# 崖

| 崖 | U+5D16, &#23830; CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5D16 |
| ← 崕 [U+5D15] | CJK Unified Ideographs | 崗 → [U+5D17] |

## Translingual
### Han character

崖 (Kangxi radical 46, 山+8, 11 strokes, cangjie input 山一土土 (UMGG), four-corner 2221$_4$, composition ⿱山厓 or ⿸屵圭)

#### Derived characters

* 𬿕, 嘊, 𭏡, 漄, 𨖭, 𥊅, 𰧛, 𰏍, 𰳘, 𮯒

#### References

* Kangxi Dictionary: page 314, character 8
* Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 8180
* Dae Jaweon: page 614, character 25
* Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 778, character 8
* Unihan data for U+5D16

## Chinese
### Glyph origin

* Historical forms of the character 崖
* Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
* Small seal script
| | Old Chinese |
| 街 | *kreː, *kreː |
| 鞋 | *ɡreː, *ɡreː, *ɡreː |
| 娾 | *ŋreː, *ŋreːʔ |
| 佳 | *kreː |
| 鮭 | *ɡreː, *kʷeː, *kʰʷeː |
| 涯 | *ŋreː, *ŋre |
| 崖 | *ŋreː, *ŋre |
| 啀 | *ŋreː |
| 厓 | *ŋreː |
| 捱 | *ŋreː |
| 睚 | *ŋreːs |
| 娃 | *qreː |
| 洼 | *qreː, *qʷraː, *kʷeː |
| 哇 | *qreː, *qʷraː |
| 胿 | *ɡeː, *kʷeː |
| 溎 | *qeːns |
| 觟 | *ɡʷraːʔ |
| 黊 | *ɡʷraːʔ, *ɡʷreːs, *ɡʷeː |
| 蘳 | *ɡʷraːʔ, *qʰʷe |
| 蛙 | *qʷraː, *qʷreː |
| 窪 | *qʷraː |
| 卦 | *kʷreːs |
| 挂 | *kʷreːs |
| 掛 | *kʷreːs |
| 詿 | *kʷreːs, *ɡʷreːs |
| 罣 | *kʷreːs, *ɡʷreːs, *kʷeːs |
| 絓 | *kʰʷreː, *ɡʷreːs |
| 鼃 | *ɢʷreː, *qʷreː |
| 圭 | *kʷeː |
| 珪 | *kʷeː |
| 邽 | *kʷeː |
| 閨 | *kʷeː |
| 袿 | *kʷeː |
| 窐 | *kʷeː, *ɡʷeː |
| 茥 | *kʷeː, *kʰʷeː |
| 桂 | *kʷeːs |
| 筀 | *kʷeːs |
| 奎 | *kʰʷeː |
| 刲 | *kʰʷeː |
| 蝰 | *kʰʷeː |
| 楏 | *kʰʷeː |
| 睳 | *qʰʷeː |
| 畦 | *ɡʷeː |
| 眭 | *ɡʷeː, *sqʰʷe, *qʰʷe, *qʰʷi |
| 烓 | *qʷeː, *kʰʷeːŋʔ |
| 跬 | *kʰʷeʔ |
| 恚 | *qʷes |
| 硅 | *qʰʷreɡ |
Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *ŋreː, *ŋre) : semantic 山 (“mountain”) + phonetic 厓 (OC *ŋreː, “cliff”).
Alternatively analyzed as Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *ŋreː, *ŋre) : semantic 屵 (“cliff”) + phonetic 圭 (OC *kʷeː). In this case, its proto-form could be 屵.
Originally, the phonetic component is not related to the concept of earth (土) since in its original form it represents a pair of ritual axes perhaps made of jade 士. Hence, the link to the concept of earth in this character, 厓 and 街 either comes from folk etymology or its appearance in the Small Seal script.

### Etymology

Same word as 睚 (OC *ŋreːs, “rim of the eye”) and 涯 (OC *ŋreː, *ŋre, “shore, bank”) (Schuessler, 2007). See the latter for etymology.

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Standard)
       (Pinyin): yá, yái
       (Zhuyin): ㄧㄚˊ, ㄧㄞˊ
    (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): ngai$^2$
    (Xi'an, Guanzhong Pinyin): nái
    (Nanjing, Nanjing Pinyin): yá
* Cantonese
    (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): ngaai$^4$
    (Dongguan, Jyutping++): ngaai$^4$
    (Taishan, Wiktionary): ngai$^3$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): ngà / ngài
    (Hailu, HRS): nga / ngai
    (Meixian, Guangdong): ngai$^2$
* Jin (Wiktionary): ia$^1$
* Northern Min (KCR): ngâ
* Eastern Min (BUC): ngài
* Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): ga$^2$ / gai$^2$
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): gâi / gâ
    (Teochew, Peng'im): ngai$^5$
* Southern Pinghua (Nanning, Jyutping++): ngaai$^4$
* Wu (Wugniu)
** (Northern): $^6$ya / $^2$ya / $^2$ye / $^2$yi
** (Jinhua): $^2$ia
* Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): ngai$^2$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese, Mainland)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: yá
*** Zhuyin: ㄧㄚˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: yá
*** Wade–Giles: ya$^2$
*** Yale: yá
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ya
*** Palladius: я (ja)
*** Sinological IPA : /jä³⁵/
** (Standard Chinese, Taiwan)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: yái
*** Zhuyin: ㄧㄞˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: yái
*** Wade–Giles: yai$^2$
*** Yale: yái
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: yai
*** Palladius: яй (jaj)
*** Sinological IPA : /jaɪ̯³⁵/
** (Chengdu)
*** Sichuanese Pinyin: ngai$^2$
*** Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: ngai
*** Sinological IPA : /ŋai²¹/
** (Xi'an)
*** Guanzhong Pinyin: nái
*** Sinological IPA : /næ²⁴/
** (Nanjing)
*** Nanjing Pinyin: yá
*** Nanjing Pinyin (numbered): ya$^2$
*** Sinological IPA : /ia²⁴/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: ngaai$^4$
*** Yale: ngàaih
*** Cantonese Pinyin: ngaai$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: ngai$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /ŋaːi̯²¹/
** (Dongguan, Guancheng)
*** Jyutping++: ngaai$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /ŋai²¹/
** (Taishanese, Taicheng)
*** Wiktionary: ngai$^3$
*** Sinological IPA : /ᵑɡai²²/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ngà / ngài
*** Hakka Romanization System: nga$^ˇ$ / ngai$^ˇ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: nga$^2$ / ngai$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /ŋa¹¹/, /ŋai̯¹¹/
** (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
*** Hakka Romanization System: nga / ngai
*** Sinological IPA: /ŋa⁵⁵/, /ŋai⁵⁵/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: ngai$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /ŋaɪ¹¹/
* Jin
** (Taiyuan)
*** Wiktionary: ia$^1$
*** Sinological IPA (old-style): /ia¹¹/
* Northern Min
** (Jian'ou)
*** Kienning Colloquial Romanized: ngâ
*** Sinological IPA : /ŋa³³/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: ngài
*** Sinological IPA : /ŋai⁵³/
* Puxian Min
** (Putian, Xianyou)
*** Pouseng Ping'ing: ga$^2$
*** Sinological IPA : /ka¹³/
** (Putian, Xianyou)
*** Pouseng Ping'ing: gai$^2$
*** Sinological IPA : /kai¹³/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Quanzhou, General Taiwanese, Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: gâi
*** Tâi-lô: gâi
*** Phofsit Daibuun: gaai
*** IPA (Quanzhou, Taipei, Xiamen): /ɡai²⁴/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /ɡai¹³/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /ɡai²³/
** (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Xiamen)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: gâ
*** Tâi-lô: gâ
*** Phofsit Daibuun: gaa
*** IPA (Quanzhou, Xiamen): /ɡa²⁴/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: ngai$^5$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: ngâi
*** Sinological IPA : /ŋai⁵⁵/
* Southern Pinghua
** (Nanning Pinghua, Tingzi)
*** Jyutping++: ngaai$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /ŋai²¹/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^6$ya
*** MiniDict: ya$^去$
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^3$hhia
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /ɦia²³/
** (Northern: Suzhou, Changzhou, Shaoxing, Ningbo, Zhoushan)
*** Wugniu: $^2$ya
*** MiniDict: ya$^平$
*** Sinological IPA (Suzhou): /ɦiɑ²²³/
*** Sinological IPA (Changzhou): /ɦia¹³/
*** Sinological IPA (Shaoxing): /ɦia²³¹/
*** Sinological IPA (Ningbo): /ɦia³¹³/
*** Sinological IPA (Zhoushan): /ɦia²²/
** (Northern: Hangzhou)
*** Wugniu: $^2$ye
*** MiniDict: ye$^平$
*** Sinological IPA (Hangzhou): /ɦiɛ²³/
** (Northern: Ningbo)
*** Wugniu: $^2$yi
*** MiniDict: yi$^平$
*** Sinological IPA (Ningbo): /ɦi³¹³/
** (Jinhua)
*** Wugniu: $^2$ia
*** Sinological IPA (Jinhua): /iɑ³¹³/
* Ningbo:
** 2ya - literary;
** 2yi - vernacular.
* Dialectal data
| Variety | Location | edit崖 |
| Mandarin | Beijing | /ia³⁵/ |
| Mandarin | Harbin | /ai²⁴/ /ia²⁴/ |
| Mandarin | Tianjin | /iɑ⁴⁵/ |
| Mandarin | Jinan | /iɛ⁴²/ |
| Mandarin | Qingdao | /iɛ⁴²/ |
| Mandarin | Zhengzhou | /ia⁴²/ |
| Mandarin | Xi'an | /nai²⁴/ |
| Mandarin | Xining | /nɛ²⁴/ |
| Mandarin | Yinchuan | /ia⁵³/ |
| Mandarin | Lanzhou | /ɛ⁵³/ |
| Mandarin | Ürümqi | /ia⁵¹/ |
| Mandarin | Wuhan | /ŋai²¹³/ |
| Mandarin | Chengdu | /ŋai³¹/ |
| Mandarin | Guiyang | /ŋai²¹/ |
| Mandarin | Kunming | /æ³¹/ |
| Mandarin | Nanjing | /iɑ²⁴/ |
| Mandarin | Hefei | /ia⁵⁵/ |
| Jin | Taiyuan | /ia¹¹/ |
| Jin | Pingyao | /ȵiɑ¹³/ |
| Jin | Hohhot | /nɛ³¹/ |
| Wu | Shanghai | /ɦia²³/ |
| Wu | Suzhou | /ɦiɑ¹³/ |
| Wu | Hangzhou | /ɦie̞²¹³/ |
| Wu | Wenzhou | /ŋa³¹/ |
| Hui | Shexian | /ia⁴⁴/ |
| Hui | Tunxi | /ŋɔ⁴⁴/ |
| Xiang | Changsha | /ŋai¹³/ |
| Xiang | Xiangtan | /ŋai¹²/ |
| Gan | Nanchang | |
| Hakka | Meixian | /ŋai¹¹/ |
| Hakka | Taoyuan | |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | /ŋai²¹/ |
| Cantonese | Nanning | /ŋai²¹/ |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | /ŋai²¹/ |
| Min | Xiamen (Hokkien) | /gai³⁵/ |
| Min | Fuzhou (Eastern Min) | /ŋai⁵³/ |
| Min | Jian'ou (Northern Min) | /ŋa³³/ |
| Min | Shantou (Teochew) | /ŋãi⁵⁵/ |
| Min | Haikou (Hainanese) | /zai³¹/ /ŋai³¹/ |
* Middle Chinese: ngje, ngea
Rime :
| Character | 崖 | 崖 |
| Reading # | 1/2 | 2/2 |
| Initial (聲) | 疑 (31) | 疑 (31) |
| Final (韻) | 支 (13) | 佳 (31) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) | Level (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open | Open |
| Division (等) | III | II |
| Fanqie | 魚羈切 | 五佳切 |
| Baxter | ngje | ngea |
| Reconstructions |||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /ŋˠiᴇ/ | /ŋˠɛ/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /ŋᵚiɛ/ | /ŋᵚæ/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /ŋiɛ/ | /ŋæi/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /ŋjiə̆/ | /ŋaɨj/ |
| Li Rong | /ŋje/ | /ŋɛ/ |
| Wang Li | /ŋǐe/ | /ŋai/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /ŋie̯/ | /ŋai/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | yí | yá |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | ji$^4$ | ngaai$^4$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*ŋˤrar/
    (Zhengzhang): /*ŋreː/, /*ŋre/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 崖 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | yá |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ ngɛ › |
| Old Chinese | /*ŋˁrar/ |
| English | river bank; limit |
| 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 | 崖 | 崖 |
| Reading # | 1/2 | 2/2 |
| No. | 4536 | 4547 |
| Phonetic component | 圭 | 圭 |
| Rime group | 支 | 支 |
| Rime subdivision | 0 | 0 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 崖 | 宜 |
| Old Chinese | /*ŋreː/ | /*ŋre/ |

### Definitions

崖
* cliff; precipice (Classifier: 個／个 m)
    From: 2018, 雙雪濤, 《飛行家》, Taipei: 大塊文化, →ISBN, page 91
    Tā shuō, nàbiān yǒu ge yá, nǐ juéde huá ma? [Pinyin]
    She said, "There's a cliff over there. Do you think it's slippery?"
* (literary) limit; boundary; margin

#### Synonyms

* (limit):
* 墘頭 / 墘头 (Hokkien)
* 沿子 (yánzi)
* 沿邊 / 沿边 (yánbiān)
* 涯 (yá) (literary, or in compounds)
* 界線 / 界线 (jièxiàn)
* 端倪 (duānní) (literary)
* 邊 / 边 (biān)
* 邊墘 / 边墘 (Hokkien)
* 邊沿 / 边沿 (biānyán)
* 邊緣 / 边缘 (biānyuán)
* 邊角 / 边角 (biānjiǎo)
* 邊際 / 边际 (biānjì)

#### Compounds

* 不立崖岸
* 勒馬懸崖 / 勒马悬崖
* 墮崖 / 堕崖 (duòyá)
* 山崖 (shānyá)
* 峻崖
* 崖山
* 崖岸 (yá'àn)
* 崖岸自高
* 崇崖
* 崖檢 / 崖检
* 崖次 (yácì)
* 崖涘
* 崖略 (yálüè)
* 崖異 / 崖异
* 崖縣 / 崖县 (Yáxiàn)
* 崖邊 / 崖边 (yábiān)
* 巉崖
* 巔崖 / 巅崖
* 巔崖峻谷 / 巅崖峻谷
* 懸崖 / 悬崖 (xuányá)
* 懸崖勒馬 / 悬崖勒马 (xuányálèmǎ)
* 懸崖峭壁 / 悬崖峭壁 (xuányáqiàobì)
* 懸崖絕壁 / 悬崖绝壁 (xuányájuébì)
* 摩崖 (móyá)
* 摩崖石刻
* 斷崖 / 断崖 (duànyá)
* 海崖
* 海蝕崖 / 海蚀崖
* 珠崖 (Zhūyá)
* 瓊崖海棠 / 琼崖海棠
* 視覺懸崖 / 视觉悬崖
* 立崖岸
* 紅崖 / 红崖 (Hóngyá)
* 臨崖勒馬 / 临崖勒马
* 自崖而反
* 骨崖崖

## Japanese
### Kanji

(Jōyō kanji)

#### Readings

* Go-on: げ (ge, 崖)
* Kan-on: がい (gai, 崖)
* Kun: がけ (gake, 崖, Jōyō)、まま (mama, 崖)、ほき (hoki, 崖)
* Nanori: きし (kishi, 崖)

### Etymology 1

* Kanji in this term
* 崖
* がい Grade: S
* kan'on
* Alternative spelling
* 崕
From Middle Chinese 崖 (MC ngje|ngea, “cliff, precipice”). Not attested in isolation. First attested in compound 崖岸 (gaigan, “cliff shore, cliff bank”) in 900.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ɡa̠i]

#### Affix

崖(がい) • (gai)
* [from 900] cliff

### Etymology 2

* Kanji in this term
* 崖
* がけ Grade: S
* kun'yomi
* Alternative spelling
* 厓
Shift from older pronunciation kake. First attested in 1280.
May be a shift in usage from compounding element kake as in the synonymous terms 懸路 (kakeji), 懸道 (kakemichi, “cliff road, steep mountain road”), where the kake comes from verb 懸ける (kakeru, “to set into; to set across”), from the way the road would be set into the cliff or mountain.
The change from kake to gake apparently happened some time during the Edo period (1603–1868). This term is recorded as Caqe (then-current Portuguese orthography for modern romanization kake) in the 1603 Nippo Jisho Japanese-Portuguese dictionary.

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) がけ [gàké] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [ɡa̠ke̞]

#### Noun

崖(がけ) • (gake)
* [from 1280] steep bank, cliff
    Synonym: 切岸 (kirigishi, literally “cut bank”)

### Etymology 3

* Kanji in this term
* 崖
* まま Grade: S
* kun'yomi
From Old Japanese. Further derivation unclear.
First attested in the Man'yōshū of 759.
Modern references either omit this reading entirely or provide no pitch accent information for this reading, suggesting that it might be archaic or even obsolete in modern usage.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ma̠ma̠]

#### Noun

崖(まま) • (mama)
* [759–???] (archaic, possibly obsolete) steep slope or incline; collapsed part of a levee or embankment

### Etymology 4

* Kanji in this term
* 崖
* ほき Grade: S
* kun'yomi
Derivation unclear. First attested in the late 1100s.
Modern references either omit this reading entirely or provide no pitch accent information for this reading, suggesting that it might be archaic or even obsolete in modern usage.

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ho̞kʲi]

#### Noun

崖(ほき) • (hoki)
* [late 1100s–???] (archaic, possibly obsolete) a steep area on a mountainside, a cliff

### Etymology 5

* Kanji in this term
* 崖
* きし Grade: S
* nanori
Probably from 岸 (kishi, “shore, bank (of a body of water)”).

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [kʲiɕi]

#### Proper noun

崖(きし) • (Kishi)
* a surname

### References

* ↑ “崖岸”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
* 1 2 3 4 “崖”, in 日本国語大辞典 [Nihon Kokugo Daijiten]‎ (in Japanese), concise edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, 2006
* ↑ Ishizuka, Harumichi (1976 [1603]) 日葡辞書: パリ本 [Nippo Jisho: Paris edition / Vocabulary of the Language of Japan]‎ (overall work in Japanese and Portuguese), Tōkyō: Bensei Publishing, available via Google Books here, right-hand column, 12th entry
* 1 2 3 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* 1 2 3 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 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

## Korean
### Etymology

From Middle Chinese 崖 (MC ngea). Recorded as Middle Korean 애 (ay) (Yale: ay) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

### Hanja

Wikisource 崖 (eumhun 벼랑 애 (byeorang ae))
* hanja form of 애 (“cliff; precipice; precipitous”)

#### Compounds

* 단애 (斷崖, danae)
* 마애불 (磨崖佛, maaebul)

### References

* 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典.

## Vietnamese
### Han character

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