四

四 (Kangxi radical 31, 囗+2, 5 strokes, cangjie input 田金 (WC), four-corner 6021₀, composition ⿴囗⿰丿㇄(GHTV) or ⿴囗儿(JK))

1. Shuowen Jiezi radical №503

• 伵 呬 怬 柶 泗 牭 訵 䦉 駟(驷) 囧 圀 𢏎 𥹊 𥿖 𮕳 𧣛 𫪸 𪯣 𣳉 𧶠

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 216, character 22
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 4682
• Dae Jaweon: page 439, character 21
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 710, character 16
• Unihan data for U+56DB

Historical forms of the character 四
Shang		Western Zhou	Spring and Autumn	Warring States			Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)			Liushutong (compiled in Ming)	Libian (compiled in Qing)
Bronze inscriptions	Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Qin slip script	Shizhoupian script	Ancient script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts	Clerical script

The word "four" was written as 亖 (sì) before Western Zhou and 四 (sì) appeared in late Spring and Autumn period. This alternative form was used to prevent confusion of 亖 (sì) and 二 (“two”) or 三 (“three”) in vertical writing. It was standardized in Qin dynasty.

The bronzeware style of the character featured a repositioning of those four lines inside 口 (kǒu); this later evolved into the combination used today of 口 (kǒu, “mouth”) and 八 (bā, “divide”) which meant a dispersal of breath. It could thus be said that four is a borrowed meaning for this character. The original sense is preserved in 呬 (OC *hrids), by adding an extra 口.

From Proto-Sino-Tibetan *b-ləj.

四

1. four
2. (literary) four directions; all directions

   Synonym: 四方 (sìfāng)

   • 1853, 陳逢衡 [Chen Fengheng; Chin Hōkō], edited by 荒木謇, 𠸄咭唎紀略 [Yingjili jilüe; Egeresu kiryaku]‎:

     三個月水路、四無所見、唯天與水耳 [Literary Chinese, trad.]
     三个月水路、四无所见、唯天与水耳 [Literary Chinese, simp.]

     sān ge yuè shuǐlù, sì wú suǒjiàn, wéi tiān yǔ shuǐ ěr [Pinyin]

     3 months at sea, naught in the four directions, but sky and water

3. (music) la (musical note)
4. (printing) English; The size of type between 小四 (little 4) and 小三 (little 3), standardized as 14 point.

As superstition, 四 (MC siɪ^H) is avoided because it is similar to 死 (MC sˠiɪ^X, “death”) in sound.

Others:

• Wutunhua: se
• → Proto-Tai: *siːᴮ (“four”)
  • Northern Tai
    • Bouyei: sis
    • Zhuang: seiq
  • Central Tai
    • Nong Zhuang: siq
    • Nùng: slỉ
    • Tày: slí
  • Proto-Southwestern Tai: *siːᴮ
    • Thai: สี่ (sìi)
    • Northern Thai: ᩈᩦ᩵
    • Lao: ສີ່ (sī)
    • Phake: ꩬီ (sī)
    • Lü: ᦉᦲᧈ (ṡii¹)
    • Tai Dam: ꪎꪲ꪿
    • Shan: သီႇ (sìi)
    • Tai Laing: ꩬီ
    • Tai Nüa: ᥔᥤᥱ (sǐ)
    • Khamti: ꩬီ
    • Ahom: 𑜏𑜣 (sī)
    • Aiton: ꩬီ (sī)
• → Vietnamese: tư (“four”)

四

1. (music) Kunqu gongche notation for the note low la (6̣).

   Synonym: 士 (shì) (Cantonese opera)

• “Entry #1418”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 [Dictionary of Frequently-Used Taiwan Minnan] (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.

(grade 1 “Kyōiku” kanji)

• Go-on: し (shi, Jōyō)
• Kan-on: し (shi, Jōyō)
• Kun: よ (yo, 四, Jōyō); よつ (yotsu, 四つ, Jōyō); よっつ (yo'tsu, 四つ, Jōyō); よん (yon, 四, Jōyō)
• Nanori: あ (a); つ (tsu); ひろ (hiro); もち (mochi); よつ (yotsu)

• 四股(しこ) (shiko)
• 四阿(あずまや) (azumaya)

⟨yo₂⟩ → */jə/ → /jo/

From Old Japanese, from Proto-Japonic *yə.

In modern Japanese, Japonic よ (yo) is more common than Sinitic し (shi, see Etymology 3) outside fixed compounds, which is similar to 七(なな) (nana) but different from other numerals. The reason may be a superstitious connection to 死(し) (shi), or simply avoiding confusion with similar sounding 一(いち) (ichi) and 七(しち) (shichi).

• (Tokyo) よ​ [yóꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])[1]
• IPA^(key): [jo̞]

四(よ) • (yo) 

1. four, 4

Shift from yo above,[1][2] influenced by analogy by the final sound of preceding number 三 (san, “three”). The most common form as a stand-alone number.

• (Tokyo) よ​ん [yóꜜǹ] (Atamadaka – [1])[1]
• IPA^(key): [jõ̞ɴ]

• Audio

  (file)

四(よん) • (yon) 

1. four, 4

• 四(よん)十(じゅう) (yonjū)
• 四(よん)輪(りん) (yonrin)

/si/ → /ɕi/

From Middle Chinese 四 (MC siɪ^H).

Compare modern Hakka 四 (si).

• (financial form) 肆

• (Tokyo) し​ [shíꜜ] (Atamadaka – [1])[1]
• IPA^(key): [ɕi]

• Audio

  (file)

四(し) • (shi) 

1. four, 4

Due to Chinese influence, 四 (shi) is sometimes avoided as it is homonymous to 死 (shi, “death”).

四(し) • (shi) 

1. the fourth

四(し) • (shi) 

1. four
2. fourth
3. quadruple
4. here and there

From Mandarin 四 (sì).[1][2][3]

• (Tokyo) ス​ー [súꜜù] (Atamadaka – [1])[1]
• IPA^(key): [sɨᵝː]

四(スー) • (sū) 

1. (mahjong) four, 4

• 一(イー) (ī)
• 二(アル) (aru)
• 三(サン) (san)