36020; CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-8CB4 |
| ← 貳 [U+8CB3] | CJK Unified Ideographs | 貵 → [U+8CB5] |

## Translingual
### Han character

貴 (Kangxi radical 154, 貝+5, 12 strokes, cangjie input 中一月山金 (LMBUC), four-corner 5080$_6$, composition ⿱𠀐貝)

#### Derived characters

* 僓, 𭂟, 嘳, 墤, 嬇, 𭘵, 憒, 撌, 潰, 𤡱, 隤, 𣄜, 𭧫, 樻, 殨, 𤏳, 𤗴, 璝, 膭, 𥀠, 瞶, 𥢢, 䙡, 𥼩, 繢, 聵, 𦪒, 𧑋, 𧗏, 䜋, 𧲆, 𧸃, 蹪, 䠿, 𨎨, 𨣈, 鐀, 靧, 鞼, 𩏡, 饋, 𩡞, 𬳱, 䯣, 𫙷
* 尵, 遺, 𫵒, 𠒺, 𩘺, 𧸯, 𭅁, 䫭, 𬐲, 𡪲, 蕢, 𧷅, 簣, 䰎, 𢊮, 㿉, 𨲿, 𪎯, 闠, 𮤩, 匱, 圚, 𧷩, 𨆨

#### Descendants

* 贵
* 𛀩

#### References

* Kangxi Dictionary: page 1206, character 15
* Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 36704
* Dae Jaweon: page 1669, character 5
* Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 6, page 3632, character 9
* Unihan data for U+8CB4

## Chinese
### Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 貴 :
| Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) | Liushutong (compiled in Ming) |
| Small seal script | Transcribed ancient scripts |
| | Old Chinese |
| 藬 | *l'uːl |
| 僓 | *l̥ʰuːlʔ, *ɡluːds |
| 頹 | *l'uːl |
| 穨 | *l'uːl |
| 蘈 | *l'uːl |
| 隤 | *l'uːl |
| 墤 | *l'uːl, *kʰruːds |
| 尵 | *l'uːl, *r'uːl |
| 蹪 | *l'uːl |
| 瀢 | *l'uːlʔ, *lulʔ |
| 鞼 | *kluːl, *ɡruls |
| 膭 | *kluːl, *ɡluːls |
| 憒 | *kluːds |
| 靧 | *ɡluːds |
| 潰 | *ɡluːls |
| 繢 | *ɡluːds |
| 嬇 | *ɡluːds, *kʰruːds |
| 殨 | *ɡluːds |
| 闠 | *ɡluːds |
| 簣 | *kʰruːds, *ɡruds |
| 嘳 | *kʰruːds, *kʰruds |
| 蕢 | *kʰruːds, *ɡruds |
| 聵 | *ŋɡruːds |
| 樻 | *kʰruds, *ɡruds |
| 䙡 | *kʰruds, *kʰluds |
| 匱 | *ɡruds |
| 臾 | *ɡruds, *lo |
| 饋 | *ɡruls |
| 櫃 | *ɡruds |
| 遺 | *lul, *luls |
| 壝 | *lul, *lulʔ |
| 瞶 | *luls, *kluls |
| 貴 | *kluds |
Simplified from 䝿 (臾 → 𠀐). Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *kluds) : phonetic 臾 (OC *ɡruds, *lo) + semantic 貝 (“money cowrie”).

### Etymology

From Sino-Tibetan; compare Tibetan གུས (gus, “respect, reverence, devotion”) (Schuessler, 2007; STEDT).

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Standard)
       (Pinyin): guì (gui$^4$)
       (Zhuyin): ㄍㄨㄟˋ
    (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): gui$^4$
    (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): гуй (guy, III)
* Cantonese
    (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): gwai$^3$
    (Taishan, Wiktionary): gei$^1$
* Gan (Wiktionary): gui$^4$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): kui
    (Hailu, HRS): gui$^ˇ$
    (Meixian, Guangdong): gui$^4$
* Jin (Wiktionary): gui$^3$
* Northern Min (KCR): gṳ̿
* Eastern Min (BUC): gói
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): kùi
    (Teochew, Peng'im): gui$^3$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^5$ciu; $^5$kue
* Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): guei$^4$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: guì
*** Zhuyin: ㄍㄨㄟˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: guèi
*** Wade–Giles: kuei$^4$
*** Yale: gwèi
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: guey
*** Palladius: гуй (guj)
*** Sinological IPA : /ku̯eɪ̯⁵¹/
** (Chengdu)
*** Sichuanese Pinyin: gui$^4$
*** Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: gui
*** Sinological IPA : /kuei²¹³/
** (Dungan)
*** Cyrillic and Wiktionary: гуй (guy, III)
*** Sinological IPA : /kuei⁴⁴/
    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: gwai$^3$
*** Yale: gwai
*** Cantonese Pinyin: gwai$^3$
*** Guangdong Romanization: guei$^3$
*** Sinological IPA : /kʷɐi̯³³/
** (Taishanese, Taicheng)
*** Wiktionary: gei$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /kei³³/
* Gan
** (Nanchang)
*** Wiktionary: gui$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /kui³⁵/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kui
*** Hakka Romanization System: gui
*** Hagfa Pinyim: gui$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /ku̯i⁵⁵/
** (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
*** Hakka Romanization System: gui$^ˇ$
*** Sinological IPA: /kui¹¹/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: gui$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /kuɪ⁵³/
* Jin
** (Taiyuan)
*** Wiktionary: gui$^3$
*** Sinological IPA (old-style): /kuei⁴⁵/
* Northern Min
** (Jian'ou)
*** Kienning Colloquial Romanized: gṳ̿
*** Sinological IPA : /ky³³/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: gói
*** Sinological IPA : /kui²¹³/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese, Jinjiang, Philippines, Longyan)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kùi
*** Tâi-lô: kuì
*** Phofsit Daibuun: kuix
*** IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang, Philippines): /kui⁴¹/
*** IPA (Taipei): /kui¹¹/
*** IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung): /kui²¹/
*** IPA (Longyan): /kui²¹³/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: gui$^3$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kùi
*** Sinological IPA : /kui²¹³/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^5$ciu; $^5$kue
*** MiniDict: ciu$^去$; kue$^去$
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^2$jy; $^2$kue
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /t͡ɕy³⁴/, /kue³⁴/
* 2jy - colloquial;
* 2kue - literary.
* Middle Chinese: kjw+jH
Rime :
| Character | 貴 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 見 (28) |
| Final (韻) | 微 (21) |
| Tone (調) | Departing (H) |
| Openness (開合) | Closed |
| Division (等) | III |
| Fanqie | 居胃切 |
| Baxter | kjw+jH |
| Reconstructions ||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /kʉi$^H$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /kʷɨi$^H$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /kiuəi$^H$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /kuj$^H$/ |
| Li Rong | /kiuəi$^H$/ |
| Wang Li | /kĭwəi$^H$/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /kwe̯i$^H$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | guì |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | gwai$^3$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*kuj-s/
    (Zhengzhang): /*kluds/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 貴 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | guì |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ kjw+j$^H$ › |
| Old Chinese | /*kuj-s/ |
| English | precious; expensive |
| 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 | 貴 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| No. | 4747 |
| Phonetic component | 貴 |
| Rime group | 隊 |
| Rime subdivision | 2 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 貴 |
| Old Chinese | /*kluds/ |
| Notes | 從蕢之古文臾得聲 |

### Definitions

貴
* expensive; costly
    Antonyms: 廉 (lián), 賤 / 贱 (jiàn)
       Nà jiàn yīfú hěn guì, shì chóuzi de. [Pinyin]
       That dress is expensive. It's made of silk.
* precious; valuable
    可貴／可贵 ― kěguì ― valuable
    貴金屬／贵金属 ― guìjīnshǔ ― precious metal
    From: Mencius, c. 4th century BCE
    Mín wéi guì, shèjì cì zhī, jūn wéi qīng. [Pinyin]
    The people are the most important element in a nation; the spirits of the land and grain are the next; the sovereign is the lightest.
* superior; noble
    貴族／贵族 ― guìzú ― nobility
    From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
    Fù yǔ guì shì rén zhī suǒ yù yě, bù yǐ qí dào dé zhī, bù chù yě; pín yǔ jiàn shì rén zhī suǒ è yě, bù yǐ qí dào dé zhī, bù qù yě. [Pinyin]
    Riches and honors are what men desire. If it cannot be obtained in the proper way, they should not be held. Poverty and meanness are what men dislike. If it cannot be avoided in the proper way, they should not be avoided.
* to regard as valuable
    成功貴在堅持／成功贵在坚持 ― chénggōng guì zài jiānchí ― Perseverance is vital to success.
    人貴有自知之明／人贵有自知之明 ― rén guì yǒu zìzhīzhīmíng ― A smart man knows how little he knows.
* (humble) your (to a deity, person or establishment)
    貴國／贵国 ― guìguó ― your country
    您貴姓？／您贵姓？ ― Nín guìxìng? ― What is your surname?
       Néngfǒu gěi wǒ xiē guì gōngsī gèng xiángxì de zīliào? [Pinyin]
       Could you give me more details about your company?
* Short for 貴州／贵州 (Guìzhōu).
    雲貴／云贵 ― Yúnguì ― Yunnan and Guizhou
* a surname

#### Synonyms

| Variety | Location | Words |
| Classical Chinese | Classical Chinese | 貴 |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 貴, 昂貴, 高昂 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Beijing | 貴 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 貴 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Malaysia | 貴 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Singapore | 貴 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Jinan | 貴 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xi'an | 貴 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chengdu | 貴 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Wuhan | 貴 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Guilin | 貴 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Yangzhou | 貴 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Hefei | 貴 |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 貴 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 貴 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong (San Tin; Weitou) | 貴 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong (Ting Kok) | 貴 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau) | 貴 |
| Cantonese | Yangjiang | 貴 |
| Cantonese | Singapore (Guangfu) | 貴 |
| Gan | Nanchang | 貴 |
| Hakka | Meixian | 貴 |
| Hakka | Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 貴 |
| Hakka | Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 貴 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 貴 |
| Hakka | Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 貴 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 貴 |
| Hakka | Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 貴 |
| Hakka | Hong Kong | 貴 |
| Jin | Taiyuan | 貴 |
| Northern Min | Jian'ou | 貴 |
| Eastern Min | Fuzhou | 貴 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 貴 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hokkien) | 貴 |
| Southern Min | Manila (Hokkien) | 貴 |
| Southern Min | Chaozhou | 貴 |
| Zhongshan Min | Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi) | 貴 |
| Wu | Suzhou | 貴 |
| Wu | Wenzhou | 貴 |
| Xiang | Changsha | 貴 |
| Xiang | Shuangfeng | 貴 |

#### Usage notes

In Hong Kong and Taiwan, a space is often left before this word when it is used as a humble term of "your" to show respect when writing formal letters, and this practice is known as 抬頭／抬头 (táitóu). This practice, however, is not common in Mainland China.

### Compounds

* 中貴人 / 中贵人
* 人貴自知 / 人贵自知 (rén guì zìzhī)
* 兵貴神速 / 兵贵神速 (bīngguìshénsù)
* 功名富貴 / 功名富贵 (gōngmíng fùguì)
* 勛貴 / 勋贵
* 可貴 / 可贵 (kěguì)
* 名貴 / 名贵 (míngguì)
* 單身貴族 / 单身贵族 (dānshēn guìzú)
* 坐富貴 / 坐富贵
* 坐床富貴 / 坐床富贵
* 多賤寡貴 / 多贱寡贵
* 大官富貴 / 大官富贵
* 大富大貴 / 大富大贵 (dàfùdàguì)
* 夫榮妻貴 / 夫荣妻贵
* 天潢貴胄 / 天潢贵胄
* 天貴 / 天贵
* 夫貴妻榮 / 夫贵妻荣
* 天貴星 / 天贵星
* 妻以夫貴 / 妻以夫贵
* 嬌貴 / 娇贵 (jiāoguì)
* 富貴 / 富贵 (fùguì)
* 富貴不淫 / 富贵不淫
* 富貴人家 / 富贵人家
* 富貴利達 / 富贵利达
* 富貴功名 / 富贵功名
* 富貴在天 / 富贵在天
* 富貴壽考 / 富贵寿考
* 富貴有餘 / 富贵有余
* 富貴榮華 / 富贵荣华
* 富貴浮雲 / 富贵浮云
* 富貴無常 / 富贵无常
* 富貴花 / 富贵花
* 富貴花開 / 富贵花开
* 富貴衣 / 富贵衣
* 富貴豪宕 / 富贵豪宕
* 富貴逼人 / 富贵逼人
* 富貴風流 / 富贵风流
* 富貴驕人 / 富贵骄人
* 寵貴 / 宠贵
* 寶貴 / 宝贵 (bǎoguì)
* 尊師貴道 / 尊师贵道
* 尊貴 / 尊贵 (zūnguì)
* 屨賤踊貴 / 屦贱踊贵
* 彌足珍貴 / 弥足珍贵 (mízúzhēnguì)
* 挾貴 / 挟贵
* 挾貴倚勢 / 挟贵倚势
* 接貴攀高 / 接贵攀高
* 攀高接貴 / 攀高接贵
* 攀高結貴 / 攀高结贵
* 文貴天成 / 文贵天成
* 新貴 / 新贵 (xīnguì)
* 早生貴子 / 早生贵子 (zǎoshēngguìzǐ)
* 昂貴 / 昂贵 (ángguì)
* 暴貴 / 暴贵
* 朝貴 / 朝贵 (cháoguì)
* 朱一貴 / 朱一贵
* 柴荒米貴 / 柴荒米贵
* 楊貴妃 / 杨贵妃 (Yáng Guìfēi)
* 楊貴店 / 杨贵店 (Yángguìdiàn)
* 榮華富貴 / 荣华富贵 (rónghuáfùguì)
* 權貴 / 权贵 (quánguì)
* 權貴顯要 / 权贵显要
* 母以子貴 / 母以子贵 (mǔyǐzǐguì)
* 洛陽紙貴 / 洛阳纸贵 (luòyángzhǐguì)
* 浮雲富貴 / 浮云富贵
* 清貴 / 清贵
* 物離鄉貴 / 物离乡贵
* 王公貴人 / 王公贵人
* 王公貴戚 / 王公贵戚
* 珍貴 / 珍贵 (zhēnguì)
* 發富發貴 / 发富发贵
* 矜貴 / 矜贵 (jīnguì)
* 窮富極貴 / 穷富极贵
* 窮貴極富 / 穷贵极富
* 紆尊降貴 / 纡尊降贵 (yūzūnjiàngguì)
* 細貴 / 细贵
* 翔貴 / 翔贵
* 至尊至貴 / 至尊至贵
* 良貴 / 良贵
* 華貴 / 华贵 (huáguì)
* 親貴 / 亲贵
* 誅不避貴 / 诛不避贵
* 論貴粟疏 / 论贵粟疏
* 豪門貴胄 / 豪门贵胄
* 貴上 / 贵上
* 貴不凌賤 / 贵不凌贱
* 貴不可言 / 贵不可言 (guì bùkě yán)
* 貴主 / 贵主
* 貴人 / 贵人 (guìrén)
* 貴人多忘 / 贵人多忘
* 貴介 / 贵介
* 貴仕 / 贵仕
* 貴价
* 貴勢炎炎 / 贵势炎炎
* 貴古賤今 / 贵古贱今
* 貴品 / 贵品
* 貴國 / 贵国 (guìguó)
* 貴地 / 贵地
* 貴女 / 贵女
* 貴妃 / 贵妃 (guìfēi)
* 貴妃醉酒 / 贵妃醉酒
* 貴姓 / 贵姓 (guìxìng)
* 貴婦 / 贵妇 (guìfù)
* 貴婿 / 贵婿
* 貴嬪 / 贵嫔
* 貴官 / 贵官
* 貴客 / 贵客 (guìkè)
* 貴寓 / 贵寓
* 貴寵 / 贵宠
* 貴嶼 / 贵屿 (Guìyǔ)
* 貴州 / 贵州 (Guìzhōu)
* 貴幸 / 贵幸
* 貴幹 / 贵干 (guìgàn)
* 貴府 / 贵府
* 貴庚 / 贵庚 (guìgēng)
* 貴徵 / 贵征
* 貴德 / 贵德 (guìdé)
* 貴志 / 贵志
* 貴恙 / 贵恙 (guìyàng)
* 貴戚 / 贵戚 (guìqī)
* 貴方 / 贵方 (guìfāng)
* 貴族 / 贵族 (guìzú)
* 貴族子弟 / 贵族子弟
* 貴族學校 / 贵族学校
* 貴族政治 / 贵族政治 (guìzú zhèngzhì)
* 貴族文學 / 贵族文学
* 貴族院 / 贵族院 (Guìzúyuàn)
* 貴會 / 贵会
* 貴極人臣 / 贵极人臣
* 貴無常尊 / 贵无常尊
* 貴甲子 / 贵甲子
* 貴男 / 贵男
* 貴相 / 贵相
* 貴社 / 贵社 (guìshè)
* 貴細 / 贵细
* 貴耳賤目 / 贵耳贱目
* 貴胄 / 贵胄
* 貴處 / 贵处
* 貴要 / 贵要
* 貴貴 / 贵贵
* 貴賓 / 贵宾 (guìbīn)
* 貴賓卡 / 贵宾卡
* 貴賤 / 贵贱 (guìjiàn)
* 貴賤之別 / 贵贱之别
* 貴賤無二 / 贵贱无二
* 貴賤無常 / 贵贱无常
* 貴賤高下 / 贵贱高下
* 貴近 / 贵近
* 貴造 / 贵造
* 貴遊子弟 / 贵游子弟
* 貴遠賤近 / 贵远贱近
* 貴遠鄙近 / 贵远鄙近
* 貴重 / 贵重 (guìzhòng)
* 貴金屬 / 贵金属 (guìjīnshǔ)
* 貴降 / 贵降
* 貴陽 / 贵阳 (Guìyáng)
* 貴陽市 / 贵阳市
* 貴霜王朝 / 贵霜王朝
* 貴顯 / 贵显 (guìxiǎn)
* 貴體 / 贵体 (guìtǐ)
* 貴體違和 / 贵体违和
* 賤斂貴出 / 贱敛贵出
* 賤斂貴發 / 贱敛贵发
* 賤貴窮通 / 贱贵穷通
* 賤買貴賣 / 贱买贵卖
* 踊貴
* 踊貴屨賤 / 踊贵屦贱
* 踴貴 / 踊贵
* 輕財貴義 / 轻财贵义
* 達官貴人 / 达官贵人 (dáguānguìrén)
* 長命富貴 / 长命富贵
* 阿尊事貴 / 阿尊事贵
* 降貴紆尊 / 降贵纡尊
* 隆貴 / 隆贵
* 雍容華貴 / 雍容华贵
* 難能可貴 / 难能可贵 (nánnéngkěguì)
* 雲貴川 / 云贵川 (Yúnguìchuān)
* 雲貴高原 / 云贵高原 (Yún-Guì Gāoyuán)
* 顯貴 / 显贵 (xiǎnguì)
* 騰貴 / 腾贵 (téngguì)
* 驕貴 / 骄贵
* 體貴心驕 / 体贵心骄
* 高抬貴手 / 高抬贵手 (gāotáiguìshǒu)
* 高貴 / 高贵 (gāoguì)
* 高貴不貴 / 高贵不贵
* 高貴優雅 / 高贵优雅
* 鼠憑社貴 / 鼠凭社贵

### References

* “貴”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎, 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
* “Entry #9061”, in 教育部臺灣台語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwanese Taigi] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2025.

## Japanese
### Kanji

(Sixth grade kyōiku kanji)
* expensive (たかい)
* worthful, precious (たかい, とうとい, たっとい)
* superior, aristocratic (たかい, とうとい, たっとい, えらい, あてやか)
* to esteem (とうとぶ, たっとぶ)

#### Readings

* Go-on: き (ki, Jōyō)
* Kan-on: き (ki, Jōyō)
* Kun: たかい (takai, 貴い)、たっとい (tattoi, 貴い, Jōyō)、とうとい (tōtoi, 貴い, Jōyō)、たっとぶ (tattobu, 貴ぶ, Jōyō)、とうとぶ (tōtobu, 貴ぶ, Jōyō)
* Nanori: きよ (kiyo)、ぎ (gi)、たか (taka)、たかし (takashi)、よし (yoshi)

#### Compounds

* (expensive): 騰貴
* (worthful, precious): 貴賎, 貴重
* (superior, aristocratic): 貴人, 貴賎, 貴族, 貴賓, 高貴, 富貴

### Etymology 1

* Kanji in this term
* 貴
* き Grade: 6
* goon
From Middle Chinese 貴 (MC kjw+jH, literally “precious, noble, superior”).

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [kʲi]

#### Prefix

貴(き) • (ki-)
* (archaic) added to nouns related to people to indicate superiority
    貴(き)公(こう)子(し)、貴(き)婦(ふ)人(じん)、貴(き)賓(ひん)
       kikōshi, kifujin, kihin
       [young] nobleman, noblewoman, superior guest
* (archaic) added to nouns to indicate respect and possession: your
    貴(き)店(てん)
       kiten
       your [honorable] store

##### Derived terms

* 貴(き)様(さま) (kisama): you (derogatory: the original “superior” meaning degraded over time, becoming ironic, and then insulting)

#### Suffix

貴(き) • (-ki)
* added after nouns related to people to express love and respect

##### Usage notes

This suffix meaning appears from roughly the Edo period.

##### Derived terms

* 兄(あに)貴(き) (aniki): my [dear] elder brother
* 姉(あね)貴(き) (aneki): my [dear] elder sister
* 伯父(おじ)貴(き) (ojiki): my [dear] uncle

### Etymology 2

* Kanji in this term
* 貴
* あて Grade: 6
* kun'yomi
Unknown. Possibly cognate with 当て (ate, “aim; expectation, hope”), the 連(れん)用(よう)形(けい) (ren'yōkei, “stem or continuative form”) of the verb 当(あ)てる (ateru, “to face one thing towards another; to make something hit a target”).

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [a̠te̞]

#### Adjective

貴(あて) • (ate) $^†$-nari
* (archaic) noble, aristocratic, high-born
* (archaic) refined, elegant

##### Inflection

Stem forms :
| Irrealis (未然形) | 貴なら | あてなら | atenara |
| Continuative (連用形) | 貴に$^{[1]}$ 貴なり$^{[2]}$ | あてに あてなり | ateni atenari |
| Terminal (終止形) | 貴なり | あてなり | atenari |
| Attributive (連体形) | 貴なる | あてなる | atenaru |
| Realis (已然形) | 貴なれ | あてなれ | atenare |
| Imperative (命令形) | 貴なれ | あてなれ | atenare |
| Key constructions ||||
| Negative | 貴ならず | あてならず | atenarazu |
| Contrasting conjunction | 貴なれど | あてなれど | atenaredo |
| Causal conjunction | 貴なれば | あてなれば | atenareba |
| Conditional conjunction | 貴ならば | あてならば | atenaraba |
| Past tense (firsthand knowledge) | 貴なりき | あてなりき | atenariki |
| Past tense (secondhand knowledge) | 貴なりけり | あてなりけり | atenarikeri |
| Adverbial | 貴に | あてに | ateni |
| $^{[1]}$Without auxiliary verb. $^{[2]}$With auxiliary verb. ||||

#### Noun

貴(あて) • (ate)
* (archaic) one's own father (by extension of the “noble” meaning)
** 1028-1107: 栄花物語 (Eiga Monogatari, “Tale of Splendor”)
    貴(あて)は麿(まろ)をば恋(こい)しとは思(おも)ひ給(たま)はぬか
       Ate wa maro oba koishi to wa omohitamahanu ka
       Doesn't father think I'm his darling?

##### Derived terms

* 貴(あて)人(びと) (atebito): an aristocrat; a nobleman; a person with a noble and refined bearing
* 貴(あて)ぶ (atebu): to be refined and elegant
* 貴(あて)ばむ (atebamu): to appear refined and elegant
* 貴(あて)はか (atehaka): refined, elegant
* 貴(あて)やか (ateyaka): refined, elegant

### Etymology 3

* Kanji in this term
* 貴
* むち Grade: 6
* kun'yomi
Possibly a compound of 身 (mu, “body”) +‎ 霊 (chi, “spirit, essence, soul”). Alternatively, may be an alteration of 睦 (mutsu, “friendly, harmonious”, affix not used in isolation), in a manner similar to the alteration between kamu (combining form) and kami (standalone form) for 神 (“god, spirit”), or kutsu (combining form) and kuchi (standalone form) for 口 (“mouth”).

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [mɯ̟t͡ɕi]

#### Noun

貴(むち) • (muchi)
* (archaic) an honorific term for a deity or person
    大(おお)日(ひ)孁(るめ)の貴(むち)
       ōhirume no muchi
       literally “honorable woman of the great sun”, an epithet for the sun goddess Amaterasu

##### Derived terms

* 汝(なむち) (namuchi)

### Etymology 4

Used as ateji in various names.

#### Proper noun

貴(あてし) • (Ateshi)
* a male given name

#### Proper noun

貴(たか) • (Taka)
* a male given name
* a surname

#### Proper noun

貴(たかし) • (Takashi)
* a male given name

#### Proper noun

貴(ただし) • (Tadashi)
* a male given name

#### Proper noun

貴(もとむ) • (Motomu)
* a male given name

#### Proper noun

貴(きさき) • (Kisaki)
* a surname

### References

* 1 2 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

## Korean
### Hanja

貴 (eumhun 귀할 귀 (gwihal gwi))
* hanja form of 귀 (“precious”)

## Vietnamese
### Han character

貴: Hán Nôm readings: quý, quí, quới
* This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.