再

Han character

再 (Kangxi radical 13, 冂+4, 6 strokes, cangjie input 一土月 (MGB), four-corner 1044₇, composition ⿱一冉)

Glyph origin

More information Historical forms of the character 再, Shang ...

Historical forms of the character 再
Shang	Western Zhou	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Close

Uncertain. There are some hypotheses:

• Xu Zhongshu: Bottom half of 冓, pictogram (象形) of a fish, then drawn in a similar way to 丙 (perhaps a fish tail). See 魚 and 丙
• Shizuka Shirakawa：Pictogram (象形) of tools used for weaving ropes.
• Ji Xusheng: Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 魚 (“fish”) + 二 (“two”) – to catch two fish at once (kill two birds with one stone). Compare the original version of 亟.
• Xu Shen: Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 一 (“one”) + abbreviated 冓 – same as above.

Etymology

Cognate with 載 (OC *ʔslɯːʔ, “year”), 茲 (OC *ʔsɯ, “year”), 薦 (OC *ʔseːns, “repeatedly”), 洊 (OC *zlɯːns, “again; repeatedly”), 荐 (OC *zlɯːns, “repeatedly”) (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation

Definitions

再

1. again; once again; a second time; re-

   再玩  ―  zài wán  ―  play again

   一拖再拖  ―  yī tuō zài tuō  ―  to put off again and again

   我再說一遍／我再说一遍  ―  wǒ zài shuō yī biàn  ―  I will say once again.

   後來我再也沒見過他了。 [MSC, trad.]
   后来我再也没见过他了。 [MSC, simp.]

   Hòulái wǒ zài yě méi jiàn guò tā le. [Pinyin]

   Afterwards I have never seen him again.

   • 燕子去了，有再來的時候；楊柳枯了，有再青的時候；桃花謝了，有再開的時候。 [MSC, trad.]
     燕子去了，有再来的时候；杨柳枯了，有再青的时候；桃花谢了，有再开的时候。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 1922, Zhu Ziqing, 匆匆 "Hurrily"

     Yànzǐ qù le, yǒu zài lái de shíhòu; yángliǔ kū le, yǒu zài qīng de shíhòu; táohuā xiè le, yǒu zài kāi de shíhòu. [Pinyin]

     Gone are the swallows, still there's a time they'll come again. Wilted are the willows, still there's a time they'll be green again. Withered are the peach blossoms, still there's a time they'll bloom again.

2. Used to indicate a continuing situation in conditional or suppositional clauses

   再不出發，我們就會趕不上火車了。 [MSC, trad.]
   再不出发，我们就会赶不上火车了。 [MSC, simp.]

   Zài bù chūfā, wǒmen jiù huì gǎnbùshàng huǒchē le. [Pinyin]

   If we don't leave now, we're going to miss the train.

3. more; -er

   再快一點／再快一点  ―  zài kuài yīdiǎn  ―  faster

   再大聲啲得唔得呀？ [Cantonese, trad.]
   再大声啲得唔得呀？ [Cantonese, simp.]

   zoi³ daai⁶ seng¹ di¹ dak¹ m⁴ dak¹ aa³? [Jyutping]

   Louder please.

   小得不能再小的芝麻小事 [MSC, trad. and simp.]

   xiǎo de bùnéng zài xiǎo de zhīmáxiǎoshì [Pinyin]

   a trivial matter that cannot be more trivial

4. Used with 也 (yě) and followed by a negative expression; no matter how...still (not)

   你再努力也不會成功。 [MSC, trad.]
   你再努力也不会成功。 [MSC, simp.]

   Nǐ zài nǔlì yě bùhuì chénggōng. [Pinyin]

   No matter how hard you work, you will not succeed.

   有了這件棉衣，再冷的天我也不怕了。 [MSC, trad.]
   有了这件棉衣，再冷的天我也不怕了。 [MSC, simp.]

   Yǒule zhè jiàn miányī, zài lěng de tiān wǒ yě bù pà le. [Pinyin]

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

5. then; only then

   我們吃過飯再回去吧。 [MSC, trad.]
   我们吃过饭再回去吧。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒmen chī guò fàn zài huíqù ba. [Pinyin]

   We shall eat before returning.

   到時再算／到时再算 [Cantonese]  ―  dou³ si⁴ zoi³ syun³ [Jyutping]  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

6. in addition; on top of that
7. (literary) twice

   • 季文子三思而後行。子聞之，曰：「再，斯可矣。」 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     季文子三思而后行。子闻之，曰：「再，斯可矣。」 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Analects of Confucius, c. 475 – 221 BCE, translated based on James Legge's version

     Jìwén Zǐ sānsī ér hòuxíng. Zǐ wén zhī, yuē: “Zài, sī kě yǐ.” [Pinyin]

     Ji Wen thought thrice, and then acted. When the Master was informed of it, he said, "Twice may do."

   • 秦趙五戰，秦再勝而趙三勝。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     秦赵五战，秦再胜而赵三胜。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: The Records of the Grand Historian, by Sima Qian, c. 91 BCE

     Qín Zhào wǔ zhàn, Qín zài shèng ér Zhào sān shèng. [Pinyin]

     Qin and Zhao fought five battles against each other; Qin won twice while Zhao won three times.

8. (literary) to appear again

   青春不再  ―  qīngchūn bùzài  ―  One’s youth never returns.

   • 嗚呼！勝地不常，盛筵難再；蘭亭已矣，梓澤丘墟。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     呜呼！胜地不常，盛筵难再；兰亭已矣，梓泽丘墟。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 王勃 (Wang Bo), 滕王閣序

     Wūhū! Shèngdì bùcháng, shèngyán nán zài; Lántíng yǐ yǐ, Zǐzé qiūxū. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

9. a surname

Compounds

Descendants

Kanji

(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji)

1. again
2. twice
3. second time

Prefix

再(さい) • (sai-) 

1. re-, again, repeated

   ページを再(さい)読(よ)み込(こ)み

   pēji o saiyomikomi

   reload the page

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 再 (MC tsojH). Recorded as Middle Korean ᄌᆡ (coy) (Yale: coy) in Sinjeung Yuhap (新增類合 / 신증유합), 1576.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [t͡ɕɛ(ː)] ~ [t͡ɕe̞(ː)]
• Phonetic hangul: [재(ː)/제(ː)]
  • Though still prescribed in Standard Korean, most speakers in both Koreas no longer distinguish vowel length.

Hanja

Korean Wikisource has texts containing the hanja:

再

Wikisource 再 (eumhun 두 재 (du jae))
再 (eumhun 다시 재 (dasi jae))

1. hanja form^? of 재 (“again”)
2. hanja form^? of 재 (“twice”)

References

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