# 素

| 素 | U+7D20, &#32032; CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-7D20 |
| ← 紟 [U+7D1F] | CJK Unified Ideographs | 紡 → [U+7D21] |

## Translingual
### Han character

素 (Kangxi radical 120, 糸+4, 10 strokes, cangjie input 手一女戈火 (QMVIF), four-corner 5090$_3$, composition ⿱龶糸)

#### See also

* 責
* 青

#### References

* Kangxi Dictionary: page 918, character 11
* Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 27300
* Dae Jaweon: page 1348, character 7
* Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 5, page 3368, character 3
* Unihan data for U+7D20

## Chinese
### Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 素 :
| Western Zhou | Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han) | Liushutong (compiled in Ming) |
| Bronze inscriptions | Small seal script | Transcribed ancient scripts |
| | Old Chinese |
| 素 | *saːs |
| 傃 | *saːs |
| 嗉 | *saːs |
| 膆 | *saːs |
| 塐 | *saːs |
Pictogram (象形) – hands 廾 braiding thread 糸.
In modern form, top component looks like 生 without the diagonal stroke – compare 責, 青.

### Etymology

Austroasiatic in origin; compare Khmer ស (sɑɑ, “white; to show something clearly”) (Schuessler, 2007). Cognate with 索 (OC *sraːɡ, *sreːɡ, “to search”).

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): sù (su$^4$)
    (Zhuyin): ㄙㄨˋ
* Cantonese
    (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): sou$^3$
    (Taishan, Wiktionary): lhu$^1$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): su
    (Hailu, HRS): su$^ˇ$
    (Meixian, Guangdong): si$^4$
* Northern Min (KCR): su̿
* Eastern Min (BUC): só
* Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): sou$^4$
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): sò͘
    (Teochew, Peng'im): su$^3$ / sou$^3$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^5$su
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: sù
*** Zhuyin: ㄙㄨˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: sù
*** Wade–Giles: su$^4$
*** Yale: sù
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: suh
*** Palladius: су (su)
*** Sinological IPA : /su⁵¹/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: sou$^3$
*** Yale: sou
*** Cantonese Pinyin: sou$^3$
*** Guangdong Romanization: sou$^3$
*** Sinological IPA : /sou̯³³/
** (Taishanese, Taicheng)
*** Wiktionary: lhu$^1$
*** Sinological IPA : /ɬu³³/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: su
*** Hakka Romanization System: su
*** Hagfa Pinyim: su$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /su⁵⁵/
** (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
*** Hakka Romanization System: su$^ˇ$
*** Sinological IPA: /su¹¹/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: si$^4$
*** Sinological IPA: /sz̩⁵³/
* Northern Min
** (Jian'ou)
*** Kienning Colloquial Romanized: su̿
*** Sinological IPA : /su³³/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: só
*** Sinological IPA : /sou²¹³/
* Puxian Min
** (Putian, Xianyou)
*** Pouseng Ping'ing: sou$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /ɬɔu⁴²/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: sò͘
*** Tâi-lô: sòo
*** Phofsit Daibuun: sox
*** IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang): /sɔ⁴¹/
*** IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung): /sɔ²¹/
*** IPA (Taipei): /sɔ¹¹/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: su$^3$ / sou$^3$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: sù / sòu
*** Sinological IPA : /su²¹³/, /sou²¹³/
* su3 - literary;
* sou3 - vernacular (limited, e.g., 味素).
* Dialectal data
| Variety | Location | edit素 |
| Mandarin | Beijing | /su⁵¹/ |
| Mandarin | Harbin | /su⁵³/ |
| Mandarin | Tianjin | /su⁵³/ |
| Mandarin | Jinan | /su²¹/ |
| Mandarin | Qingdao | /su⁴²/ |
| Mandarin | Zhengzhou | /su³¹²/ |
| Mandarin | Xi'an | /su⁴⁴/ |
| Mandarin | Xining | /ɕy²¹³/ |
| Mandarin | Yinchuan | /su¹³/ |
| Mandarin | Lanzhou | /su¹³/ |
| Mandarin | Ürümqi | /su²¹³/ |
| Mandarin | Wuhan | /səu³⁵/ |
| Mandarin | Chengdu | /su¹³/ |
| Mandarin | Guiyang | /su²¹³/ |
| Mandarin | Kunming | /su²¹²/ |
| Mandarin | Nanjing | /su⁴⁴/ |
| Mandarin | Hefei | /su⁵³/ |
| Jin | Taiyuan | /su⁴⁵/ |
| Jin | Pingyao | /səu³⁵/ |
| Jin | Hohhot | /su⁵⁵/ |
| Wu | Shanghai | /su³⁵/ |
| Wu | Suzhou | /səu⁵¹³/ |
| Wu | Hangzhou | /su⁴⁴⁵/ |
| Wu | Wenzhou | /sɤu⁴²/ |
| Hui | Shexian | /su³²⁴/ |
| Hui | Tunxi | /səu⁴²/ |
| Xiang | Changsha | /səu⁵⁵/ |
| Xiang | Xiangtan | /səɯ⁵⁵/ |
| Gan | Nanchang | /su⁴⁵/ |
| Hakka | Meixian | /sz̩⁵³/ |
| Hakka | Taoyuan | /su⁵⁵/ |
| Cantonese | Guangzhou | /sou³³/ |
| Cantonese | Nanning | /ɬu³³/ |
| Cantonese | Hong Kong | /sou³³/ |
| Min | Xiamen (Hokkien) | /sɔ²¹/ |
| Min | Fuzhou (Eastern Min) | /sou²¹²/ |
| Min | Jian'ou (Northern Min) | /su³³/ |
| Min | Shantou (Teochew) | /su²¹³/ |
| Min | Haikou (Hainanese) | /so³⁵/ /to³⁵/ |
* Middle Chinese: suH
Rime :
| Character | 素 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 心 (16) |
| Final (韻) | 模 (23) |
| Tone (調) | Departing (H) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | I |
| Fanqie | 桑故切 |
| Baxter | suH |
| Reconstructions ||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /suo$^H$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /suo$^H$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /so$^H$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /sɔ$^H$/ |
| Li Rong | /so$^H$/ |
| Wang Li | /su$^H$/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /suo$^H$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | sù |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | sou$^3$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*[s]ˤak-s/
    (Zhengzhang): /*saːs/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 素 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | sù |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ su$^H$ › |
| Old Chinese | /*[s]ˁak-s/ |
| English | white silk |
| 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 | 素 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| No. | 12099 |
| Phonetic component | 素 |
| Rime group | 魚 |
| Rime subdivision | 0 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 訴 |
| Old Chinese | /*saːs/ |

### Definitions

素
* (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) white silk
* (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) silk or paper used for writing
* white
    素面 ― sùmiàn ― unadorned face; face without makeup
    素服 ― sùfú ― white mourning clothes
* plain
    素淨／素净 ― sùjìng ― plain and neat
* vegetarian (food)
    素菜 ― sùcài ― vegetable dish; vegetarian dish
    吃素 ― chīsù ― to live on a vegetarian diet; to be a vegetarian
    素食 ― sùshí ― vegetarian foods; to maintain a vegetarian diet
* original; unprocessed
    素材 ― sùcái ― source material
    素質／素质 ― sùzhì ― nature
* usually; always; all along
    平素 ― píngsù ― normally; usually
    素不往來／素不往来 ― sù bù wǎnglái ― have never had contact with each other
       Wǔhàn sù chēng “jiǔshěng tōngqú”. [Pinyin]
       Wuhan has always been called "the thoroughfare of the nine provinces".
* element
    元素 ― yuánsù ― element
    維生素／维生素 ― wéishēngsù ― vitamin
    色素 ― sèsù ― pigment
* (mathematics) prime
    素數／素数 ― sùshù ― prime number
    互素 ― hùsù ― coprime; relatively prime

### Compounds

* 七葷八素 / 七荤八素
* 不葷不素 / 不荤不素
* 人工色素
* 促胰液素 (cùyíyèsù)
* 催產素 / 催产素 (cuīchǎnsù)
* 儉素 / 俭素
* 元素 (yuánsù)
* 內毒素 / 内毒素 (nèidúsù)
* 刺激素
* 動情素 / 动情素
* 化學元素 / 化学元素 (huàxué yuánsù)
* 升糖素 (shēngtángsù)
* 同位素 (tóngwèisù)
* 合成色素
* 吃素 (chīsù)
* 名素
* 合金元素
* 味素 (wèisù)
* 哀素
* 喬素 / 乔素
* 四環素 / 四环素 (sìhuánsù)
* 因素 (yīnsù)
* 國力要素 / 国力要素
* 土黴素 / 土霉素
* 外毒素 (wàidúsù)
* 天然毒素
* 天然色素
* 太素
* 好丹非素
* 學問有素 / 学问有素
* 安之若素 (ānzhīruòsù)
* 宿素
* 寒素
* 尸位素餐 (shīwèisùcān)
* 尸祿素餐 (shīlùsùcān)
* 尺素 (chǐsù)
* 尿素 (niàosù)
* 布素
* 干擾素 (gānrǎosù)
* 平素 (píngsù)
* 康黴素 / 康霉素
* 微量元素 (wēiliàng yuánsù)
* 性激素 (xìngjīsù)
* 情素 (qíngsù)
* 懷真抱素 / 怀真抱素
* 懷素 / 怀素
* 懷鉛握素 / 怀铅握素
* 我行我素 (wǒxíngwǒsù)
* 抗利尿素
* 抑制素 (yìzhìsù)
* 抗毒素 (kàngdúsù)
* 抗生素 (kàngshēngsù)
* 把素
* 把素持齋 / 把素持斋
* 抗菌素 (kàngjūnsù)
* 抱素懷樸 / 抱素怀朴
* 持齋把素 / 持斋把素
* 新黴素 / 新霉素 (xīnméisù)
* 木瓜酵素 (mùguā jiàosù)
* 朴素 (pǔsù)
* 束素
* 核黃素 / 核黄素 (héhuángsù)
* 植物激素
* 樂素 / 乐素
* 樸素 / 朴素 (pǔsù)
* 樸素無華 / 朴素无华
* 檸檬素 / 柠檬素
* 毒素 (dúsù)
* 毫素
* 氯絲菌素 / 氯丝菌素
* 氯黴素 / 氯霉素 (lǜméisù)
* 水素 (shuǐsù)
* 油素
* 淡妝素服 / 淡妆素服
* 淨素 / 净素
* 激勃素
* 激素 (jīsù)
* 激素替代療法 / 激素替代疗法 (jīsù tìdài liáofǎ)
* 營養素 / 营养素 (yíngyǎngsù)
* 特殊因素
* 瓢菌素
* 甘之若素
* 生長激素 / 生长激素 (shēngzhǎng jīsù)
* 生長素 / 生长素 (shēngzhǎngsù)
* 甲狀腺素 / 甲状腺素 (jiǎzhuàngxiànsù)
* 田豫儉素 / 田豫俭素
* 番茄素
* 白水素女
* 白黴素 / 白霉素
* 皮質素 / 皮质素 (pízhìsù)
* 硫胺素 (liú'ànsù)
* 碳素鋼 / 碳素钢
* 磕素頭 / 磕素头
* 秋水仙素 (qiūshuǐxiānsù)
* 稀土元素 (xītǔ yuánsù)
* 積素 / 积素
* 穿素
* 竊位素餐 / 窃位素餐
* 竹素
* 竹素園 / 竹素园
* 簡素 / 简素 (jiǎnsù)
* 紈素 / 纨素
* 紅素 / 红素
* 素不相識 / 素不相识 (sùbùxiāngshí)
* 素交
* 素人 (sùrén)
* 素人畫家 / 素人画家
* 素什錦 / 素什锦
* 素來 / 素来 (sùlái)
* 素冠
* 素友
* 素口罵人 / 素口骂人
* 素問 / 素问
* 素士
* 素女 (Sùnǚ)
* 素女弦
* 素娥 (Sù'é)
* 素室
* 素客
* 素宦
* 素封
* 素尚
* 素履
* 素席 (sùxí)
* 素常 (sùcháng)
* 素幡
* 素心 (sùxīn)
* 素心蘭 / 素心兰
* 素志 (sùzhì)
* 素性 (sùxìng)
* 素懷 / 素怀
* 素手 (sùshǒu)
* 素描 (sùmiáo)
* 素放
* 素數 / 素数 (sùshù)
* 素族
* 素日 (sùrì)
* 素昔
* 素昧平生 (sùmèipíngshēng)
* 素昧生平
* 素書 / 素书
* 素月 (sùyuè)
* 素服 (sùfú)
* 素望
* 素未謀面 / 素未谋面 (sùwèimóumiàn)
* 素朴 (sùpǔ)
* 素材 (sùcái)
* 素業 / 素业
* 素樸 / 素朴 (sùpǔ)
* 素氣 / 素气
* 素油 (sùyóu)
* 素流
* 素淡 (sùdàn)
* 素淨 / 素净
* 素潔 / 素洁
* 素牘 / 素牍
* 素王 (sùwáng)
* 素琴
* 素白
* 素知 (sùzhī)
* 素節 / 素节
* 素筵
* 素絲羔羊 / 素丝羔羊
* 素絲良馬 / 素丝良马
* 素絲變 / 素丝变
* 素絹 / 素绢
* 素練 / 素练
* 素聞 / 素闻
* 素舊 / 素旧
* 素色 (sùsè)
* 素菜 (sùcài)
* 素藉 / 素借
* 素行
* 素行不良
* 素衣
* 素衣化緇 / 素衣化缁
* 素衷
* 素袋
* 素裹
* 素論 / 素论
* 素識 / 素识
* 素質 / 素质 (sùzhì)
* 素車 / 素车
* 素車白馬 / 素车白马
* 素退
* 素酒
* 素門凡流 / 素门凡流
* 素隱行怪 / 素隐行怪
* 素雅 (sùyǎ)
* 素雞 / 素鸡 (sùjī)
* 素面 (sùmiàn)
* 素面朝天 (sùmiàncháotiān)
* 素願 / 素愿 (sùyuàn)
* 素風 / 素风
* 素食 (sùshí)
* 素飯 / 素饭
* 素養 / 素养 (sùyǎng)
* 素餐 (sùcān)
* 素餐尸位
* 素馨 (sùxīn)
* 素髮 / 素发
* 細胞色素 / 细胞色素 (xìbāo sèsù)
* 絹素 / 绢素
* 維生素 / 维生素 (wéishēngsù)
* 縞素 / 缟素 (gǎosù)
* 縑素 / 缣素
* 繪事後素 / 绘事后素
* 纖維素 / 纤维素 (xiānwéisù)
* 肌紅素 / 肌红素
* 胎盤素 / 胎盘素
* 胡蘿蔔素 / 胡萝卜素 (húluóbosù)
* 胎裡素 / 胎里素
* 胰島素 / 胰岛素 (yídǎosù)
* 胰高血糖素 (yígāoxuètángsù)
* 腎上腺素 / 肾上腺素 (shènshàngxiànsù)
* 腸泌素 / 肠泌素
* 膽囊收縮素 / 胆囊收缩素 (dǎnnángshōusuōsù)
* 色素 (sèsù)
* 花青素 (huāqīngsù)
* 茜素 (qiànsù)
* 茹素 (rúsù)
* 茶素
* 葉紅素 / 叶红素
* 葷素不忌 / 荤素不忌
* 葉綠素 / 叶绿素 (yèlǜsù)
* 葉黃素 / 叶黄素 (yèhuángsù)
* 藻紅素 / 藻红素
* 蜀素帖
* 血紅素 / 血红素 (xuèhóngsù)
* 衷素
* 要素 (yàosù)
* 觀音素 / 观音素
* 解素
* 訓練有素 / 训练有素 (xùnliànyǒusù)
* 詞素 / 词素 (císù)
* 護髮素 / 护发素 (hùfàsù)
* 豪素
* 赤黴素 / 赤霉素 (chìméisù)
* 酪素
* 酵素 (jiàosù)
* 酵素毒
* 重元素
* 金屬元素 / 金属元素
* 金素
* 金黴素 / 金霉素 (jīnméisù)
* 鉛素 / 铅素
* 鉑黴素 / 铂霉素
* 鏈黴素 / 链霉素
* 開素 / 开素
* 雄性激素 (xióngxìng jīsù)
* 雅素
* 青蠅點素 / 青蝇点素
* 青黴素 / 青霉素 (qīngméisù)
* 音素 (yīnsù)
* 音素文字 (yīnsù wénzì)
* 顛張醉素 / 颠张醉素
* 類毒素 / 类毒素 (lèidúsù)
* 食用色素 (shíyòng sèsù)
* 鯉素 / 鲤素
* 鵝素 / 鹅素
* 鹵素 / 卤素 (lǔsù)
* 鹵素燈 / 卤素灯
* 麻黃素 / 麻黄素 (máhuángsù)
* 黃帝素問 / 黄帝素问
* 黃樟素 / 黄樟素
* 黃體激素 / 黄体激素
* 黃麴毒素 / 黄曲毒素
* 黏液素 (niányèsù)
* 黑色素 (hēisèsù)

### References

* “素”, 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–

## Japanese
### Kanji

(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji)
* basic
* plain

#### Readings

* Go-on: す (su, Jōyō)
* Kan-on: そ (so, Jōyō)
* Kun: きじ (kiji, 素)、しろ (shiro, 素)、しろい (shiroi, 素い)、もと (moto, 素)

#### Compounds

* 生長素(せいちょうそ) (seichōso, “auxin”)
* 素(そ)馨(けい) (sokei, “Spanish jasmine”)

#### Derived terms

* 素(す)通(どお)り (sudōri)
* 素(す)泊(どま)り (sudomari), 素(す)泊(ど)まり (sudomari)
* 素(す)敵(てき) (suteki)

### Etymology 1

* Kanji in this term
* 素
* す Grade: 5
* on'yomi
Derived from Middle Chinese 素 (MC suH).

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) す [súꜜ] (Atamadaka –)
* (Tokyo) す [sù] (Heiban – [0])
* IPA: [sɨ]

#### Noun

素(す) • (su)
* unadorned state

### Etymology 2

* Kanji in this term
* 素
* もと Grade: 5
* kun'yomi
For pronunciation and definitions of 素 – see the following entry. :
| 【元もと】2 | [noun] cause, origin [noun] basis, foundation [noun] cost [noun] (finance) capital [noun] principal [prefix] former, erstwhile Alternative spellings 本, 原, 基 |
(This term, 素, is an alternative spelling of the above term.) :

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) もと [mòtóꜜ] (Odaka – [2])
* IPA: [mo̞to̞]

#### Noun

素(もと) • (moto)
* (cooking) essence
    ご飯(はん)の素(もと)
       gohan no moto
       rice flavoring / seasoning

### Etymology 3

* Kanji in this term
* 素
* そ Grade: 5
* kan'on
From Middle Chinese.

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) そ [sóꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])
* IPA: [so̞]

#### Adjective

素(そ) • (so) -na (adnominal 素(そ)な (so na), adverbial 素(そ)に (so ni))
* plain
* (mathematics) prime (having no factors but 1 and itself)
    互(たが)いに素(そ)
       tagai ni so
       mutually prime

### References

* 1 2 3 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

## Korean
### Etymology

From Middle Chinese 素 (MC suH). Recorded as Middle Korean 소 (swo) (Yale: swo) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

### Pronunciation

* (element; basis):
** (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA: [sʰo̞]
** Phonetic hangul: [소]
* (plain; white):
** (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA: [sʰo̞(ː)]
** Phonetic hangul: [소(ː)]
*** Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

### Hanja

Wikisource 素 (eumhun 흴 소 (huil so)) 素 (eumhun 본디 소 (bondi so))
* hanja form of 소 (“plain; white”)
* hanja form of 소 (“element; basis”)

#### Compounds

* 소광 (素光, sogwang)
* 소립자 (素粒子, soripja)
* 소망 (素望, somang)
* 소박 (素朴, sobak)
* 소복 (素服, sobok)
* 소성 (素性, soseong)
* 소수 (素數, sosu)
* 소인 (素人, soin)
* 소인수 (素因數, soinsu)
* 소인자 (素因子, soinja)
* 소일 (素一, soil)
* 소재 (素材, sojae)
* 소정 (素定, sojeong)
* 소지 (素地, soji)
* 수소 (水素, suso)
* 원소 (元素, wonso)

### 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
### Chữ Hán

素: Nôm readings: tố, tó
* (dated) chữ Hán form of tố (“clean, white”).
* chữ Hán form of tố (“element, basis”).

#### Compounds

* 元素 (nguyên tố)
* 因素 (nhân tố)
* 數元素 (số nguyên tố)
* 生素 (sinh tố)
* 素女 (tố nữ)
* 音素 (âm tố)

### References

* ↑ Trần (1999).
* ↑ Trần (2004).