# 彩

| 彩 | U+5F69, &#24425; CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5F69 |
| ← 彨 [U+5F68] | CJK Unified Ideographs | 彪 → [U+5F6A] |
| 彩 | U+FA84, &#64132; CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-FA84 |
| ← 廙 [U+FA83] | CJK Compatibility Ideographs | 徭 → [U+FA85] |

## Translingual
### Han character

彩 (Kangxi radical 59, 彡+8, 11 strokes, cangjie input 月木竹竹竹 (BDHHH), four-corner 2292$_2$, composition ⿰采彡)

#### Derived characters

* 𭊑, 𣙓, 𬗹, 𮜎, 𦹮, 𤨽, 𥂑

#### References

* Kangxi Dictionary: page 363, character 21
* Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 9992
* Dae Jaweon: page 682, character 19
* Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 2, page 855, character 3
* Unihan data for U+5F69
* Unihan data for U+FA84

## Chinese
### Glyph origin

* Historical forms of the character 彩
* Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)
* Small seal script
| | Old Chinese |
| 采 | *sʰɯːʔ |
| 睬 | *sʰɯːʔ |
| 彩 | *sʰɯːʔ |
| 採 | *sʰɯːʔ |
| 綵 | *sʰɯːʔ |
| 寀 | *sʰɯːʔ |
| 菜 | *sʰɯːs |
| 埰 | *sʰɯːs |
| 棌 | *sʰɯːs |
Phono-semantic compound (形聲 / 形声, OC *sʰɯːʔ): phonetic 采 (OC *sʰɯːʔ) + semantic 彡.

### Etymology 1

Possibly from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m-tsəw-s/t (“colour; dye”); compare Tibetan ཚོས (tshos, “dye”) (STEDT; Schuessler, 2007).
Alternatively, 色 (OC *s.rək, “colour”) may be a dialectal variant (Baxter, 1992; Baxter and Sagart, 2014).

#### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): cǎi (cai$^3$)
    (Zhuyin): ㄘㄞˇ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): coi$^2$
* Hakka
    (Sixian, PFS): chhái / chhói
    (Meixian, Guangdong): cai$^3$ / coi$^3$
* Eastern Min (BUC): chāi
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): chhái
    (Teochew, Peng'im): cai$^2$
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^5$tshe
* Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): cai$^3$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: cǎi
*** Zhuyin: ㄘㄞˇ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: cǎi
*** Wade–Giles: tsʻai$^3$
*** Yale: tsǎi
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: tsae
*** Palladius: цай (caj)
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sʰaɪ̯²¹⁴/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: coi$^2$
*** Yale: chói
*** Cantonese Pinyin: tsoi$^2$
*** Guangdong Romanization: coi$^2$
*** Sinological IPA : /t͡sʰɔːi̯³⁵/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: chhái / chhói
*** Hakka Romanization System: cai$^ˋ$ / coi$^ˋ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: cai$^3$ / coi$^3$
*** Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰai̯³¹/, /t͡sʰoi̯³¹/
** (Meixian)
*** Guangdong: cai$^3$ / coi$^3$
*** Sinological IPA: /t͡sʰaɪ³¹/, /t͡sʰoɪ³¹/
* chhói/coi3 - “luck; fortune”.
* Middle Chinese: tshojX
Rime :
| Character | 彩 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 清 (14) |
| Final (韻) | 咍 (41) |
| Tone (調) | Rising (X) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | I |
| Fanqie | 倉宰切 |
| Baxter | tshojX |
| Reconstructions ||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /t͡sʰʌi$^X$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /t͡sʰəi$^X$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /t͡sʰɒi$^X$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /t͡sʰəj$^X$/ |
| Li Rong | /t͡sʰᴀi$^X$/ |
| Wang Li | /t͡sʰɒi$^X$/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /t͡sʰɑ̆i$^X$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | cǎi |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | coi$^2$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*s.r̥ˤəʔ/
    (Zhengzhang): /*sʰɯːʔ/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 彩 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | cǎi |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ tshoj$^X$ › |
| Old Chinese | /*s.r̥ˁəʔ/ |
| English | colorful |
| 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 | 彩 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| No. | 1072 |
| Phonetic component | 采 |
| Rime group | 之 |
| Rime subdivision | 0 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 采 |
| Old Chinese | /*sʰɯːʔ/ |

#### Definitions

彩
* variegated colors; rich and bright colors
* literary or artistic grace or talent; variety; gracefulness; brilliance
* applause; cheer
* blood from a wound
* lottery prize; winnings
* wager; stake; bet
* luck; fortune
    好彩 [Sixian Hakka] ― hó-chhói [Pha̍k-fa-sṳ] ― good luck
* to be lucky (in gambling)
* a surname

##### Compounds

* 七彩繽紛 / 七彩缤纷
* 下彩
* 上彩 (shàngcǎi)
* 不彩
* 中彩
* 五彩 (wǔcǎi)
* 五彩繽紛 / 五彩缤纷 (wǔcǎibīnfēn)
* 亭彩
* 亭彩店
* 人體彩繪 / 人体彩绘 (réntǐ cǎihuì)
* 倒彩 (dàocǎi)
* 傅彩
* 光彩 (guāngcǎi)
* 光彩奪目 / 光彩夺目 (guāngcǎiduómù)
* 六合彩 (Liùhécǎi)
* 六彩
* 凊彩 (chhìn-chhái) (Min Nan)
* 出彩 (chūcǎi)
* 口彩
* 唐三彩 (tángsāncǎi)
* 喝倒彩 (hèdàocǎi)
* 喝彩 (hècǎi)
* 地方色彩
* 多彩多姿 (duōcǎiduōzī)
* 大古裡彩 / 大古里彩
* 大放異彩 / 大放异彩 (dàfàngyìcǎi)
* 夾彩塑 / 夹彩塑
* 奪彩 / 夺彩
* 好彩頭 / 好彩头
* 宋三彩
* 張燈掛彩 / 张灯挂彩
* 張燈結彩 / 张灯结彩
* 彩券 (cǎiquàn)
* 彩印 (cǎiyìn)
* 彩卷 (cǎijuǎn)
* 彩口
* 彩唱 (cǎichàng)
* 彩噴 / 彩喷 (cǎipēn)
* 彩坊
* 彩塑 (cǎisù)
* 彩帶 / 彩带 (cǎidài)
* 彩帶舞 / 彩带舞
* 彩度
* 彩影
* 彩扮
* 彩排 (cǎipái)
* 彩擴 / 彩扩 (cǎikuò)
* 彩數 / 彩数 (coi2 sou3) (Cantonese)
* 彩旗 (cǎiqí)
* 彩旦 (cǎidàn)
* 彩棚 (cǎipéng)
* 彩樓配 / 彩楼配
* 彩氣 / 彩气
* 彩氣兒 / 彩气儿
* 彩照 (cǎizhào)
* 彩燈 / 彩灯
* 彩球 (cǎiqiú)
* 彩畫 / 彩画
* 彩磚 / 彩砖
* 彩票 (cǎipiào)
* 彩禮 / 彩礼 (cǎilǐ)
* 彩筆 / 彩笔 (cǎibǐ)
* 彩管生花
* 彩紙 / 彩纸 (cǎizhǐ)
* 彩綢 / 彩绸 (cǎichóu)
* 彩練 / 彩练 (cǎiliàn)
* 彩繪 / 彩绘 (cǎihuì)
* 彩聲 / 彩声 (cǎishēng)
* 彩色 (cǎisè)
* 彩色世界
* 彩色正片
* 彩色照
* 彩色片
* 彩色玻璃 (cǎisè bōli)
* 彩色筆 / 彩色笔 (cǎisèbǐ)
* 彩葉芋 / 彩叶芋
* 彩葉草 / 彩叶草
* 彩號 / 彩号 (cǎihào)
* 彩號兒 / 彩号儿
* 彩虹 (cǎihóng)
* 彩蛋 (cǎidàn)
* 彩調 / 彩调 (cǎidiào)
* 彩車 / 彩车 (cǎichē)
* 彩轎 / 彩轿 (cǎijiào)
* 彩釉 (cǎiyòu)
* 彩金
* 彩錢 / 彩钱
* 彩陶 (cǎitáo)
* 彩陶文化
* 彩雕 (cǎidiāo)
* 彩雲 / 彩云 (cǎiyún)
* 彩雲易散 / 彩云易散
* 彩電 / 彩电 (cǎidiàn)
* 彩霞 (cǎixiá)
* 彩頭 / 彩头 (cǎitóu)
* 彩鳳隨鴉 / 彩凤随鸦
* 彩鷁 / 彩鹢
* 彩墨
* 愛心彩券 / 爱心彩券
* 懸燈結彩 / 悬灯结彩
* 手彩兒 / 手彩儿
* 抓彩
* 掛彩 / 挂彩 (guàcǎi)
* 掛燈結彩 / 挂灯结彩
* 摸彩
* 敷彩泥塑
* 文彩 (wéncǎi)
* 斑衣戲彩 / 斑衣戏彩
* 日彩
* 明窗彩戶 / 明窗彩户
* 星彩
* 水彩 (shuǐcǎi)
* 水彩畫 / 水彩画 (shuǐcǎihuà)
* 沒精打彩 / 没精打彩 (méijīngdǎcǎi)
* 油彩
* 淡彩
* 滿堂彩 / 满堂彩
* 澹彩
* 火彩兒 / 火彩儿
* 無彩 / 无彩 (bô-chhái) (Min Nan)
* 燈彩 / 灯彩
* 特藝彩色 / 特艺彩色
* 牽彩 / 牵彩
* 琺瑯彩 / 珐琅彩
* 異彩 / 异彩 (yìcǎi)
* 當場出彩 / 当场出彩
* 眉分八彩
* 硬彩
* 神彩奕奕
* 祥雲瑞彩 / 祥云瑞彩 (xiángyúnruìcǎi)
* 空優迷彩 / 空优迷彩
* 粉彩 (fěncǎi)
* 精彩 (jīngcǎi)
* 精彩生動 / 精彩生动
* 精彩逼人
* 結彩 / 结彩 (jiécǎi)
* 繪彩陶 / 绘彩陶
* 色彩 (sècǎi)
* 色彩繽紛 / 色彩缤纷
* 萊彩 / 莱彩
* 藹彩 / 蔼彩
* 虹彩 (hóngcǎi)
* 虹彩膜
* 蛋彩畫 / 蛋彩画
* 蟾彩
* 討彩 / 讨彩
* 豐神異彩 / 丰神异彩
* 迷彩 (mícǎi)
* 遼三彩 / 辽三彩
* 酷彩 (Kùcǎi, “Le Creuset”)
* 釉下彩
* 釉彩
* 錯彩鏤金 / 错彩镂金
* 鏤彩摛文 / 镂彩摛文
* 雕花漆彩
* 雲彩 / 云彩
* 電腦彩噴 / 电脑彩喷
* 頭彩 / 头彩 (tóucǎi)
* 鬥彩 / 斗彩

### Etymology 2

* For pronunciation and definitions of 彩 – see 綵 (“varicolored silk”). (This character is the simplified and variant traditional form of 綵).
* Notes:Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore.Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

## Japanese

| Shinjitai | 彩 |
| Kyūjitai | 彩󠄁 彩+&#xE0101; (Adobe-Japan1) |
| Kyūjitai | 彩󠄃 彩+&#xE0103; (Hanyo-Denshi) (Moji_Joho) |
| The displayed kanji may be different from the image due to your environment. See here for details. |||

### Kanji

(Jōyō kanji)
* coloring

#### Readings

* Go-on: さい (sai, Jōyō)
* Kan-on: さい (sai, Jōyō)
* Kun: いろどる (irodoru, 彩る, Jōyō)、いろどり (irodori, 彩り)、あ (a, 彩)、つや (tsuya, 彩)
* Nanori: あや (aya)、いろ (iro)、たみ (tami)

#### Compounds

* 彩雲
* 彩管
* 彩色
* 彩度

### Proper noun

彩(あや) • (Aya)
* a female given name

### References

* ↑ Haga, Gōtarō (1914) 漢和大辞書 [The Great Kanji-Japanese Dictionary] (in Japanese), Fourth edition, Tōkyō: Kōbunsha, →DOI, page 819 (paper), page 459 (digital)

## Korean
### Hanja

彩 (eum 채 (chae))
* Colorful

## Vietnamese
### Han character

彩: Hán Nôm readings: Thái

### Proper noun

彩
* chữ Hán form of Thái (“a male given name from Chinese”).

#### Note

* This is not to be confused with the homophonous 泰 and 太, both being given names and being pronounced as Thái.