# 弁

| 弁 | U+5F01, &#24321; CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5F01 |
| ← 开 [U+5F00] | CJK Unified Ideographs | 异 → [U+5F02] |

## Translingual

| Japanese | 弁 弁 弁 |
| Simplified | 辩 辨 瓣 |
| Traditional | 辯 辨 瓣 |

### Han character

弁 (Kangxi radical 55, 廾+2, 5 strokes, cangjie input 戈廿 (IT) or 難戈廿 (XIT), four-corner 2344$_0$, composition ⿱厶廾)

#### References

* Kangxi Dictionary: page 353, character 11
* Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 9588
* Dae Jaweon: page 668, character 11
* Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 514, character 7
* Unihan data for U+5F01

## Chinese
### Glyph origin

| | Old Chinese |
| 鴘 | *pronʔ, *pʰronʔ |
| 弁 | *brons |
| 拚 | *pʰaːn, *brons, *pʰaːn, *puns |
| 閞 | *brons, *bons |
| 昪 | *brons |
| 匥 | *brons |
| 笲 | *brons, *bon, *bonʔ |
| 軬 | *bonʔ |
| 畚 | *puːnʔ |
Ideogrammic compound (會意 / 会意): 厶 + 廾: hands (廾) placing a hat (厶) on someone’s head.

### Etymology 1
#### “cap; to wear a cap; low-ranking military officer; to place before or above”

    Possibly related to 冕 (OC *mronʔ, “crown”) (Wang, 1982).

#### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): biàn (bian$^4$)
    (Zhuyin): ㄅㄧㄢˋ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): bin$^6$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: biàn
*** Zhuyin: ㄅㄧㄢˋ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: biàn
*** Wade–Giles: pien$^4$
*** Yale: byàn
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: biann
*** Palladius: бянь (bjanʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /pi̯ɛn⁵¹/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: bin$^6$
*** Yale: bihn
*** Cantonese Pinyin: bin$^6$
*** Guangdong Romanization: bin$^6$
*** Sinological IPA : /piːn²²/
* Middle Chinese: bjenH
Rime :
| Character | 弁 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Initial (聲) | 並 (3) |
| Final (韻) | 仙 (79) |
| Tone (調) | Departing (H) |
| Openness (開合) | Open |
| Division (等) | III |
| Fanqie | 皮變切 |
| Baxter | bjenH |
| Reconstructions ||
| Zhengzhang Shangfang | /bˠiᴇn$^H$/ |
| Pan Wuyun | /bᵚiɛn$^H$/ |
| Shao Rongfen | /biæn$^H$/ |
| Edwin Pulleyblank | /bian$^H$/ |
| Li Rong | /bjɛn$^H$/ |
| Wang Li | /bĭɛn$^H$/ |
| Bernhard Karlgren | /bʱi̯ɛn$^H$/ |
| Expected Mandarin Reflex | biàn |
| Expected Cantonese Reflex | bin$^6$ |
* Old Chinese
    (Baxter–Sagart): /*C.[b]ro[n]-s/
    (Zhengzhang): /*brons/
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014) :
| Character | 弁 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| Modern Beijing (Pinyin) | biàn |
| Middle Chinese | ‹ bjen$^H$ › |
| Old Chinese | /*C.[b]ro[n]-s/ |
| English | cap |
| 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 | 弁 |
| Reading # | 1/1 |
| No. | 757 |
| Phonetic component | 弁 |
| Rime group | 元 |
| Rime subdivision | 3 |
| Corresponding MC rime | 卞 |
| Old Chinese | /*brons/ |

#### Definitions

弁
* conical cap worn during the Zhou dynasty
* (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese, of a man) to wear a cap (usually to indicate adulthood)
    From: The Classic of Poetry, c. 11th – 7th centuries BCE, translated based on James Legge's version
    Wèi jǐ jiàn xī, tū ér biàn xī. [Pinyin]
    When you see him after not a long time, Lo! he is wearing the cap!
* (historical) low-ranking military officer
* to place before or above
* (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) quick; rushed
* (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) to panic; to shudder
* (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) Alternative form of 卞 (biàn, “to wrestle with bare hands”)
* (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) Alternative form of 卞 (Biàn, “a county in Shandong”)
* a surname

#### Compounds

* 員弁 / 员弁
* 將弁 / 将弁
* 弁冕
* 弁目
* 弁絰 / 弁绖
* 弁言 (biànyán)
* 弁髦
* 會弁 / 会弁
* 棄如弁髦 / 弃如弁髦
* 武弁
* 爵弁
* 皮弁
* 韋弁 / 韦弁
* 頍弁 / 𫠆弁
* 馬弁 / 马弁

### Etymology 2
#### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): pán (pan$^2$)
    (Zhuyin): ㄆㄢˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): pun$^4$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: pán
*** Zhuyin: ㄆㄢˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: pán
*** Wade–Giles: pʻan$^2$
*** Yale: pán
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: parn
*** Palladius: пань (panʹ)
*** Sinological IPA : /pʰän³⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: pun$^4$
*** Yale: pùhn
*** Cantonese Pinyin: pun$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: pun$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /pʰuːn²¹/

#### Definitions

弁
* (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) happy

#### Compounds

* 小弁

### Etymology 3

* For pronunciation and definitions of 弁 – see 辯 (“to debate; to argue; to discuss”). (This character is the second-round simplified form of 辯).
* Notes:Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore.Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

### Etymology 4

* For pronunciation and definitions of 弁 – see 辨 (“to distinguish; to discriminate; to prepare; to equip; etc.”). (This character is the second-round simplified form of 辨).
* Notes:Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore.Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

### Etymology 5

* For pronunciation and definitions of 弁 – see 辮 (“braid; plait; braid-like object”). (This character is the second-round simplified form of 辮).
* Notes:Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore.Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

## Japanese
### Kanji

(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji)
* hat

#### Readings

* On (unclassified): べん (ben, Jōyō)
* Kun: かんむり (kanmuri, 弁)

#### Usage notes

In Japan, this character is shinjitai of 3 characters, 辨, 瓣, 辯. Furthermore, in modern usage, this character is used to replace 辮 and 辦.

### Kanji

| Shinjitai | 弁 |
| Kyūjitai | 辨 |
(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 辨)
* to distinguish

#### Readings

* Go-on: べん (ben, Jōyō)
* Kan-on: へん (hen)
* Kun: わきまえる (wakimaeru, 弁える)、わける (wakeru, 弁ける)

### Kanji

| Shinjitai | 弁 |
| Kyūjitai | 瓣 |
(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 瓣)
* petal
* valve

#### Readings

* Go-on: べん (ben, Jōyō)
* Kan-on: はん (han)
* Kun: はなびら (hanabira)

#### Compounds

* 花(か)弁(べん) (kaben, “petal”)

### Kanji

| Shinjitai | 弁 |
| Kyūjitai | 辯 |
(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 辯)
* speech

#### Readings

* On (unclassified): べん (ben, Jōyō)
* Kun: とく (toku, 弁く)、かたる (kataru, 弁る)

#### Compounds

* 関(かん)西(さい)弁(べん) (Kansai-ben, “Kansai dialect”)
* 弁(べん)護(ご)士(し) (bengoshi, “attorney”)

### Kanji

| Shinjitai (extended) | 弁 |
| Kyūjitai | 辮 |
(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 辮)
* Extended shinjitai form of 辮

#### Readings

* On (unclassified): べん (ben, Jōyō)、へん (hen)
* Kun: あむ (amu, 弁む)

#### Compounds

* 弁(べん)髪(ぱつ) (benpatsu)

### Kanji

| Shinjitai (extended) | 弁 |
| Kyūjitai | 辦 |
(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 辦)
* Extended shinjitai form of 辦

#### Readings

* On (unclassified): べん (ben, Jōyō)、はん (han)
* Kun: つとめる (tsutomeru, 弁める)

#### Compounds

* 買(ばい)弁(べん) (baiben)

### Etymology 1

* Kanji in this term
* 弁
* べん Grade: 5
* on'yomi
* Alternative spelling
* 辨 (kyūjitai)
From Middle Chinese 辨 (MC bjenX|beanH).

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [bẽ̞ɴ]

#### Noun

弁(べん) • (ben)
* discrimination

### Etymology 2

* Kanji in this term
* 弁
* べん Grade: 5
* on'yomi
* Alternative spelling
* 瓣 (kyūjitai)
From Middle Chinese 瓣 (MC beanH).

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) べん [béꜜǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])
* IPA: [bẽ̞ɴ]

#### Noun

弁(べん) • (ben)
* petal
* valve

### Etymology 3

* Kanji in this term
* 弁
* べん Grade: 5
* on'yomi
* Alternative spelling
* 辯 (kyūjitai)
From Middle Chinese 辯 (MC bjenX).

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) べん [béꜜǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])
* IPA: [bẽ̞ɴ]

#### Suffix

弁(べん) • (-ben)
* dialect
    彼(かの)女(じょ)はコテコテの関(かん)西(さい)弁(べん)を話(はな)す。
       Kanojo wa kotekote no Kansaiben o hanasu.
       She speaks Kansai dialect with a strong accent.

##### See also

* Category:Regional Japanese
* 方言(ほうげん) (hōgen, “dialect”)

## Korean
### Hanja

弁 • (byeon, ban) (hangeul 변, 반, revised byeon, ban, McCune–Reischauer pyŏn, pan, Yale pyen, pan)
* This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

## Vietnamese
### Han character

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