# 綿

| 綿 | U+7DBF, &#32191; CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-7DBF |
| ← 綾 [U+7DBE] | CJK Unified Ideographs | 緀 → [U+7DC0] |

## Translingual
### Han character

綿 (Kangxi radical 120, 糸+8, 14 strokes, cangjie input 女火竹日月 (VFHAB), four-corner 2692$_7$, composition ⿰糹帛)

#### Derived characters

* 㒙, 嬵, 𢅧, 𤁗, 檰, 矊, 𬡴, 𥽔, 𦘂, 𧓭, 𨮨, 𬞻

#### References

* Kangxi Dictionary: page 928, character 17
* Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 27592
* Dae Jaweon: page 1366, character 6
* Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 3416, character 2
* Unihan data for U+7DBF

## Chinese
### Glyph origin

* Historical forms of the character 綿
* Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
* Small seal script
| | Old Chinese |
| 綿 | *men |
| 棉 | *men |
| 緜 | *men |
| 矊 | *men |
Ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意) : 糸 + 帛 (“silk”).

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): mián (mian$^2$)
    (Zhuyin): ㄇㄧㄢˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): min$^4$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): mièn
    (Meixian, Guangdong): miên$^2$
* Eastern Min (BUC): mièng
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): mî / biân
    (Teochew, Peng'im): miang$^5$ / miêng$^5$ / min$^5$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^6$mi
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: mián
*** Zhuyin: ㄇㄧㄢˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: mián
*** Wade–Giles: mien$^2$
*** Yale: myán
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: mian
*** Palladius: мянь (mjanʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /mi̯ɛn³⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: min$^4$
*** Yale: mìhn
*** Cantonese Pinyin: min$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: min$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /miːn²¹/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: mièn
*** Hakka Romanization System: mien$^ˇ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: mian$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /mi̯en¹¹/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: miên$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /miɛn¹¹/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: mièng
*** Sinological IPA : /mieŋ⁵³/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: mî / biân
*** Tâi-lô: mî / biân
*** Phofsit Daibuun: mii, bieen
*** IPA (Xiamen): /mĩ²⁴/, /biɛn²⁴/
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /mĩ²⁴/, /biɛn²⁴/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /mĩ¹³/, /biɛn¹³/
*** IPA (Taipei): /mĩ²⁴/, /biɛn²⁴/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /mĩ²³/, /biɛn²³/
* mî - vernacular;
* biân - literary.
* Middle Chinese: mjien
Rime :
| Character | 綿 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 明 (4) |
| Final (韻) | 仙 (77) |
| Tone (調) | Level (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | III |
| Fanqie | 武延切 |
| Baxter | mjien |
| Reconstructions ||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /miᴇn/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /miɛn/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /mjæn/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /mian/ |
| Li Rong | /miɛn/ |
| Wang Li | /mĭɛn/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /mi̯ɛn/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | mián |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | min$^4$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Zhengzhang): /*men/
Zhengzhang system (2003) :
| Character | 綿 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| No. | 9048 |
| Phonetic component | 綿 |
| Rime group | 元 |
| Rime subdivision | 2 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 緜 |
| Old Chinese | /*men/ |
| Notes | 同緜 |

### Definitions

綿
* silk floss
    絲綿／丝绵 ― sīmián ― silk floss
* to continue; to be continuous
    連綿／连绵 ― liánmián ― continuous
    綿亙／绵亘 ― miángèn ― to stretch in an unbroken chain
* soft; weak
    綿軟／绵软 ― miánruǎn ― soft
    綿力／绵力 ― miánlì ― (my) meagre effort
* (dialectal, obsolete) to apply; to cover
    From: Yang Xiong, Fangyan, c. 1st century BCE
    Mín, mián, shī yě. Qín yuē mín, zhào yuē mián, wú, yuè zhījiān tuōyī xiàng bèi wèi zhī mínmián. [Pinyin]
    Both mín and mián signify to apply—mín is used in the Qin region, and mián in Zhao. In Wu and Yue, mínmián refers to the act of taking off one's clothes and covering something with it.
* (obsolete) Alternative form of 棉 (mián, “cotton”)

### Compounds

* 情意綿綿 / 情意绵绵
* 摘綿術 / 摘绵术
* 撏綿扯絮 / 挦绵扯絮
* 柳綿 / 柳绵 (liǔmián)
* 水綿 / 水绵 (shuǐmián)
* 沉綿 / 沉绵 (chénmián)
* 河綿 / 河绵
* 海綿 / 海绵 (hǎimián)
* 海綿刷 / 海绵刷
* 海綿動物 / 海绵动物
* 海綿田 / 海绵田
* 海綿蛋糕 / 海绵蛋糕 (hǎimián dàngāo)
* 海綿鐵 / 海绵铁
* 海綿體 / 海绵体 (hǎimiántǐ)
* 瓜瓞綿綿 / 瓜瓞绵绵
* 病榻纏綿 / 病榻缠绵 (bìngtàchánmián)
* 石綿 / 石绵 (shímián)
* 礦綿 / 矿绵
* 福壽綿綿 / 福寿绵绵
* 福壽綿長 / 福寿绵长
* 綿上 / 绵上
* 綿亙 / 绵亘 (miángèn)
* 綿力 / 绵力 (miánlì)
* 綿力薄材 / 绵力薄材
* 綿子 / 绵子
* 綿密 / 绵密 (miánmì)
* 綿密小巧 / 绵密小巧
* 綿山 / 绵山
* 綿延 / 绵延 (miányán)
* 綿延不絕 / 绵延不绝 (miányánbùjué)
* 綿延起伏 / 绵延起伏
* 綿弓 / 绵弓
* 綿惙 / 绵惙
* 綿歷 / 绵历
* 綿毛 / 绵毛
* 網水綿 / 网水绵
* 綿爛 / 绵烂 (mî-nōa) (Min Nan)
* 綿篤 / 绵笃
* 綿紙 / 绵纸
* 綿紬 / 绵绸
* 綿絮 / 绵絮
* 綿綢 / 绵绸
* 綿綴 / 绵缀
* 綿綿 / 绵绵 (miánmián)
* 綿綿不息 / 绵绵不息
* 綿綿不斷 / 绵绵不断
* 綿綿瓜瓞 / 绵绵瓜瓞
* 綿纏 / 绵缠
* 綿羊 / 绵羊 (miányáng)
* 綿聯 / 绵联 (miánlián)
* 綿花嘴 / 绵花嘴
* 綿薄 / 绵薄 (miánbó)
* 綿蠻 / 绵蛮 (miánmán)
* 綿衣 / 绵衣
* 綿裡針 / 绵里针
* 綿裹秤鎚 / 绵裹秤锤
* 綿軟 / 绵软 (miánruǎn)
* 綿邈 / 绵邈
* 綿長 / 绵长 (miáncháng)
* 綿陽 / 绵阳 (Miányáng)
* 綿頓 / 绵顿
* 纏綿 / 缠绵 (chánmián)
* 纏綿悱惻 / 缠绵悱恻 (chánmiánfěicè)
* 聯綿字 / 联绵字 (liánmiánzì)
* 聯綿字典 / 联绵字典
* 聯綿對 / 联绵对
* 芊綿 / 芊绵 (qiānmián)
* 裡牽綿 / 里牵绵
* 軟綿綿 / 软绵绵 (ruǎnmiánmián)
* 連綿 / 连绵 (liánmián)
* 連綿不斷 / 连绵不断 (liánmiánbùduàn)
* 連綿不絕 / 连绵不绝 (liánmiánbùjué)
* 連綿字 / 连绵字 (liánmiánzì)
* 連綿起伏 / 连绵起伏

### References

* “Entry #10784”, 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

(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji)

#### Readings

* Go-on: めん (men, Jōyō)
* Kan-on: べん (ben)
* Kun: わた (wata, 綿, Jōyō)
* Nanori: う (u)

### Etymology 1

* Kanji in this term
* 綿
* めん Grade: 5
* on'yomi
From Middle Chinese 綿 / 绵 (miɛn, “wool; cotton; soft, downy”).

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) めん [méꜜǹ] (Atamadaka –)
* IPA: [mẽ̞ɴ]

#### Noun

綿(めん) • (men)
* cotton (both the fiber and the cloth)

##### Usage notes

As a standalone noun, the term 木綿 (momen, “cotton”, literally “tree or bush + woolly batting”) is used more often. This is especially true in speech, to avoid ambiguity with the various homophones, such as 面 (men, “face”) or 麺 (men, “noodle”).

##### Synonyms

* 木綿(もめん) (momen)

### Etymology 2

* Kanji in this term
* 綿
* わた Grade: 5
* kun'yomi
From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *wata. Cognate with Okinawan 綿 (wata).
Originally referred to any batting or stuffing, which was generally unspun silk. The meaning shifted after the spread of cotton in the Muromachi period.

#### Alternative forms

* (both rare) 棉, 草綿

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) わた [wàtáꜜ] (Odaka – [2])
* IPA: [β̞a̠ta̠]

#### Noun

綿(わた) • (wata)
* the cotton plant
* raw cotton
* batting or stuffing
* the albedo of a citrus; or the pith/placenta of a pepper
    Synonym: アルベド (arubedo, “albedo”)
* (figurative) the state of being exhausted or extremely tired (likely from the hard work required to pick cotton)
    綿(わた)のように疲(つか)れた
       wata no yō ni tsukareta
       to be as tired as cotton → to be exhausted

##### Derived terms

* 真(ま)綿(わた) (mawata): silk batting; silk floss
* 綿(わた)菓子(がし) (watagashi): cotton candy, candy floss

### References

* 1 2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

## Korean
### Hanja

綿 (eumhun 이어질 면 (ieojil myeon))
* hanja form of 면 (“cotton wad”)
* hanja form of 면 (“wool”)
* hanja form of 면 (“soft, downy”)

## Vietnamese
### Han character

綿: Hán Nôm readings: miên, men, mền, mên, min
* This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.