Glyph Origins

Radical ⽷ (120)

糸 (U+7CF8)

糸¹

{絲} *sə “thread” & {幺} *ʔˤiw “tiny” & {絃} *qʰʷˤins “rope”

Depiction of a bundle of threads (without the upper knot). Initially it was used for words {絲}, {幺} and {絃}. Later it began to be used only for {絲}.

  • 季旭昇 2014 - 說文新證 [2nd ed.] (887)
  • 李守奎 & 肖攀 2015 - 清華簡《系年》文字考釋與構形研究・幺、玄、糸、𢆶、絲等相關字考

Forms:

- Shortening based on the cursive form in the left part of compound glyphs. Modern simplified form in China.

糸²

*{糸} *mˤek “silk thread”

Shortening of . Created for Shuowen Jiezi to differentiate 糸 from .

  • 田煒 2016 - 西周金文字詞關係研究 (35-43)

糸³

Shortening of . Modern simplified form in Japan.

  • Bökset R. 2021 - Long Story of Short Forms: Simplified Chinese Characters from A to Z (278)

絲 (U+7D72)

{絲} *sə “thread”

Two ¹.

  • 季旭昇 2014 - 說文新證 [2nd ed.] (892)

Forms:

- Shortening based on the cursive form. Modern simplified form in China.

- Shortening. Modern simplified form in Japan.


纟 (U+7E9F)

Shortening of based on the cursive form in the left part of compound glyphs. Modern simplified form of in China.

  • Bökset R. 2021 - Long Story of Short Forms: Simplified Chinese Characters from A to Z (278-279)