丼

	Old Chinese
硎	kʰreːŋ, ɡeːŋ
耕	*kreːŋ
荊	*keŋ
井	*skeŋʔ
丼	kl'oːmʔ, skeŋʔ
妌	*sɡeŋʔ
穽	sɡeŋʔ, sɡeŋs
阱	sɡeŋʔ, sɡeŋs
汫	*sɡeːŋʔ
刑	*ɡeːŋ
形	*ɡeːŋ
邢	*ɡeːŋ
鉶	*ɡeːŋ
型	*ɡeːŋ
侀	*ɡeːŋ

Etymology 1

simp. and trad.		丼

Onomatopoeic.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): dǎn (dan³)

(Zhuyin): ㄉㄢˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): dam²
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): tôm

(Teochew, Peng'im): dom⁶ / dong⁶

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: dǎn
  - Zhuyin: ㄉㄢˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: dǎn
  - Wade–Giles: tan³
  - Yale: dǎn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: daan
  - Palladius: дань (danʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tän²¹⁴/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: dam²
  - Yale: dám
  - Cantonese Pinyin: dam²
  - Guangdong Romanization: dem²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tɐm³⁵/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: tôm
  - Tâi-lô: tôm
  - Phofsit Daibuun: doom
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /tɔm²³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /tɔm²⁴/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: dom⁶ / dong⁶
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: tŏm / tŏng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tom³⁵/, /toŋ³⁵/

Middle Chinese: tomX

Rime
Character	丼
Reading #	1/1
Initial (聲)	端 (5)
Final (韻)	覃 (159)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	I
Fanqie	都感切
Baxter	tomX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/tʌm^X/
Pan Wuyun	/təm^X/
Shao Rongfen	/tɒm^X/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/təm^X/
Li Rong	/tᴀm^X/
Wang Li	/tɒm^X/
Bernhard Karlgren	/tăm^X/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	dǎn
Expected Cantonese Reflex	daam²

Old Chinese
(Zhengzhang): /*kl'oːmʔ/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	丼
Reading #	1/2
No.	2041
Phonetic component	丼
Rime group	談
Rime subdivision	3
Corresponding MC rime	黕
Old Chinese	/*kl'oːmʔ/
Notes	集韻又義與𣿅合，吳方言作澸今字

Definitions

丼

(onomatopoeia, obsolete) sound of tossing something into a well.
a surname.

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of 丼 – see 井 (“well; well-shaped object; mineshaft, pit; etc.”). (This character is a variant form of 井).

Etymology 3

simp. and trad.		丼

Borrowed from Japanese 丼(どん) (don).

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): dǎn, dōng, dòng (dan³, dong¹, dong⁴)

(Zhuyin): ㄉㄢˇ, ㄉㄨㄥ, ㄉㄨㄥˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): dong¹
Hakka (Sixian, PFS): tung

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese, Mainland)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: dǎn
  - Zhuyin: ㄉㄢˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: dǎn
  - Wade–Giles: tan³
  - Yale: dǎn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: daan
  - Palladius: дань (danʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tän²¹⁴/
- (Standard Chinese, Taiwan)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: dōng
  - Zhuyin: ㄉㄨㄥ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: dong
  - Wade–Giles: tung¹
  - Yale: dūng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: dong
  - Palladius: дун (dun)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʊŋ⁵⁵/
- (Standard Chinese, Taiwan)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: dòng
  - Zhuyin: ㄉㄨㄥˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: dòng
  - Wade–Giles: tung⁴
  - Yale: dùng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: donq
  - Palladius: дун (dun)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʊŋ⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: dong¹
  - Yale: dōng
  - Cantonese Pinyin: dong¹
  - Guangdong Romanization: dong¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /tɔːŋ⁵⁵/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: tung
  - Hakka Romanization System: dung
  - Hagfa Pinyim: dung⁴
  - Sinological IPA: /tuŋ⁵⁵/

Definitions

丼

donburi

Compounds

Japanese

Kanji

丼

(Jōyō kanji)

Readings

Go-on: しょう (shō)^{←しやう (syau, historical)}、とん (ton)
Kan-on: せい (sei)、たん (tan)
Kun: どん (don, 丼, Jōyō ^†)、どんぶり (donburi, 丼, Jōyō)

Etymology 1

Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:

丼

Wikipedia ^ja

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Donburi

Wikipedia

Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:

丼物 (the food)

Wikipedia ^ja

English Wikipedia has an article on:

Donburi

Wikipedia

Kanji in this term
丼
どんぶり Grade: S
kun'yomi

Multiple possible derivations.

During the Edo period, restaurants specializing in large portions were called 慳貪屋 (kendon'ya), from 慳貪 (kendon, “greedy”, in reference to “very hungry”) + 屋 (ya, “house, store, restaurant”). The serving bowls were called 慳貪振り鉢 (kendon-buri-bachi), literally “greedy” + “in that fashion” + “bowl”. The ken portion was elided, producing donburi-bachi, and then the -hachi was dropped to produce donburi.
Alternatively, and perhaps more likely, donburi in reference to “a bowl filled with large amount of food” may be cognate with どんぶり (donburi), an onomatopoeia of something heavy plunking into deep water, or something big and soft plopping down, related to onomatopoeia どぶり (doburi), どぶん (dobun), どんぶ (donbu), and どん (don), all of generally similar meanings. The food starts with a large portion of rice, also referred to as 丼飯 (donburi meshi), which could be analyzed as “plopped-down rice”.

Donburi is also used to refer to something “rough, approximate, not finely worked”, as in the phrase 丼勘定 (donburi kanjō, “rough approximation, loose estimate”). This is consistent with a derivation from the onomatopoeia, but not from the restaurant terms.

The kanji spelling shows 井 (“a well”) with a dot in the center, possibly indicating something thrown into the well. This could suggest that the Middle Chinese reading tom^X may similarly derive from onomatopoeia.

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) どんぶり [dòńbúrí] (Heiban – [0])^[1]^[2]^[3]
IPA^(key): [dõ̞mbɯ̟ɾʲi]

Noun

丼(どんぶり) • (donburi)

a simple large bowl for serving food
a one-bowl meal served in a donburi bowl, consisting of a large portion of rice, covered in a meat or fish

Usage notes

To disambiguate, speakers may refer more specifically to donburibachi for the bowl, and donburi mono for the food.

English-language sources often refer to the food as similar to stew served over rice. Note, however, that stews consist of meat, fish, and/or vegetables cooked in a liquid and served with the sauce, whereas donburi toppings may be relatively dry, as in tempura donburi or beef donburi, or even uncooked, as in tekkadon (tuna sashimi donburi).

Synonyms

(bowl):

丼(どんぶり)鉢(ばち) (donburibachi)
(smaller bowl) 茶碗(ちゃわん) (chawan)
(smaller bowl, northern dialect) 椀子(わんこ) (wanko)
(smaller bowl, usually wooden) 椀(わん) (wan), 碗(わん) (wan)

(food):

丼(どんぶり)物(もの) (donburimono)

Derived terms

丼(どんぶり)勘定(かんじょう) (donburi kanjō):
丼(どんぶり)鉢(ばち) (donburibachi): a simple large bowl for serving food
丼(どんぶり)飯(めし) (donburi meshi): a large helping of rice served in a donburi bowl
丼(どんぶり)物(もの) (donburi mono): a one-bowl meal consisting of a large portion of rice, covered in a meat or fish

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
丼
どん Grade: S
kun'yomi

Abbreviation of donburi above.^[4]^[1]

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) どん [dóꜜǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1]
IPA^(key): [dõ̞ɴ]

When used as a suffix, the resulting term has a 平板型 (heiban-gata, “flat type”) or type 0 pitch accent pattern.

Noun

丼(どん) • (don)

donburi: a one-bowl meal consisting of a large portion of rice, covered in a meat or fish

Usage notes

Seldom used as an independent noun. More commonly encountered as a suffix.

Suffix

丼(どん) • (-don)

donburi: a one-bowl meal consisting of a large portion of rice, covered in a meat or fish

Derived terms

鰻(うな)丼(どん) (unadon): eel donburi
親(おや)子(こ)丼(どん) (oyakodon): literally “parent and child donburi”: chicken and egg donburi, salmon and salmon roe donburi
牛(ぎゅう)丼(どん) (gyūdon): beef donburi
カツ丼(どん) (katsudon): tonkatsu donburi
カレー丼(どん) (karēdon): curry donburi
中(ちゅう)華(か)丼(どん) (chūkadon): Chinese-style donburi
鉄(てっ)火(か)丼(どん) (tekkadon): tuna sashimi donburi
天(てん)丼(どん) (tendon): tempura donburi
豚(ぶた)丼(どん) (butadon): pork donburi

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN
^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

Korean

Hanja

丼 (eum 정 (jeong))

This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

Vietnamese

Han character

丼: Hán Nôm readings: tỉnh, đảm

This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.

[DJR-1] 1.0 ^1.1 ^1.2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[SMK5-2] Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[NHK-3] NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

[KDJ-4] Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

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