View source for 乙

{{also|己|之|Z|㇠}}
{{character info}}
{{character info|⼄}}
==Translingual==
{{stroke order|type=animate}}

===Han character===
{{stroke order|strokes=1}}
{{Han char|rn=5|rad=乙|as=00|sn=1|four=17710|canj=NU}}

# {{mul-kangxi radical-def}}

====Derived characters====
* [[Appendix:Chinese radical/乙]]
* {{l|mul|[[亿]], [[𫤾]], [[𠮙]], [[𫭖]], [[𫰆]], [[𡴭]], [[𢒼]], [[忆]], [[𢩧]], [[㲸]], [[𣄻]], [[𣎷]], [[𪵖]], [[肊]], [[𤓱]], [[𥘆]], [[𥝎]], [[𬖋]], [[䎲]], [[𦨇]], [[𧈝]], [[𮚲]], [[𮛁]], [[𬨖]], [[釔]]([[钇]]), [[鳦]], [[𪐘]]}}
* {{l|mul|[[𠫕]], [[𠮞]], [[𣄽]], [[氹]], [[𢖮]], [[𧰦]], [[𫚮]], [[𪸍]], [[𠀂]], [[𠧒]], [[𡴯]], [[艺]], [[𢩥]], [[朰]], [[戹]], [[穵]], [[𩁶]], [[𫘸]], [[𤴥]], [[𬸺]], [[𡆠]]}}

====References====
{{Han ref|kx=0083.150|dkj=00161|dj=0167.070|hdz=10047.040|uh=4E59}}

==Chinese==

===Glyph origin===
{{Han etym}}

Unknown. Different ancient texts propose different origins.
* {{liushu|p}} – a developing plant (''{{w|Shuowen}}'').
* {{liushu|p}} – the intestine of a fish (''{{w|Erya}}'').
* {{liushu|p}} – the gill bone of a fish (''Liji Zhengyi'' ({{lang|zh|《禮記正義》}})
The character should not be confused with 𠃉 > 鳦.

===Etymology 1===
{{zh-forms}}

====Pronunciation====
{{zh-pron
|m=yǐ
|m-s=yi3
|c=jyut3,jyut6
|c-t=
|g=
|h=pfs=yet;gd=yad5
|j=
|mb=ĭ
|md=ék
|mn=it
|mn-t=ig4
|px=pt,xy:ih6
|w=sh:7iq
|x=
|mc=y
|oc=y
|cat=n,pn,num
|ca=LL-Q9186-Luilui6666-乙.wav
}}

====Definitions====
{{head|zh|hanzi}}

# The second of the ten [[heavenly stem]]s ({{zh-l|天干}})
# [[second]]; [[2]]; [[B]]; [[II]]; [[beta]] ({{non-gloss|used for unnamed people or objects, to enumerate headings in a list, for grades, etc.}})
#: {{zh-x|路人 甲 和 路人 乙|passerby A and passerby '''B'''|tr=lùrén jiǎ hé lùrén '''yǐ'''}}
#: {{zh-x|他 法語 成績 得 了 乙。|He got a '''B''' in French.|tr=Tā fǎyǔ chéngjì dé le '''yǐ'''.}}
#: {{zh-x|乙肝|hepatitis '''B'''|tr='''yǐ'''gān}}
# {{lb|zh|chemistry}} [[eth-]]; [[ethyl]]
#: {{zh-x|乙烷|'''eth'''ane|tr='''yǐ'''wán}}
# {{lb|zh|literary|formal}} [[one]]
#: {{zh-x|（公文）……加 乙 份。|(In official letters) …added '''one''' copy.|tr=(gōngwén)...... Jiā '''yǐ''' fèn.}}
# {{surname|zh}}
# {{lb|zh|Cantonese}} {{rfdef|zh}} {{zh-mw|c:隻}}
#* {{quote-av|zh|year=2023|title=zh:笑满岭南七十载：专访第三届广东文艺终身成就奖获得者黄俊英|time=5m30s|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIrrxlsikz4}}
#*: {{zh-x|噉 我 @5{ng5}2{ji6} 年 入去 @珠江粵劇團 嘅 時候，一 隻 乙 噉 㗎 咋{zaa3} 喎{wo3}。||C|tr=gam2 ngo5 ng5 ji6 nin4 jap6 heoi3 zyu1 gong1 jyut6 kek6 tyun4 ge3 si4 hau6, jat1 zek3 '''jyut3''' gam2 gaa3 zaa3 wo3.}}

====Coordinate terms====
* {{list:Chinese heavenly stems/zh}}

====Compounds====
{{col3|zh|三氯乙烷|乙醇|太乙神針|乙烷|乙覽|圖乙|左乙|小乙|太乙|三氯乙烯|乙酸|乙炔|塗乙|太乙數|勾乙|乙醚|乙等特考|乙烯|氯乙烯|某乙|甲乙|鳧乙|聚乙烯|苯乙烯|越鳧楚乙|聚苯乙烯|丹鉛甲乙|丹黃甲乙|乙乙|乙力|乙士|乙夜|乙字庫|乙帳|乙干|乙弗|乙旃|乙更|乙榜|乙正|乙科|乙第|乙腦|乙速孤|乙選|乙部|乙醛|乙鳥|令乙|厶乙|天乙|太乙壇|太乙宮|太乙爐|太乙舟|孔乙己|張甲李乙|泰乙|獨乙|玄乙|甲乙問|甲乙帳|甲乙科|甲乙膏|白乙|面乙|飛乙|魚乙|鴻乙滿紙}}

====Descendants====
* {{desc|za|iet|bor=1}}

===Etymology 2===
{{zh-forms}}
{{obor|zh|ja|-}} {{ja-r|乙|おつ}}.

====Pronunciation====
{{zh-pron
|m=yǐ
|cat=suf
}}

====Definitions====
{{head|zh|hanzi}}

# {{lb|zh|ACG|sometimes sarcastic}} [[thank you]] for the hard work in (doing something)
#: {{zh-x|自-演 乙|{{q-lite|sarcastically}} thank you for your hard work in staging this "drama"|tr=zìyǎn '''yǐ'''}}

===Etymology 3===
{{zh-forms}}

====Pronunciation====
{{zh-pron
|m=yǐ
|c=ji1,ji6
|cat=n
}}

====Definitions====
{{head|zh|hanzi}}

# {{lb|zh|music}} {{ng|[[Kunqu]] [[gongche]] [[notation]] for the [[note]] [[ti]] (7).}}
#: {{syn|zh|𢒼<qq:Cantonese opera>}}
# {{lb|zh|music}} {{ng|[[Cantonese opera]] [[gongche]] [[notation]] for the [[note]] [[low ti]] (7̣).}}
#: {{syn|zh|一<qq:Kunqu>}}

====Derived terms====
{{col3|zh|亿|𢒼}}

===Etymology 4===
From {{l|yue|笏}}.

====Pronunciation====
{{zh-pron
|c=fat1,wat1
|cat=pn
}}

====Definitions====
{{head|zh|hanzi}}

# {{lb|zh|Cantonese}} {{zh-only used in|山雞乙}} ({{n-g-lite|a place in Hong Kong}})

{{cat|cmn|Intermediate Mandarin}}

==Japanese==

===Kanji===
{{ja-kanji|grade=c|rs=乙00}}

====Readings====
{{ja-readings
|goon=おつ, おち
|kanon=いつ
|kun=きのと-, おと-, かな-でる, めり
}}

====Compounds====
{{der-top|Compounds}}
{{ja-r/multi|data=
* {{ja-r/args|乙%子|おと%ご}}
* {{ja-r/args|乙%種|おつ%しゅ}}
* {{ja-r/args|乙%巡|おつ%じゅん}}
* {{ja-r/args|乙%女|おと%め}}
* {{ja-r/args|乙%姫|おと%ひめ}}
* {{ja-r/args|乙%夜|いつ%や}}, {{ja-r/args|乙%夜|おつ%や}}
}}
{{der-bottom}}

===Etymology 1===
{{ja-kanjitab|おつ|yomi=goon}}

Originally from {{der|ja|ltc|sort=おつ|-}} {{ltc-l|乙}}, arising from the proper noun sense. Appears in texts from at least 833 CE.<ref name="KDJ">{{R:Kokugo Dai Jiten}}</ref>

====Pronunciation====
{{ja-pron|おつ|acc=1|acc_ref=DJR}}

====Proper noun====
{{wp|lang=ja}}
{{ja-pos|proper|おつ}}

# the [[second]] of the ten {{w|Celestial Stems}}
#: {{hyper|ja|天干|tr1=tenkan|十干|tr2=jikkan}}
#: {{coordinate terms|ja|甲|乙|丙|丁|戊|己|庚|辛|壬|癸}}

====Noun====
{{ja-noun|おつ}}

# something [[B]]
## the [[second]] item of any ordered [[list]]
## {{lb|ja|sort=おつ|music}} one [[tone]] lower than the [[note]] indicated by {{m|ja|甲|tr=kō||something A}}
## {{lb|ja|sort=おつ|by extension from the musical sense}} a lower, [[sonorous]] and [[moving]] [[sound]] or [[tone]]
## {{lb|ja|sort=おつ|noh|_|theatre}} in [[noh]] [[musical]] [[accompaniment]], a specific kind of [[muffled]] [[drum]] [[beat]] played by striking the [[head]] of the [[taiko]] [[drum]] and keeping the [[mallet]] pressed against the [[head]]
# {{lb|ja|sort=おつ|Kansai|_|dialect|slang}} a [[stupid]] person, someone who is [[slow]] on the [[uptake]]
# {{lb|ja|sort=おつ|rare|possibly|_|archaic}} the [[state]] or [[circumstances]] of a thing
# {{lb|ja|sort=おつ|rare|possibly|_|archaic}} [[dressing up]] in an odd fashion

===Etymology 2===
{{ja-kanjitab|おつ|yomi=goon}}

By extension from the {{m|en|moving}} {{m|en|tone}} noun sense. Appears in texts from the late {{w|Edo period}}, in the early 1800s.<ref name="KDJ">{{R:Kokugo Dai Jiten}}</ref>

====Pronunciation====
{{ja-pron|おつ|acc=0|acc_ref=DJR}}

====Adjective====
{{ja-adj|infl=na|おつ}}

# [[out of the ordinary]], [[strange]] or [[unusual]] in an [[interesting]] or [[stylish]] way
# [[strange]], [[odd]], [[weird]]
#* {{w|:ja:東海道中膝栗毛}} (''{{w|Tōkaidōchū Hizakurige}}'', “Footing It along the Tokaido Road”, or “Shank's Mare”), serial published '''1802-1814''':
#*: {{ja-usex|ヲヤ弥%次さん、'''おつ'''な手つきをしておめへ何をする|ヲヤ や%じ-さん、 '''おつ''' な てつき を して おめへ なに を する|rom=Oya Yaji-san, '''otsu''' na tetsuki o shite omē nani o suru|Oy, Yaji, what do you think you're doing with your '''weird''' way of using your hands?}}

=====Inflection=====
{{ja-na|おつ}}

===Etymology 3===
{{ja-kanjitab|yomi=goon|おつ|alt=o2}}

Derived as aggressive clipping of {{m|ja|お疲れ様です|tr=otsukaresama desu|lit=that's honorable exhaustion (from hard work)|pos=used as a kind of greeting at work}}. The use of {{lang|ja|乙}} for the spelling is an example of [[phonetic]] {{ja-ateji|sort=おつ}}.

====Pronunciation====
{{ja-pron|おつ}}

====Interjection====
{{ja-pos|interjection|おつ}}

# {{lb|ja|internet slang}} {{clipping of|ja|sort=おつ|お疲れ様です|tr=otsukaresama desu}}
#: {{ja-usex|自演'''乙'''|じえん'''おつ'''|rom=Jien'''otsu'''|'''I appreciate''' your acting (''a satire of someone who [[sock puppeting]] to praise himself'')}}

=====Derived terms=====
{{ja-r/multi|data=
* {{ja-r/args|うp%乙|うp%おつ}}, {{ja-r/args|うぽつ}}
}}

===Etymology 4===
{{ja-kanjitab|yomi=k|きのと}}

Compound of {{com|ja|sort=きのと|木|tr1=Ki|t1={{w|Wood (Wu Xing)|Wood}}|pos1=one of the {{w|Wu Xing|Five Elements}}|の|tr2=no|pos2=attributive marker|弟|tr3=oto|t3=[[younger brother]]}}.

====Pronunciation====
{{ja-pron|きのと|acc=2|acc_ref=DJR}}

====Proper noun====
{{ja-pos|proper|きのと}}

# the second of the ten [[heavenly stem]]s
#: {{hyper|ja|天干|tr1=tenkan|十干|tr2=jikkan}}
#: {{coordinate terms|ja|甲|乙|丙|丁|戊|己|庚|辛|壬|癸}}

===Etymology 5===
{{ja-kanjitab|yomi=k|おと|alt=弟}}
[[File:Okame_Mask_20051203.jpg|thumb|250px|{{m|ja|乙|tr=oto}}: the traditional [[Noh]] [[mask]] for the [[stock character]] of a plump, clumsy, but earnest young woman.]]

Cognate with the initial ''oto-'' in {{m|ja|劣る|tr=otoru||to be less than; to be younger than}}, {{m|ja|落とす|tr=otosu||to drop something}}.<ref name="K">{{R:Kojien}}</ref><!-- <ref name="KDJ2-oto">{{R:Nihon Kokugo Daijiten 2|弟・乙}}</ref> ← Due to a Kotobank site "upgrade", many KDJ entries are missing etym details available in other editions. ☹ --><ref name="KDJ">{{R:Kokugo Dai Jiten}}</ref> Also the first element in {{m|ja|弟|tr=otōto||younger brother}}.

First attested in the ''{{w|Kojiki}}'' of 712.<ref name="KDJ2-oto">{{R:Nihon Kokugo Daijiten 2|弟・乙}}</ref><!-- Kojiki cite appears to be semantic kanji — can we confirm in man'yōgana? 乙 not found in MYS, and all instances of 弟 are semantic... -->

This is distinct from the initial ''oto-'' in {{ja-r|乙女|おとめ}}, which can instead be traced to an earlier ''woto-'' root, cognate with {{ja-r|復つ|をつ|hist=wotu}}.

====Pronunciation====
{{ja-pron|おと}}

====Noun====
{{ja-noun|おと}}

# {{defdate|from 712}} {{lb|ja|sort=おと|archaic}} a [[younger]] [[sibling]]
#: {{antonyms|ja|q1=older sibling, archaic|兄|tr1=e}}
#: {{hyponyms|ja|弟|tr1=otōto|t1=younger brother|妹|tr2=imōto|t2=younger sister}}
# {{defdate|from late 1500s}} {{lb|ja|sort=おと|archaic}} the [[youngest]] sibling
#: {{synonyms|ja|乙子|tr1=otogo}}
# {{defdate|from late 1500s}} {{lb|ja|sort=おと|archaic}} {{clipping of|ja|sort=おと|nocap=1|nodot=1|乙娘|tr=oto musume}} a [[young]] [[woman]]
# {{defdate|from late 1500s}} {{lb|ja|sort=おと|archaic|Noh|_|theater}} {{clipping of|ja|sort=おと|nocap=1|nodot=1|乙御前|tr=oto goze}}: a [[stock character]] in {{m|ja|狂言|tr=kyōgen}} comic interludes, played as a plump and clumsy but earnest young woman
#: {{synonyms|ja|おたふく|tr1=otafuku|おかめ|tr2=okame}}

====Prefix====
{{ja-pos|prefix|おと}}

# {{n-g-lite|applied to a noun denoting a person, or to a person's name:}}
## [[next]], [[younger]], [[youngest]]
## [[beautiful]], [[beloved]], [[cute]], [[dear]]

===References===
<references/>

{{topics|ja|Chinese heavenly stems|sort=おつ}}

==Korean==

===Hanja===
{{ko-hanja|새|을}}

# [[bird]]

===References===
* {{R:hanjadoc|55}}

==Middle Korean==

===Particle===
{{head|okm|particle|tr=-ol}}

# {{okm-idu form of|ᄋᆞᆯ|pos=accusative case marker}}
#* {{quote-book|oko|year=1395|author={{l|ko|[[w:고사경|高士褧]]|tr=Go Sa-gyeong}}; {{l|ko|金祗|tr=Kim Ji}}|title={{l|ko|[[w:대명률직해|大明律直解]]|tr=Daemyeongnyul Jikhae}}|trans-title=Correct Translation of the Great Ming Code|text=本國'''乙'''背叛|t=Betray his native country|tr=PWON.KWUK'''-ul''' POY.PAN}}

==Old Korean==

===Etymology 1===
From a Late Middle Chinese pronunciation of {{ltc-l|乙}}, which lenited coda {{IPAfont|/-t/}} to {{IPAfont|/-r/}}.<ref>{{w|Alexander Vovin}}, [https://www.academia.edu/33690493/Old_Korean_and_Proto_Korean_r_and_l_revisited Old Korean and Proto-Korean *r and *l revisited]</ref>

====Phonogram====
{{head|oko|phonogram|tr=*-r}}

# {{n-g-lite|A consonantal [[phonogram]] denoting coda consonant *-r}}

=====Usage notes=====
Generally believed to have been pronounced as {{IPAfont|*-r}}, based both on internal evidence and the Chinese etymon. Old Korean {{m|oko|尸|tr=*-l}} and {{m|oko|乙|tr=*-r}} both merged unconditionally into *-l in Middle Korean, but the two phonograms were consistently distinguished in Old Korean until the late thirteenth century. Because Old Korean reconstructions are conventionally romanized using their Middle Korean reflex, the phonologically erroneous reconstruction *-l is often used as a shorthand.

===Etymology 2===

====Alternative forms====
* {{m|oko|肹|tr=*-(u)r, *-hur}}

====Particle====
{{head|oko|particle|tr=*-(u)r}}

# {{n-g-lite|Accusative case marker}}
#* {{quote-book|oko|author={{w|Yejong of Goryeo|King Yejong of Goryeo}}|year=1120|chapter={{lw|ko|도이장가|悼二將歌|tr=Doijang-ga}}|title={{lw|ko|평산 신씨|平山申氏系譜|tr=Pyeongsan Sin-ssi Gyebo}}|trans-title=Genealogy of the Pyeongsan Sin descent group|text=主'''乙'''完乎[[白]]乎[[心音|心]]聞|tr=*NIRIM-'''ur''' WOPOL-wo-SOLP-wo(n) MOSOm-on|t=as for the heart that admired his lord}}

=====Usage notes=====
In Middle and Modern Korean, the [[allomorph]] taken by the accusative marker after a vowel may be {{ko-inline|를|tr=-reul}} instead of {{ko-inline|ㄹ|tr=-l}}, especially in formal speech. This is the result of [[reduplication]] of the particle and is unlikely to have been present in Old Korean, although the phonologically opaque nature of the orthography makes it difficult to tell for sure.

In "Middle Old Korean", the late first-millennium stage of Korean represented by about a dozen mostly eighth-century poems, the accusative particle was consistently written with the [[phonogram]] {{m|oko|肹}}. {{m|oko|乙}} has become dominant by the twelve poems of the tenth-century monk Gyunyeo, however, and {{m|oko|肹}} is virtually not attested at all by the second millennium. There seems to be no semantic difference involved. Whether this represents a phonetic shift or simply a change in orthographic practice is unknown, although {{m|oko|肹}} and {{m|oko|乙}} had differing Middle Chinese initials.<ref>{{cite-journal|title=ko:차자표기 자료의 격조사 연구|trans-title=A study of case markers in Sinographic sources|journal=Gugeo gungmunhak|volume=127|year=2000|author={{lang|ko|이승재}} (Yi Seung-jae)|pages=107—132}}</ref><ref>{{cite-journal|title=ko:삼국유사와 균여전의 향찰 표기자 비교|trans-title=A comparison of the orthography of the ''hyangchal'' of the ''Samguk yusa'' and the ''Gyunyeo-jeon''|journal=Gugeohak|volume=51|year=2008|author={{lang|ko|황선엽}} (Hwang Seon-yeop)|pages=279—311}}</ref>

=====Descendants=====
* {{desc|okm|[[-ᄋᆞᆯ]]/[[-을]]|tr=-(o/u)l|pos=accusative marker}}
** {{desc|ko|-을|pos=accusative case marker}}

===References===
<references />

==Vietnamese==

===Han character===
{{vi-readings|reading=[[ất]], [[át]], [[ắc]], [[ắt]], [[hắt]], [[ặc]], [[lớt]]|rs=乙00}}

# {{vi-Han form of|Ất|[[second]] of the ten [[heavenly stem]]s}}
#: {{hyper|vi|天干|十干}}
#: {{coordinate terms|vi|甲|乙|丙|丁|戊|己|庚|辛|壬|癸}}

====Compounds====
{{col3|vi
|{{vi-l|乙丑|Ất Sửu}}
|{{vi-l|乙卯|Ất Mão}}
|{{vi-l|乙巳|Ất Tỵ}}
|{{vi-l|乙未|Ất Mùi}}
|{{vi-l|乙酉|Ất Dậu}}
|{{vi-l|乙亥|Ất Hợi}}
}}

====References====
* [http://nomfoundation.org/common/nom_details.php?codepoint=4e59 Nom Foundation]