僕

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See also: 仆
僕 U+50D5, 僕
CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-50D5
← 僔
[U+50D4] 		CJK Unified Ideographs 僖 →
[U+50D6]

Translingual

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Japanese 僕
Simplified 仆
Traditional 僕
Stroke order

Han character

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僕 (Kangxi radical 9, 人+12, 14 strokes, cangjie input 人廿金人 (OTCO), four-corner 22234, composition ⿰亻菐)

Derived terms

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References

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  • Kangxi Dictionary: page 116, character 18
  • Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1094
  • Dae Jaweon: page 247, character 30
  • Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 218, character 9
  • Unihan data for U+50D5

Chinese

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trad. 僕
simp. 仆*
alternative forms 㒒
䑑
仆
𢖃

Glyph origin

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Historical forms of the character 僕
j05000
b03327
b03328
b03329
b03330
b03331
b03332
b03333
b03334
b03335
b03336
b03337
s01961
s01962
Transcribed ancient scripts
L37363
L37364
L37365
L37366
L37367
L37368
L37369
L37370
L25033
L25034
L25035
L25036
L25037
L25038
L25039
L25040
L25041
L25042
References:

Mostly from Richard Sears' Chinese Etymology site (authorisation),
which in turn draws data from various collections of ancient forms of Chinese characters, including:

  • Shuowen Jiezi (small seal),
  • Jinwen Bian (bronze inscriptions),
  • Liushutong (Liushutong characters) and
  • Yinxu Jiaguwen Bian (oracle bone script).
Characters in the same phonetic series (菐) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 
Old Chinese
樸 *baː, *pʰroːɡ, *poːɡ, *boːɡ
璞 *pʰroːɡ
墣 *pʰroːɡ, *pʰoːɡ
撲 *broːɡ, *pʰoːɡ
轐 *poːɡ, *buːɡ
獛 *poːɡ
蹼 *poːɡ
襆 *poːɡ, *boɡ
濮 *poːɡ
纀 *poːɡ
醭 *pʰoːɡ
僕 *boːɡ, *buːɡ
菐 *boːɡ, *puɡ
穙 *boːɡ
鏷 *buːɡ
幞 *boɡ

In the oracle bone script and the early Western Zhou bronze script, it was a pictogram (象形) of a slave or prisoner, with hands holding a basket (其) to pick up garbage, an instrument of punishment (辛) above the head, and a tail (尾) to represent the slave's low status, akin to animals.

其 later corrupts into 甾, the hands (廾) move below 辛, and the slave's body (人) moves to become the left component. Later, 辛 corrupts into 丵 (probably by fusing with 甾) and combines with 廾 to give 菐 (OC *boːɡ, *puɡ), which functions as a phonetic component.

In the current form, it is essentially a phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *boːɡ, *buːɡ) : semantic 人 (“man”) + phonetic 菐 (OC *boːɡ, *puɡ).

Etymology

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Probably related to Tibetan བུ (bu, “son; boy”) (Coblin, 1986).

Alternatively, Peiros and Starostin (1996) compare it to Tibetan ཕྲུག (phrug, “child”).

Pronunciation

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Note:
  • pah5 - colloquial;
  • peh5 - literary.
  • Dialectal data
Variety Location 僕
Mandarin Beijing /pʰu³⁵/
Harbin /pʰu²¹³/
Tianjin /pʰu⁴⁵/
Jinan /pʰu⁵⁵/
Qingdao /pʰu⁵⁵/
Zhengzhou /pʰu⁵³/
Xi'an /pʰu²⁴/
Xining /pʰv̩²⁴/
Yinchuan /pʰu⁵³/
Lanzhou /pʰu⁵³/
Ürümqi /pʰu⁵¹/
Wuhan /pʰu²¹³/
Chengdu /pʰu³¹/
Guiyang /pʰu²¹/
Kunming /pʰu³¹/
Nanjing /pʰuʔ⁵/
Hefei /pʰəʔ⁵/
Jin Taiyuan /pʰaʔ²/
Pingyao
Hohhot /pʰaʔ⁴³/
Wu Shanghai /pʰoʔ⁵/ ～倒
/boʔ¹/ ～人
Suzhou /boʔ³/
Hangzhou /boʔ²/
Wenzhou /bo²¹³/
Hui Shexian /pʰɔʔ²¹/
Tunxi /pʰu⁵/
Xiang Changsha /pʰu²⁴/
Xiangtan /pʰu²⁴/
Gan Nanchang
Hakka Meixian /pʰuk̚⁵/
Taoyuan /pʰuk̚²²/
Cantonese Guangzhou /pok̚²/ ～人
/pʰok̚⁵/ ～低
Nanning /pʰuk̚²²/
Hong Kong /pok̚²/ ～人
/pʰok̚⁵/ ～低
Min Xiamen (Hokkien) /pʰɔk̚⁵/
Fuzhou (Eastern Min) /puʔ⁵/
Jian'ou (Northern Min) /pʰu²⁴/
Shantou (Teochew) /pʰok̚²/
Haikou (Hainanese) /ʔbok̚³/
Rime
Character 僕 僕
Reading # 1/2 2/2
Initial (聲) 並 (3) 並 (3)
Final (韻) 屋 (3) 沃 (6)
Tone (調) Checked (Ø) Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合) Open Open
Division (等) I I
Fanqie 蒲木切 蒲沃切
Baxter buwk bowk
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang
Shangfang 		/buk̚/ /buok̚/
Pan
Wuyun 		/buk̚/ /buok̚/
Shao
Rongfen 		/buk̚/ /bok̚/
Edwin
Pulleyblank 		/bəwk̚/ /bawk̚/
Li
Rong 		/buk̚/ /bok̚/
Wang
Li 		/buk̚/ /buok̚/
Bernard
Karlgren 		/bʱuk̚/ /bʱuok̚/
Expected
Mandarin
Reflex 		bú bú
Expected
Cantonese
Reflex 		buk6 buk6
Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character 僕
Reading # 1/1
Modern
Beijing
(Pinyin) 		pú
Middle
Chinese 		‹ buwk ›
Old
Chinese 		/*[b]ˁok/
English charioteer, servant

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 僕 僕
Reading # 1/2 2/2
No. 9895 9899
Phonetic
component 		菐 菐
Rime
group 		屋 覺
Rime
subdivision 		0 1
Corresponding
MC rime 		暴 僕
Old
Chinese 		/*boːɡ/ /*buːɡ/

Definitions

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僕

  1. servant; slave (often male)
    僕人／仆人  ―  púrén  ―  servant
  2. (literary, humble, men's speech) I; me; your humble servant
  3. (obsolete) coachman; groom
  4. (obsolete) to attach; to adhere
  5. a surname

Coordinate terms

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  • (slave): (female) 婢 (bì)

Compounds

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References

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  • “僕”, in 漢語多功能字庫 (Multi-function Chinese Character Database)‎[1], 香港中文大學 (the Chinese University of Hong Kong), 2014–
  • 莆田市荔城区档案馆 [Putian City Licheng District Archives], editor (2022), “仆”, in 莆仙方言文读字汇 (overall work in Mandarin and Puxian Min), page 179.

Japanese

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Kanji

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僕

(Jōyō kanji)

  1. I (masculine speech)
  2. manservant

Readings

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  • Go-on: ぼく (boku, Jōyō)
  • Kan-on: ほく (hoku)
  • Kun: しもべ (shimobe, 僕)、やつがれ (yatsugare, 僕)

Compounds

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Derived terms

Etymology 1

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Kanji in this term
僕
ぼく
Grade: S
goon

Shift in reading to use the on'yomi, becoming prevalent from around the Meiji period.[1][2]

Pronunciation

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Noun

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僕(ぼく) • (boku) 

  1. manservant, servant
    Synonyms: 下僕 (geboku), 下男 (genan), (see below) 僕 (shimobe)

Pronoun

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僕(ぼく) or 僕(ボク) • (boku) 

  1. (men's speech) I; me (personal pronoun; usually used by males; implies that the speaker is a young boy or otherwise boyish)
    • 1997 August 12, Maekawa, Takeshi, “未(み)知(ち)なる大(だい)地(ち)への巻(まき)”, in 新(しん)鉄(てっ)拳(けん)チンミ, volume 1 (fiction), Tokyo: Kodansha, →ISBN, page 32:
      ぼく？ぼくは南(なん)高(こう)山(ざん)大(だい)林(りん)寺(じ)からちょっとした用(よう)で…
      Boku? Boku wa Nankō-zan Dairin-ji kara chotto shita yō de…
      Me? I was sent by the Dairin Temple on Mount Nankō...
    • 2003 September 22, Akinobu Uraku, “第(だい)61話(わ)　愛(いと)しきものの為(ため)に”, in 東(とう)京(きょう)アンダーグラウンド, volume 11 (fiction), Square Enix, →ISBN, page 48:
      昔(むかし)の僕(ぼく)とは違(ちが)う
      Mukashi no boku to wa chigau
      I am not what I used to be.
    • Kore Yamazaki, “第1篇　April showers bring May flowers.”, in 魔法使いの嫁(The Ancient Magus Bride), volume 1 (fiction), Tokyo: Mag Garden, page 20:
      君(きみ)を魔法使い(ぼく)の弟(で)子(し)として歓(かん)迎(げい)するよ　死の愛し仔(スレイ・ベガ)…いや　チセ
      Kimi o boku no deshi to shite kangei suru yo Surei Bega… iya Chise
      You are welcome as my apprentice, Sleigh Beggey... I mean, Chise.
  2. you, he, she (only used in reference to a person who uses this term to refer to themselves, or is one who is assumed to use it, such as a young boy)
    僕(ぼく)、迷(まい)子(ご)かな？
    Boku, maigo kana?
    Hi boy, are you lost?
    僕(ぼく)はいくつかな？
    Boku wa ikutsu kana?
    How old are you?

Usage notes

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  • If used by an adult male, semi-formal; in formal conversation 私 (watashi) is preferred.

See also

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Japanese first-person pronouns

Japanese first-person pronouns by speakers and situations according to Yuko Saegusa, Concerning the First Personal Pronoun of Native Japanese Speakers (2009)

First-person pronouns by elementary school pupils (2008)
Speaker Situation 1 2 3
Female To friends うち (uchi) 49% First name 26% あたし (atashi) 15%
In the family First name 33% あたし (atashi) 29% うち (uchi) 23%
In a class わたし (watashi) 86% あたし (atashi) 7% うち (uchi) 6%
To an unknown visitor わたし (watashi) 75% あたし (atashi), first name, うち (uchi) 8% each
To the class teacher わたし (watashi) 66% First name 13% あたし (atashi) 9%
Male To friends おれ (ore) 72% ぼく (boku) 19% First name 4%
In the family おれ (ore) 62% ぼく (boku) 23% うち (uchi) 6%
In a class ぼく (boku) 85% おれ (ore) 13% First name, nickname 1% each
To an unknown visitor ぼく (boku) 64% おれ (ore) 26% First name 4%
To the class teacher ぼく (boku) 67% おれ (ore) 27% First name 3%
First-person pronouns by university students (2009)
Speaker Situation 1 2 3
Female To friends うち (uchi) 39% あたし (atashi) 30% わたし (watashi) 22%
In the family あたし (atashi) 28% First name 27% うち (uchi) 18%
In a class わたし (watashi) 89% あたし (atashi) 7% 自分(じぶん) (jibun) 3%
To an unknown visitor わたし (watashi) 81% あたし (atashi) 10% 自分(じぶん) (jibun) 6%
To the class teacher わたし (watashi) 77% あたし (atashi) 17% 自分(じぶん) (jibun) 7%
Male To friends おれ (ore) 87% うち (uchi) 4% わたし (watashi), 自分(じぶん) (jibun) 2% each
In the family おれ (ore) 88% ぼく (boku), 自分(じぶん) (jibun) 5% each
In a class わたし (watashi) 48% 自分(じぶん) (jibun) 28% ぼく (boku) 22%
To an unknown visitor ぼく (boku) 36% 自分(じぶん) (jibun) 29% わたし (watashi) 22%
To the class teacher 自分(じぶん) (jibun) 38% ぼく (boku) 29% わたし (watashi) 22%

Etymology 2

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Kanji in this term
僕
しもべ
Grade: S
kun'yomi

Originally a compound of 下 (shimo, “lower”) +‎ 部 (be, “servant to the imperial court”).[1][2]

Alternative forms

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Pronunciation

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Noun

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僕(しもべ) • (shimobe) 

  1. manservant, servant
    Synonyms: 下僕 (geboku), 下男 (genan), (see above) 僕 (boku)
    忠実(ちゅうじつ)な僕(しもべ)
    chūjitsu na shimobe
    a faithful servant
  2. a man of low social status
  3. a low-ranking civil servant

Etymology 3

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Kanji in this term
僕
やつがれ
Grade: S
kun'yomi
For pronunciation and definitions of 僕 – see the following entry.
【やつがれ】
[pronoun] (humble, men's speech, somewhat dated) I, me
(This term, 僕, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

Korean

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Hanja

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僕 (eum 복 (bok))

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

Vietnamese

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Han character

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僕: Hán Nôm readings: bộc, bọc

  1. -servant (always in compounds, e.g. công bộc "public serviceman", "civil servant")

References

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