干支

Chinese

		[heavenly] stems	[earthly] branches
simp. and trad. (干支)		干	支

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): gānzhī

  (Zhuyin): ㄍㄢ ㄓ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gon¹ zi¹
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): kôn-kî

  (Hailu, HRS): gon^ˋ gi^ˋ

• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): kan-chi / kan-ki

  (Teochew, Peng'im): gang¹ zin¹

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: gānzhī
    • Zhuyin: ㄍㄢ ㄓ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: ganjhih
    • Wade–Giles: kan¹-chih¹
    • Yale: gān-jr̄
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ganjy
    • Palladius: ганьчжи (ganʹčži)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kän⁵⁵ ʈ͡ʂʐ̩⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: gon¹ zi¹
    • Yale: gōn jī
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gon¹ dzi¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: gon¹ ji¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kɔːn⁵⁵ t͡siː⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kôn-kî
    • Hakka Romanization System: gon^ˊ gi^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: gon¹ gi¹
    • Sinological IPA: /kon²⁴⁻¹¹ ki²⁴/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: gon^ˋ gi^ˋ
    • Sinological IPA: /kon⁵³ ki⁵³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kan-chi
    • Tâi-lô: kan-tsi
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kancy
    • Sinological IPA (Taipei, Kaohsiung): /kan⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡si⁴⁴/
    • Sinological IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /kan⁴⁴⁻²² t͡si⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kan-ki
    • Tâi-lô: kan-ki
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kanky
    • Sinological IPA (Quanzhou): /kan³³ ki³³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: gang¹ zin¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: kang tsiⁿ
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kaŋ³³⁻²³ t͡sĩ³³/

Noun

干支

1. The Chinese sexagenary cycle expressed as combinations of the ten heavenly stems and the twelve earthly branches.

Hyponyms

Chinese sexagenary cycle terms: 干支 (gānzhī)edit

• 甲子 (jiǎzǐ)
• 乙丑 (yǐchǒu)
• 丙寅 (bǐngyín)
• 丁卯 (dīngmǎo)
• 戊辰 (wùchén)
• 己巳 (jǐsì)
• 庚午 (gēngwǔ)
• 辛未 (xīnwèi)
• 壬申 (rénshēn)
• 癸酉 (guǐyǒu)
• 甲戌 (jiǎxū)
• 乙亥 (yǐhài)
• 丙子 (bǐngzǐ)
• 丁丑 (dīngchǒu)
• 戊寅 (wùyín)
• 己卯 (jǐmǎo)
• 庚辰 (gēngchén)
• 辛巳 (xīnsì)
• 壬午 (rénwǔ)
• 癸未 (guǐwèi)
• 甲申 (jiǎshēn)
• 乙酉 (yǐyǒu)
• 丙戌 (bǐngxū)
• 丁亥 (dīnghài)
• 戊子 (wùzǐ)
• 己丑 (jǐchǒu)
• 庚寅 (gēngyín)
• 辛卯 (xīnmǎo)
• 壬辰 (rénchén)
• 癸巳 (guǐsì)
• 甲午 (jiǎwǔ)
• 乙未 (yǐwèi)
• 丙申 (bǐngshēn)
• 丁酉 (dīngyǒu)
• 戊戌 (wùxū)
• 己亥 (jǐhài)
• 庚子 (gēngzǐ)
• 辛丑 (xīnchǒu)
• 壬寅 (rényín)
• 癸卯 (guǐmǎo)
• 甲辰 (jiǎchén)
• 乙巳 (yǐsì)
• 丙午 (bǐngwǔ)
• 丁未 (dīngwèi)
• 戊申 (wùshēn)
• 己酉 (jǐyǒu)
• 庚戌 (gēngxū)
• 辛亥 (xīnhài)
• 壬子 (rénzǐ)
• 癸丑 (guǐchǒu)
• 甲寅 (jiǎyín)
• 乙卯 (yǐmǎo)
• 丙辰 (bǐngchén)
• 丁巳 (dīngsì)
• 戊午 (wùwǔ)
• 己未 (jǐwèi)
• 庚申 (gēngshēn)
• 辛酉 (xīnyǒu)
• 壬戌 (rénxū)
• 癸亥 (guǐhài)

See also

• 花甲 (huājiǎ)

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
干	支
かん Grade: 6	し Grade: 5
on'yomi

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [kã̠ɰ̃ɕi]
• (Tokyo) かんし [káꜜǹshì] (Atamadaka – [1])

Noun

干(かん)支(し) • (kanshi) 

1. the sexagenary cycle (especially sixty-year cycle)

Related terms

• 十干(じっかん) (jikkan, “ten heavenly stems”)
• 十二支(じゅうにし) (jūnishi, “twelve earthly branches”)
• 還暦(かんれき) (kanreki, “sexagennial”)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
干	支
えと
Grade: 6	Grade: 5
jukujikun

The combination of 兄 (え, e; elder brother) and 弟 (と, to; younger brother); the original meaning is 兄弟 (brother). Derived from this term, the elder is adopted as "positive" and "heavenly stems", the younger is adopted as "negative" and "earthly branches".

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [e̞to̞]
• (Tokyo) えと [ètó] (Heiban – [0])

Noun

干支(えと) • (eto) 

1. the sexagenary cycle (especially sixty-year cycle)

   2000(にせん)年(ねん)の干支(えと)は庚(かのえ)辰(たつ)でした。

   Nisen-nen no eto wa kanoetatsu deshita.

   The sexagenary cycle of the year 2000 was the metal dragon.

2. (narrowly): the twelve earthly branches

   1994(せんきゅうひゃくきゅうじゅうよ)年(ねん)の干支(えと)は戌(いぬ)でした。

   Senkyūhyakukyūjūyo-nen no eto wa inu deshita.

   The twelve earthly branches of the year 1994 was the dog.

References

• “〈干支〉”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[1] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026