肝

Stroke order

肝 (Kangxi radical 130, 肉+3, 7 strokes, cangjie input 月一十 (BMJ), four-corner 7124₀, composition ⿰月干(GJKV) or ⿰⺼干(HT))

• 𨧠

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 974, character 9
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 29273
• Dae Jaweon: page 1425, character 31
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 3, page 2044, character 3
• Unihan data for U+809D

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *kaːn) : semantic ⺼ (“flesh”) + phonetic 干 (OC *kaːn) – a body part.

Probably from Proto-Sino-Tibetan *b-ka-(n/m/ŋ) (“bitter; salty; bile; liver”), in which case it would be related to 苦 (OC *kʰaːʔ, *kʰaːs, “bitter”); also compare Proto-Bodo-Garo *bi-ka (“liver”), whence Bodo (India) [script needed] (bi-ka, “liver”), Garo bika (“liver”).

Alternatively, Schuessler (2007) compares it with Proto-Sino-Tibetan *m-kal ~ *s-gal (“lower back; kidney”), whence Tibetan མཁལ་མ (mkhal ma, “kidney”), Mizo kal (“kidney”), Chepang गल् (“kidney”), Burmese ခါး (hka:, “waist”).

肝

1. liver (Classifier: 葉／叶; 個／个)

   我不吃肚也不吃肝。 [MSC, trad. and simp.]

   Wǒ bù chī dǔ yě bù chī gān. [Pinyin]

   I don't eat tripe or liver.

   身體的大部分膽固醇是在肝和腸內由消化的食物製成的。 [MSC, trad.]
   身体的大部分胆固醇是在肝和肠内由消化的食物制成的。 [MSC, simp.]

   Shēntǐ de dàbùfēn dǎngùchún shì zài gān hé cháng nèi yóu xiāohuà de shíwù zhì chéng de. [Pinyin]

   Most of the body's cholesterol is made in the liver and intestine from digested food.

2. (figurative) mind; thoughts
3. (video games, neologism) to grind; to repeat a task day and night, which may exhaust the liver, in order to achieve a specific goal

   這遊戲很吸引人，但我實在肝不動了。它太肝了。 [MSC, trad.]
   这游戏很吸引人，但我实在肝不动了。它太肝了。 [MSC, simp.]

   Zhè yóuxì hěn xīyǐn rén, dàn wǒ shízài gān bù dòng le. Tā tài gān le. [Pinyin]

   This game is attractive, but I really can't grind anymore. It's too grindy.

4. (video games, neologism) grindy

(Jōyō kanji)

• Go-on: かん (kan, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: かん (kan, Jōyō)
• Kun: きも (kimo, 肝, Jōyō)

From Old Japanese. First attested in the Kojiki of 712 CE with the spelling 岐毛.^[1] In turn, from Proto-Japonic *kimo. Cognate with Okinawan 肝 (chimu, “liver, heart”).

• (Tokyo) きも [kìmóꜜ] (Odaka – [2])^[2]
• IPA^(key): [kʲimo̞]

肝(きも) • (kimo) 

1. the liver
   • 794, Shin'yaku Kegonkyō Ongi Shiki:

     心腎肝脯 心人情也 腎音神 訓牟良斗 肝音干 訓岐毛

     Heart, kidney, liver, breast. Heart is a person's feelings. The readings of "kidney" in Chinese is zin, and in Japanese, it is called murato. The readings of "liver" in Japanese is kan, and in Japanese, it is called kimo.

2. innards
3. (figuratively) important part

• Takeuchi, Rizō (1962) Nara Ibun: Volume 3 (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Tōkyōdō Shuppan, →ISBN.

From Middle Chinese 肝 (MC kan).

• (Tokyo) かん [káꜜǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])^[2]
• IPA^(key): [kã̠ɴ]

肝(かん) • (kan) 

1. liver
2. (figuratively) essential thing; important thing
3. (figuratively) courage; spirit

肝(かん) • (kan) 

1. liver
2. (obsolete, figuratively) heart; spirit

• 肝(かん)炎(えん) (kan'en)
• 肝心(かんじん) (kanjin)
• 肝臓(かんぞう) (kanzō)
• 肝油(かんゆ) (kan'yu)
• 肝要(かんよう) (kan'yō)

From Middle Chinese 肝 (MC kan). Recorded as Middle Korean 간 (kan) (Yale: kan) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

• (in 肝氣 and 肝腸):
  • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ka̠n]
  • Phonetic hangul: [간]
• (liver):
  • (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ka̠(ː)n]
  • Phonetic hangul: [간(ː)]
    • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

 

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

肝

Wikisource

肝 (eumhun 간 간 (gan gan))

1. hanja form^? of 간 (“liver”)

• 국제퇴계학회 대구경북지부 (國際退溪學會 大邱慶北支部) (2007). Digital Hanja Dictionary, 전자사전／電子字典. [1]

(Jōyō kanji)

• On (unclassified): かん (kan, Jōyō)
• Kun: ちむ (chimu, 肝)

From Proto-Ryukyuan, from Proto-Japonic *kimo.

• (Shuri) IPA^(key): [tɕīmū] (tone class B)

肝(ちむ) (chimu) 

1. the liver
2. heart; spirit

   まくとぅ　しんじちぬ　わじむどぅん　くぃらば　むらばるが　くとぅん　いやな　うちゅみ

   makutu shinjichinu wajimudun kwiraba murabaruga kutun iyana uchumi

   If I really showed passion, she would still not bother me about talking about Murabaru.

• Kokuritsu Kokugo Kenkyūjo (国立国語研究所) (1963) 沖縄語辞典 (Okinawa-go Jiten) (in Japanese), Tokyo (東京): Okurashō Insatsu Kyoku (財務省印刷局), pages 154-155

肝: Hán Nôm readings: can, gan

1. chữ Hán form of can (“liver”).
2. Nôm form of gan (“liver”).