# 蓋

| 蓋 | U+84CB, &#33995; CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-84CB |
| ← 蓊 [U+84CA] | CJK Unified Ideographs | 蓌 → [U+84CC] |

## Translingual
### Han character

蓋 (Kangxi radical 140, 艸+10, 14 strokes in traditional Chinese and Korean, 13 strokes in mainland China and Japanese, cangjie input 廿土戈廿 (TGIT), four-corner 4410$_7$, composition ⿱艹盍)

#### Derived characters

* 壒, 㯼, 濭, 瓂, 礚(𥕤), 䡷, 鑉(𫠁), 饚, 𡀽, 𡣨, 𭗡, 𢅤, 𢣏(㦈), 𢷞, 𣋞, 𣩱, 𤐩, 𭿫, 𫇙, 𧞔, 𮜝, 𮡈, 𨽈, 𩍰, 𩡤, 𣰛, 𨞨, 𩕭, 𤻜, 𠤅, 𡈮

#### References

* Kangxi Dictionary: page 1051, character 12
* Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 31652
* Dae Jaweon: page 1513, character 9
* Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 3260, character 13
* Unihan data for U+84CB

## Chinese
### Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 蓋 :
| Western Zhou | Warring States | Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) | Liushutong (compiled in Ming) |
| Bronze inscriptions | Chu slip and silk script | Small seal script | Transcribed ancient scripts |
| | Old Chinese |
| 蓋 | *kaːbs, *kaːb, *ɡaːb |
| 盖 | *kaːbs |
| 溘 | *kʰaːbs, *kʰoːb, *kʰaːb |
| 搕 | *qoːb |
| 嗑 | *kaːb, *ɡaːb |
| 榼 | *kʰaːb |
| 磕 | *kʰaːb, *kʰaːd |
| 瞌 | *kʰaːb |
| 盍 | *ɡaːb |
| 闔 | *ɡaːb |
| 篕 | *ɡaːb |
| 熆 | *ɡaːb |
| 鰪 | *qaːb |
| 廅 | *qaːb |
| 圔 | *qroːb |
| 饁 | *ɢrab |
Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *kaːbs, *kaːb, *ɡaːb): semantic 艸 (“grass”) + phonetic 盍 (OC *ɡaːb) — a thatch.
盍 is the original character for the “cover” sense. However, because this original character was borrowed to mean “why not”, the scope of senses for 蓋 expanded to include the “cover” sense (and its extended meanings).

### Etymology 1

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *(g/k)wap (“to cover, incubate, hatch”). Within Chinese, compare:
* 盍 (OC *ɡaːb, “to join, unite; door leaf”)
* 閤 (OC *kuːb, “small gate”)
* 蛤 (OC *kuːb, “oyster, mussel”)
* 合 (OC *kuːb, *ɡuːb, “to join, unite; harmony; to close, shut”)
* 洽 (OC *ɡruːb, “to unite, assemble; to accord with”)
* 翕 (OC *qʰrub, “united, harmonious”)
Outside of Sinitic, cognate with Mizo [Term?] (hûap, “to include, to take in, to cover, to embrace, to apply to”). The Sino-Tibetan root is likely allofamic with Proto-Tibeto-Burman *ʔup (“idem”), the latter whence Burmese အုပ် (up, “to cover”) (STEDT).

#### Pronunciation 1

* Mandarin
    (Standard)
       (Pinyin): gài (gai$^4$)
       (Zhuyin): ㄍㄞˋ
    (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): гэ (ge, III)
* Cantonese (Jyutping): goi$^3$ / koi$^3$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): koi
    (Meixian, Guangdong): goi$^4$
* Jin (Wiktionary): gai$^3$
* Eastern Min (BUC): gái
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): kah / kòa / kài
    (Teochew, Peng'im): gai$^3$ / gua$^3$ / kam$^3$ / koin$^3$ / gah$^4$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^5$ke
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: gài
*** Zhuyin: ㄍㄞˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: gài
*** Wade–Giles: kai$^4$
*** Yale: gài
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gay
*** Palladius: гай (gaj)
*** Sinological IPA : /kaɪ̯⁵¹/
** (Standard Chinese, erhua-ed) (蓋兒 / 盖儿)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: gàir
*** Zhuyin: ㄍㄞˋㄦ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: gàir
*** Wade–Giles: kai$^4$-ʼrh
*** Yale: gàir
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gall
*** Palladius: гайр (gajr)
*** Sinological IPA : /kɑɻ⁵¹/
** (Dungan)
*** Cyrillic and Wiktionary: гэ (ge, III)
*** Sinological IPA : /kɛ⁴⁴/
    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: goi$^3$ / koi$^3$
*** Yale: goi / koi
*** Cantonese Pinyin: goi$^3$ / koi$^3$
*** Guangdong Romanization: goi$^3$ / koi$^3$
*** Sinological IPA : /kɔːi̯³³/, /kʰɔːi̯³³/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: koi
*** Hakka Romanization System: goi
*** Hagfa Pinyim: goi$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /koi̯⁵⁵/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: goi$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /koɪ⁵³/
* Jin
** (Taiyuan)
*** Wiktionary: gai$^3$
*** Sinological IPA (old-style): /kai⁴⁵/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: gái
*** Sinological IPA : /kɑi²¹³/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kah / kòa / kài
*** Tâi-lô: kah / kuà / kài
*** Phofsit Daibuun: kaq, koax, kaix
*** IPA (Xiamen): /kaʔ³²/, /kua²¹/, /kai²¹/
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /kaʔ⁵/, /kua⁴¹/, /kai⁴¹/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /kaʔ³²/, /kua²¹/, /kai²¹/
*** IPA (Taipei): /kaʔ³²/, /kua¹¹/, /kai¹¹/
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /kaʔ³²/, /kua²¹/, /kai²¹/
* kah - vernacular (“to cover”);
* kòa - vernacular (noun);
* kài - literary.
* Middle Chinese: kajH
Rime :
| Character | 蓋 |
| Reading # | 1/3 |
| Initial (聲) | 見 (28) |
| Final (韻) | 泰 (25) |
| Tone (調) | Departing (H) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | I |
| Fanqie | 古太切 |
| Baxter | kajH |
| Reconstructions ||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /kɑi$^H$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /kɑi$^H$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /kɑi$^H$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /kaj$^H$/ |
| Li Rong | /kɑi$^H$/ |
| Wang Li | /kɑi$^H$/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /kɑi$^H$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | gài |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | goi$^3$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*[k]ˤap-s/
    (Zhengzhang): /*kaːbs/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 蓋 |
| Reading # | 1/2 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | gài |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ kaj$^H$ › |
| Old Chinese | /*[k]ˁap-s/ |
| English | cover (v.); cover (n.) |
| 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 | 蓋 |
| Reading # | 1/3 |
| No. | 5069 |
| Phonetic component | 盍 |
| Rime group | 蓋 |
| Rime subdivision | 1 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 蓋 |
| Old Chinese | /*kaːbs/ |

##### Definitions

蓋
* to cover; to conceal
    蓋被／盖被 [Hokkien] ― kah-phōe [Pe̍h-ōe-jī] ― to put on a blanket
* (figurative) to cover up; to conceal
* (Southern Min) to put on; to apply
* to stamp; to affix (a seal)
* to overwhelm; to surpass
* to build; to construct
    蓋房子／盖房子 ― gài fángzi ― to build a house
* to talk nonsense; to chatter; to brag; to boast; to bluff
* cover; cap; lid
* shell (of a turtle, crab, etc.)
* (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) thatch; straw mat
* (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) canopy
* (dialectal) excellent; fantastic
* (Zhangzhou and Taiwanese Hokkien, Southern Sixian Hakka) very
    From: 2006, 林姿君, 匍背 (Hunchback)
    Te he koi kiú koi kiú e yî-chhièn, ngài hàn koi se koi se e sṳ̀-chiet, ngài hàn koi se koi se e sṳ̀-chiet [Pha̍k-fa-sṳ]
    That is a very, very long time ago, when I was still very, very small, when I was still very, very small.
    From: 2016,陳隨意, 鹿港思帶路
    Khiuⁿ-kháu chhù-bī sui-liân m̄ chai kóng siáⁿ, m̄-koh si̍t-chāi kài hó-thiaⁿ. [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]
    The accent is interesting; though not understandable, it actually sounds really nice.
* (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) probably; roughly
* (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) for; because
* a surname

###### Synonyms

| Variety | Location | Words |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 蓋 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Beijing | 蓋 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 蓋 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Singapore | 蓋 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Jinan | 蓋 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xi'an | 蓋 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chengdu | 蓋, 㝩 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Wuhan | 蓋, 㝩, 垛 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Yangzhou | 蓋 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Hefei | 蓋 |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 蓋, 冚, 扱 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 冚, 扱 |
| Cantonese | Yangjiang | 扱 |
| Gan | Nanchang | 蓋, 㔶, 盍 |
| Hakka | Meixian | 蓋, 弇 |
| Hakka | Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 弇 |
| Hakka | Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 弇 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 弇 |
| Hakka | Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 弇 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 弇 |
| Hakka | Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 揜 |
| Jin | Taiyuan | 蓋 |
| Northern Min | Jian'ou | 㔶𱔴 |
| Eastern Min | Fuzhou | 㔶, 㪠 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 崁 |
| Southern Min | Quanzhou | 崁 |
| Southern Min | Zhangzhou | 崁 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hokkien) | 崁 |
| Southern Min | Manila (Hokkien) | 崁 |
| Southern Min | Chaozhou | 蓋, 崁 |
| Southern Min | Shantou | 蓋 |
| Southern Min | Jieyang | 蓋, 崁 |
| Wu | Suzhou | 蓋 |
| Wu | Wenzhou | 㔶, 蓋 |
| Xiang | Changsha | 蓋 |
| Xiang | Shuangfeng | 蓋, 㔶 |
| Variety | Location | Words |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 蓋, 建, 建造, 建築, 興建, 修建 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Beijing | 蓋 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 蓋 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Harbin | 蓋 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Singapore | 建 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Jinan | 蓋 |
| Jiaoliao Mandarin | Yantai (Muping) | 蓋 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Wanrong | 蓋 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xi'an | 蓋 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xining | 蓋 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xuzhou | 起 |
| Lanyin Mandarin | Yinchuan | 蓋 |
| Lanyin Mandarin | Lanzhou | 蓋 |
| Lanyin Mandarin | Ürümqi | 蓋, 起 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chengdu | 修, 起 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Guiyang | 起, 修 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Liuzhou | 起 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Nanjing | 蓋, 造 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Yangzhou | 蓋 |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 起 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 起 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong (San Tin; Weitou) | 起 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong (Ting Kok) | 起 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau) | 起 |
| Cantonese | Taishan | 起 |
| Cantonese | Dongguan | 起 |
| Cantonese | Rongxian | 起 |
| Cantonese | Hepu (Lianzhou) | 起 |
| Cantonese | Hepu (Shatian) | 做 |
| Cantonese | Guiping | 起 |
| Cantonese | Guiping (Mule) | 起, 整 |
| Cantonese | Pingnan | 起 |
| Cantonese | Guigang (Gangcheng) | 起 |
| Cantonese | Guigang (Pingdong) | 起 |
| Cantonese | Beihai | 起 |
| Cantonese | Beihai (Nankang) | 起 |
| Cantonese | Beihai (Yingpan) | 起 |
| Cantonese | Beihai (Qiaogang - Cô Tô) | 起, 做 |
| Cantonese | Beihai (Qiaogang - Cát Bà) | 起 |
| Cantonese | Fangchenggang (Fangcheng) | 做 |
| Cantonese | Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) | 起, 搭 |
| Cantonese | Singapore (Guangfu) | 起 |
| Cantonese | Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu) | 起 |
| Cantonese | Móng Cái | 起 |
| Cantonese | Bangkok (Guangfu) | 起 |
| Cantonese | Betong (Rongxian) | 起 |
| Gan | Nanchang | 起 |
| Gan | Lichuan | 做 |
| Gan | Pingxiang | 起 |
| Hakka | Meixian | 起, 做 |
| Hakka | Yudu | 做 |
| Hakka | Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 起 |
| Hakka | Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 起 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 起 |
| Hakka | Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 起 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 起 |
| Hakka | Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 起 |
| Hakka | Hong Kong | 起 |
| Hakka | Senai (Huiyang) | 起 |
| Huizhou | Jixi | 起 |
| Jin | Taiyuan | 蓋 |
| Jin | Xinzhou | 蓋 |
| Northern Min | Jian'ou | 開 |
| Eastern Min | Fuzhou | 起 |
| Eastern Min | Matsu | 起 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 起 |
| Southern Min | Quanzhou | 起 |
| Southern Min | Zhangzhou | 起 |
| Southern Min | Tainan | 起 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hokkien) | 起 |
| Southern Min | Chaozhou | 起 |
| Southern Min | Shantou | 起 |
| Southern Min | Jieyang | 起 |
| Southern Min | Bangkok (Teochew) | 起 |
| Southern Min | Chiang Mai (Teochew) | 起 |
| Southern Min | Hat Yai (Teochew) | 起 |
| Southern Min | Johor Bahru (Teochew) | 起 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Teochew) | 起 |
| Southern Min | Leizhou | 作 |
| Southern Min | Haikou | 作 |
| Southern Pinghua | Nanning (Tingzi) | 起 |
| Wu | Shanghai | 造 |
| Wu | Shanghai (Chongming) | 造, 起 |
| Wu | Suzhou | 造 |
| Wu | Danyang | 砌 |
| Wu | Hangzhou | 造 |
| Wu | Ningbo | 起 |
| Wu | Jinhua | 起 |
| Xiang | Changsha | 起 |
| Xiang | Loudi | 起 |
| Variety | Location | Words |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 蓋子, 蓋 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Beijing | 蓋兒, 蓋子 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 蓋子 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Singapore | 蓋 |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 蓋 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 蓋 |
| Hakka | Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 蓋仔 |
| Hakka | Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 蓋仔 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 蓋仔 |
| Hakka | Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 蓋 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 蓋仔 |
| Hakka | Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 蓋 |
| Jin | Taiyuan | 蓋蓋 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 蓋, 崁 |
| Southern Min | Quanzhou | 蓋, 崁 |
| Southern Min | Zhangzhou | 蓋, 崁 |
| Southern Min | Tainan | 蓋 |
| Southern Min | Penang (Hokkien) | 蓋 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hokkien) | 蓋, 崁 |
| Southern Min | Shantou | 蓋 |
| Southern Min | Jieyang | 蓋 |
| Variety | Location | Words |
| Classical Chinese | Classical Chinese | 甚, 孔 |
| Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | Formal (Written Standard Chinese) | 很, 非常, 十分 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Beijing | 挺, 很, 倍兒, 怪 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Taiwan | 很, 好, 非常, 超, 蠻, 超級 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Malaysia | 很 |
| Northeastern Mandarin | Singapore | 很, 蠻, 非常 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Tianjin | 挺, 很, 傻, 老, 倍兒, 齁兒 |
| Jilu Mandarin | Jinan | 挺, 楞 |
| Central Plains Mandarin | Xi'an | 很 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chengdu | 很, 好 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Chongqing | 很 |
| Southwestern Mandarin | Wuhan | 蠻, 很 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Yangzhou | 蠻, 稀, 很 |
| Jianghuai Mandarin | Hefei | 很 |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | 好, 非常之 |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | 好, 非常, 非常之, 超, 勁, 十分之, 無敵 |
| Cantonese | Zhongshan (Shiqi) | 好 |
| Cantonese | Taishan | 好, 十分之 |
| Cantonese | Yangjiang | 好 |
| Cantonese | Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu) | 好 |
| Cantonese | Singapore (Guangfu) | 好, 非常之, 非常 |
| Gan | Nanchang | 蠻 |
| Hakka | Meixian | 好, 刮, 已, 還, 異, 還 exclamation |
| Hakka | Huidong (Daling) | 好 |
| Hakka | Wuhua (Meilin) | 好 |
| Hakka | Shaoguan (Qujiang) | 頂 |
| Hakka | Lianshan (Xiaosanjiang) | 好 |
| Hakka | Changting | 野 |
| Hakka | Wuping (Pingyu) | 已, 刮 |
| Hakka | Liancheng | 樣 |
| Hakka | Ninghua | 好 |
| Hakka | Ruijin | 蠻 |
| Hakka | Shicheng | 蠻 |
| Hakka | Shangyou (Shexi) | 蠻 |
| Hakka | Miaoli (N. Sixian) | 當, 已, 還 |
| Hakka | Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian) | 蓋, 盡, 還 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu) | 當, 盡, 已, 還 |
| Hakka | Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu) | 當, 已, 還 |
| Hakka | Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping) | 當, 已, 還 |
| Hakka | Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an) | 足, 真, 實在 |
| Hakka | Hong Kong | 好 |
| Hakka | Sabah (Bao'an) | 好 |
| Hakka | Kuching (Hepo) | 很 |
| Hakka | Singapore (Dabu) | 好 |
| Jin | Taiyuan | 很, 挺 |
| Northern Min | Jian'ou | 盡 |
| Eastern Min | Fuzhou | 野, 真 |
| Eastern Min | Singapore (Fuqing) | 真 |
| Eastern Min | Sitiawan (Gutian) | 真 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen | 真, 野, 誠, 有夠, 萬代, 死人, 非常, 真正, 設汰, 一 |
| Southern Min | Xiamen (Tong'an) | 真 |
| Southern Min | Quanzhou | 真, 野, 誠, 有夠, 萬代, 死人, 設汰 |
| Southern Min | Jinjiang | 野, 萬代 |
| Southern Min | Zhangzhou | 盡, 蓋, 足, 足範, 有夠, 出奇, 極死, 見死, 死了了, 死人, 設汰, 設汰仔 |
| Southern Min | Zhao'an | 很, 真, 死絕, 好, 非常 |
| Southern Min | Dongshan | 真, 非常 |
| Southern Min | Taipei | 真, 誠 |
| Southern Min | New Taipei (Sanxia) | 真, 誠 |
| Southern Min | Kaohsiung | 有夠, 足, 真, 誠, 蓋 |
| Southern Min | Yilan | 有夠, 足, 誠, 盡 |
| Southern Min | Changhua (Lukang) | 真, 誠 |
| Southern Min | Taichung | 誠, 蓋, 足 |
| Southern Min | Tainan | 有夠, 足, 真, 誠, 蓋 |
| Southern Min | Hsinchu | 真, 誠 |
| Southern Min | Kinmen | 足, 誠 |
| Southern Min | Penghu (Magong) | 真, 誠 |
| Southern Min | Penang (Hokkien) | 真, 誠, 真正 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hokkien) | 真, 死爸, 真正, 誠, 足, 有夠 |
| Southern Min | Manila (Hokkien) | 野, 真, 萬代, 真誠, 誠, 有夠 |
| Southern Min | Chaozhou | 過, 好, 非常, 死爸 |
| Southern Min | Shantou | 過, 鐵, 好, 很, 死爸, 死絕 |
| Southern Min | Shantou (Chenghai) | 好, 死絕 |
| Southern Min | Shantou (Chaoyang) | 好, 非常 |
| Southern Min | Jieyang | 過, 好, 死爸, 死絕 |
| Southern Min | Bangkok (Teochew) | 好 |
| Southern Min | Johor Bahru (Teochew) | 好 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Teochew) | 真, 死爸, 非常 |
| Southern Min | Wenchang | 極, 但顧, 真 |
| Southern Min | Haikou | 但顧 |
| Southern Min | Qionghai | 但顧, 真 |
| Southern Min | Singapore (Hainanese) | 但顧, 真 |
| Puxian Min | Putian | 全成 |
| Zhongshan Min | Zhongshan (Longdu, Shaxi) | 好, 蠻 |
| Wu | Shanghai | 蠻, 老, 邪氣, 老老, 瞎, 絕, 十分, 十二萬分, 非常, 非常之, 畢, 畢畢, 來得, 來得個, 煞, 交關, 十二分 rare, 窮 dated, 野 dated, 邪 dated |
| Wu | Suzhou | 蠻, 窮 |
| Wu | Hangzhou | 蠻, 交關, 木佬佬, 冒 |
| Wu | Ningbo | 交關, 蠻, 堪, 𣍐好, 𣍐派, 甮派, 出格, 木牢牢 rare, 猛 rare |
| Wu | Zhoushan | 交關, 蠻, 猛, 堪, 出格, 木牢牢 rare |
| Wu | Wenzhou | 蠻, 蒙, 顯 |
| Xiang | Changsha | 很, 蠻 |
| Xiang | Shuangfeng | 蠻 |

##### Compounds

* 上蓋 / 上盖
* 亂蓋 / 乱盖
* 依蓋爾其 / 依盖尔其 (Yīgài'ěrqí)
* 修蓋 / 修盖
* 傘蓋 / 伞盖 (sǎngài)
* 傾蓋 / 倾盖 (qīnggài)
* 傾蓋定交 / 倾盖定交
* 傾蓋相逢 / 倾盖相逢
* 傾蓋而語 / 倾盖而语
* 冠蓋 / 冠盖
* 冠蓋如雲 / 冠盖如云
* 冠蓋相屬 / 冠盖相属
* 冠蓋相望 / 冠盖相望
* 冠蓋雲集 / 冠盖云集
* 冠蓋高舉 / 冠盖高举
* 劈頭蓋臉 / 劈头盖脸 (pītóugàiliǎn)
* 區蓋 / 区盖 (ōugài)
* 口蓋 / 口盖 (kǒugài)
* 天地蓋載 / 天地盖载
* 天靈蓋 / 天灵盖 (tiānlínggài)
* 寶蓋 / 宝盖 (bǎogài)
* 寶蓋山 / 宝盖山
* 屋下蓋屋 / 屋下盖屋
* 帷蓋 / 帷盖
* 帷蓋不棄 / 帷盖不弃
* 幢蓋 / 幢盖
* 幡蓋 / 幡盖
* 拔山蓋世 / 拔山盖世
* 捂捂蓋蓋 / 捂捂盖盖 (wǔwǔgàigài)
* 捂蓋子 / 捂盖子
* 掖掖蓋蓋 / 掖掖盖盖
* 掩蓋 / 掩盖 (yǎngài)
* 捲鋪蓋 / 卷铺盖
* 揭蓋兒 / 揭盖儿
* 揭蓋子 / 揭盖子
* 搭蓋 / 搭盖 (dāgài)
* 摀蓋 / 𰓆盖
* 敷蓋物 / 敷盖物
* 方底圓蓋 / 方底圆盖
* 旛蓋 / 旛盖
* 明鋪夜蓋 / 明铺夜盖
* 曲蓋 / 曲盖
* 朱轓皂蓋 / 朱𰺜皂盖
* 杭蓋 / 杭盖 (Hánggài)
* 欲蓋彌彰 / 欲盖弥彰 (yùgàimízhāng)
* 氣蓋山河 / 气盖山河
* 波羅蓋 / 波罗盖 (bōluógài)
* 油蓋 / 油盖
* 涵蓋 / 涵盖 (hángài)
* 渾蓋 / 浑盖
* 漫天蓋地 / 漫天盖地
* 瓶蓋 / 瓶盖 (pínggài)
* 磕膝蓋 / 磕膝盖
* 程孔傾蓋 / 程孔倾盖
* 穴寶蓋兒 / 穴宝盖儿
* 立馬蓋橋 / 立马盖桥
* 籠蓋 / 笼盖
* 羽蓋 / 羽盖
* 翠蓋 / 翠盖
* 翻蓋 / 翻盖 (fāngài)
* 膝蓋 / 膝盖 (xīgài)
* 膝蓋骨 / 膝盖骨 (xīgàigǔ)
* 臭蓋 / 臭盖
* 華蓋 / 华盖 (huágài)
* 菌蓋 / 菌盖 (jūngài)
* 蓋世 / 盖世 (gàishì)
* 蓋世之才 / 盖世之才
* 蓋世功勛 / 盖世功勋
* 蓋世太保 / 盖世太保 (Gàishìtàibǎo)
* 蓋世無雙 / 盖世无双
* 蓋世雄才 / 盖世雄才
* 蓋人 / 盖人
* 蓋代 / 盖代
* 蓋仙 / 盖仙
* 蓋住 / 盖住
* 蓋印 / 盖印 (gàiyìn)
* 蓋喧
* 蓋壤 / 盖壤
* 蓋天板 / 盖天板
* 蓋子 / 盖子 (gàizi)
* 蓋孜力克 / 盖孜力克 (Gàizīlìkè)
* 蓋孜庫木 / 盖孜库木 (Gàizīkùmù)
* 蓋帽 / 盖帽 (gàimào)
* 蓋愆 / 盖愆
* 蓋抹 / 盖抹
* 蓋柿 / 盖柿
* 蓋棺事定 / 盖棺事定
* 蓋棺論定 / 盖棺论定 (gàiguānlùndìng)
* 蓋火 / 盖火
* 蓋火鍋 / 盖火锅 (gài huǒguō)
* 蓋然性 / 盖然性 (gàiránxìng)
* 蓋盅兒 / 盖盅儿
* 蓋碗 / 盖碗 (gàiwǎn)
* 蓋老 / 盖老
* 蓋臉 / 盖脸
* 蓋菜 / 盖菜 (gàicài)
* 蓆蓋子 / 席盖子
* 蓋藏 / 盖藏
* 蓋覆 / 盖覆
* 蓋造 / 盖造
* 蓋闕 / 盖阙
* 蓋章 / 盖章 (gàizhāng)
* 蓋頭 / 盖头 (gàitou)
* 蓋飯 / 盖饭 (gàifàn)
* 覆蓋 / 覆盖 (fùgài)
* 跛羅蓋子 / 跛罗盖子
* 車蓋 / 车盖 (chēgài)
* 遮天蓋地 / 遮天盖地
* 遮天蓋日 / 遮天盖日
* 遮蓋 / 遮盖 (zhēgài)
* 鋪天蓋地 / 铺天盖地 (pūtiāngàidì)
* 鍋蓋 / 锅盖 (guōgài)
* 雨蓋 / 雨盖
* 靈蓋 / 灵盖
* 頭蓋骨 / 头盖骨 (tóugàigǔ)
* 飛蓋 / 飞盖
* 馬子蓋 / 马子盖
* 馬桶蓋 / 马桶盖 (mǎtǒnggài)
* 馬蓋先 / 马盖先
* 鰓蓋 / 鳃盖
* 鳳蓋 / 凤盖
* 麥蓋提 / 麦盖提 (Màigàití)
* 麾蓋 / 麾盖
* 黃旗紫蓋 / 黄旗紫盖
* 黃沙蓋面 / 黄沙盖面
* 黃蓋 / 黄盖 (huánggài)
* 鼎蓋 / 鼎盖 (tiáⁿ-kòa) (Min Nan)

##### See also

* 捂 (wǔ)

##### Descendants

* → Japanese: 蓋し (kedashi) (calque)

#### Pronunciation 2

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): gài, hé (gai$^4$, he$^2$)
    (Zhuyin): ㄍㄞˋ, ㄏㄜˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): hap$^6$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: gài
*** Zhuyin: ㄍㄞˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: gài
*** Wade–Giles: kai$^4$
*** Yale: gài
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: gay
*** Palladius: гай (gaj)
*** Sinological IPA : /kaɪ̯⁵¹/
** (Standard Chinese, literary)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: hé
*** Zhuyin: ㄏㄜˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: hé
*** Wade–Giles: ho$^2$
*** Yale: hé
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: her
*** Palladius: хэ (xɛ)
*** Sinological IPA : /xɤ³⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: hap$^6$
*** Yale: hahp
*** Cantonese Pinyin: hap$^9$
*** Guangdong Romanization: heb$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /hɐp̚²/
* Middle Chinese: hap
Rime :
| Character | 蓋 |
| Reading # | 2/3 |
| Initial (聲) | 匣 (33) |
| Final (韻) | 盍 (144) |
| Tone (調) | Checked (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | I |
| Fanqie | 胡臘切 |
| Baxter | hap |
| Reconstructions ||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /ɦɑp̚/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /ɦɑp̚/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /ɣɑp̚/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /ɦap̚/ |
| Li Rong | /ɣɑp̚/ |
| Wang Li | /ɣɑp̚/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /ɣɑp̚/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | hé |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | hap$^6$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*m-[k]ˤap/
    (Zhengzhang): /*ɡaːb/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 蓋 |
| Reading # | 2/2 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | hé |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ hap › |
| Old Chinese | /*m-[k]ˁap/ |
| English | thatch, cover (v.) |
| 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 | 蓋 |
| Reading # | 3/3 |
| No. | 5083 |
| Phonetic component | 盍 |
| Rime group | 盍 |
| Rime subdivision | 1 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 盍 |
| Old Chinese | /*ɡaːb/ |

##### Definitions

蓋
* (obsolete) Alternative form of 盍 (hé, “to cover; to join together; thatch”)
* (obsolete) Alternative form of 闔 / 阖 (hé, “door leaf”)

### Etymology 2

* 蓋姓

#### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): Gě (Ge$^3$)
    (Zhuyin): ㄍㄜˇ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): gap$^3$
* Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): Khap
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: Gě
*** Zhuyin: ㄍㄜˇ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: Gě
*** Wade–Giles: Ko$^3$
*** Yale: Gě
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Gee
*** Palladius: Гэ (Gɛ)
*** Sinological IPA : /kɤ²¹⁴/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: gap$^3$
*** Yale: gap
*** Cantonese Pinyin: gap$^8$
*** Guangdong Romanization: geb$^3$
*** Sinological IPA : /kɐp̚³/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Khap
*** Tâi-lô: Khap
*** Phofsit Daibuun: qab
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /kʰap̚⁵/
*** IPA (Xiamen): /kʰap̚³²/
* Middle Chinese: kap
Rime :
| Character | 蓋 |
| Reading # | 3/3 |
| Initial (聲) | 見 (28) |
| Final (韻) | 盍 (144) |
| Tone (調) | Checked (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | I |
| Fanqie | 古盍切 |
| Baxter | kap |
| Reconstructions ||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /kɑp̚/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /kɑp̚/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /kɑp̚/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /kap̚/ |
| Li Rong | /kɑp̚/ |
| Wang Li | /kɑp̚/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /kɑp̚/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | ge |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | gap$^3$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Zhengzhang): /*kaːb/
Zhengzhang system (2003) :
| Character | 蓋 |
| Reading # | 2/3 |
| No. | 5075 |
| Phonetic component | 盍 |
| Rime group | 盍 |
| Rime subdivision | 1 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 䫦 |
| Old Chinese | /*kaːb/ |

#### Definitions

蓋
* (～邑) (historical) Ge (a city in the ancient state of Qi in modern-day Yishui County, Shandong)
* a surname

### Etymology 3
#### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): hé (he$^2$)
    (Zhuyin): ㄏㄜˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): hap$^6$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: hé
*** Zhuyin: ㄏㄜˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: hé
*** Wade–Giles: ho$^2$
*** Yale: hé
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: her
*** Palladius: хэ (xɛ)
*** Sinological IPA : /xɤ³⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: hap$^6$
*** Yale: hahp
*** Cantonese Pinyin: hap$^9$
*** Guangdong Romanization: heb$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /hɐp̚²/
* Middle Chinese: hap
Rime :
| Character | 蓋 |
| Reading # | 2/3 |
| Initial (聲) | 匣 (33) |
| Final (韻) | 盍 (144) |
| Tone (調) | Checked (Ø) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | I |
| Fanqie | 胡臘切 |
| Baxter | hap |
| Reconstructions ||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /ɦɑp̚/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /ɦɑp̚/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /ɣɑp̚/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /ɦap̚/ |
| Li Rong | /ɣɑp̚/ |
| Wang Li | /ɣɑp̚/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /ɣɑp̚/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | hé |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | hap$^6$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Zhengzhang): /*ɡaːb/
Zhengzhang system (2003) :
| Character | 蓋 |
| Reading # | 3/3 |
| No. | 5083 |
| Phonetic component | 盍 |
| Rime group | 盍 |
| Rime subdivision | 1 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 盍 |
| Old Chinese | /*ɡaːb/ |

#### Definitions

蓋
* (obsolete) Alternative form of 盍 (hé, “how; why”)
    From: Zhanguo Ce, circa 5th – 3rd centuries BCE
    Rénshēng shìshàng, shìwèi fùguì, hé kě hū hū zāi? [Pinyin]
    (please add an English translation of this usage example)
* (obsolete) Alternative form of 盍 (hé, “why not”)
    From: The Book of Rites, c. 4th – 2nd century BCE
    Jìn Xiàn Gōng jiāng shā qí shì zǐ Shēnshēng, gōngzǐ Chóng'ěr wèi zhī yuē: “Zǐ hé yán zǐ zhī zhì yú gōng hū?” [Pinyin]
    Duke Xian of Jin, intending to put to death his heir-son Shen-sheng, another son, Chong-er, said to the latter, "Why do you not tell what is in your mind to the duke?"
    From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE
    Zǐgòng yuē: “Fūzǐ zhī dào zhì dà yě, gù tiānxià mò néng róng fūzǐ. Fūzǐ hé shǎo biǎn yān?” [Pinyin]
    Zigong said, "Master, your philosophy is the greatest, and thus no one in the world can accept you. Why do you, Master, not slightly lower your standards?"

### Etymology 4

* 蓋

#### Pronunciation

* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): khap / kap
    (Teochew, Peng'im): kab$^4$
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: khap
*** Tâi-lô: khap
*** Phofsit Daibuun: qab
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /kʰap̚⁵/
*** IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung): /kʰap̚³²/
** (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kap
*** Tâi-lô: kap
*** Phofsit Daibuun: kab
*** IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /kap̚³²/
* khap - vernacular;
* kap - literary.

#### Definitions

蓋
* Alternative form of 匼 (“to cover”)

### References

* “蓋”, 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

(Jōyō kanji)
* cover
* lid
* flap

#### Readings

* Go-on: かい (kai)、ごう (gō)
* Kan-on: かい (kai)、こう (kō)
* Kan’yō-on: がい (gai, Jōyō)
* Kun: ふた (futa, 蓋, Jōyō)、けだし (kedashi, 蓋し)、おおう (ōu, 蓋う)、かさ (kasa, 蓋)

#### Compounds

* 膝蓋(しつがい) (shitsugai): patella, kneecap
* 頭蓋骨(ずがいこつ) (zugaikotsu): skull, cranium

### Etymology

* Kanji in this term
* 蓋
* ふた Grade: S
* kun'yomi
From Old Japanese. Used in the Man'yōshū of circa 759 CE to phonetically spell Mount Futagami as 蓋上山. In turn, from Proto-Japonic *pota.

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) ふた [fùtá] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [ɸɯ̟ta̠]

### Noun

蓋(ふた) or 蓋(フタ) • (futa)
* lid; cap; cover; (malacology) operculum
    箱(はこ)のふた ― hako no futa ― box lid
    ビンの蓋(ふた) ― bin no futa ― cap of a bottle

### References

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

## Korean
### Hanja

蓋 (eumhun 덮을 개 (deopeul gae))
* Hanja form of 개 (“cover”).

## Vietnamese
### Han character

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