人間

See also: 人间

Chinese

		man; person; people	interstice; separate; between interstice; separate; between; among; space; (measure word)
trad. (人間)		人	間
simp. (人间)		人	间
alternative forms		人閒

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): rénjiān

  (Zhuyin): ㄖㄣˊ ㄐㄧㄢ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): jan⁴ gaan¹

• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): ngìn-kiên / ngìn-kiân

  (Hailu, HRS): ngin gien^ˋ

• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): jîn-kan / lîn-kan

  (Teochew, Peng'im): nang⁵ gang¹

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶zen-ci

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: rénjiān
    • Zhuyin: ㄖㄣˊ ㄐㄧㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: rénjian
    • Wade–Giles: jên²-chien¹
    • Yale: rén-jyān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: renjian
    • Palladius: жэньцзянь (žɛnʹczjanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ʐən³⁵ t͡ɕi̯ɛn⁵⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: jan⁴ gaan¹
    • Yale: yàhn gāan
    • Cantonese Pinyin: jan⁴ gaan¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: yen⁴ gan¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /jɐn²¹ kaːn⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ngìn-kiên
    • Hakka Romanization System: ngin^ˇ gien^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: ngin² gian¹
    • Sinological IPA: /ŋin¹¹ ki̯en²⁴/
  • (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: ngìn-kiân
    • Hakka Romanization System: ngin^ˇ gian^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: ngin² gian¹
    • Sinological IPA: /ŋin¹¹ ki̯an²⁴/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: ngin gien^ˋ
    • Sinological IPA: /ŋin⁵⁵ kien⁵³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou, Kaohsiung)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: jîn-kan
    • Tâi-lô: jîn-kan
    • Phofsit Daibuun: jinkafn
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /zin²³⁻³³ kan⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /d͡zin¹³⁻²² kan⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Taipei)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: lîn-kan
    • Tâi-lô: lîn-kan
    • Phofsit Daibuun: linkafn
    • IPA (Xiamen): /lin²⁴⁻²² kan⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /lin²⁴⁻¹¹ kan⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /lin²⁴⁻²² kan³³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: nang⁵ gang¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: nâng kang
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /naŋ⁵⁵⁻¹¹ kaŋ³³/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶zen-ci
    • MiniDict: zen^去 ci
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³zen-ji
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /zən²² t͡ɕi⁴⁴/

---

• Middle Chinese: nyin kean

Rime
Character	人	間
Reading #	1/1	1/2
Initial (聲)	日 (38)	見 (28)
Final (韻)	眞 (43)	山 (73)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	II
Fanqie	如鄰切	古閑切
Baxter	nyin	kean
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ȵiɪn/	/kˠɛn/
Pan Wuyun	/ȵin/	/kᵚæn/
Shao Rongfen	/ȵʑjen/	/kæn/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ȵin/	/kəɨn/
Li Rong	/ȵiĕn/	/kɛn/
Wang Li	/ȵʑĭĕn/	/kæn/
Bernard Karlgren	/ȵʑi̯ĕn/	/kăn/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	rén	jiān
Expected Cantonese Reflex	jan4	gaan1

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*ni[ŋ]  kˤre[n]/

  (Zhengzhang): /*njin  kreːn/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	人	間
Reading #	1/1	1/3
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	rén	jiān
Middle Chinese	‹ nyin ›	‹ kɛn ›
Old Chinese	/*ni[ŋ]/	/*kˁre[n]/
English	(other) person	interval
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	人	間
Reading #	1/1	1/2
No.	10800	6226
Phonetic component	人	閒
Rime group	眞	元
Rime subdivision	1	2
Corresponding MC rime	仁	閒
Old Chinese	/*njin/	/*kreːn/
Notes		原作閒同說文

Noun

人間

1. the human world; the world of mortals

Synonyms

edit

• 世間／世间 (shìjiān)
• 人世 (rénshì)
• 人世間／人世间 (rénshìjiān)
• 人寰 (rénhuán) (literary)
• 人間世／人间世 (rénjiānshì) (literary)
• 俗世 (súshì)
• 凡世 (fánshì) (literary)
• 塵世／尘世 (chénshì)
• 塵世間／尘世间 (chénshìjiān)
• 塵俗／尘俗 (chénsú)
• 塵寰／尘寰 (chénhuán) (literary)
• 塵間／尘间 (chénjiān)
• 濁世／浊世 (zhuóshì) (literary)

 

Derived terms

• 不在人間／不在人间
• 不知人間有羞恥事／不知人间有羞耻事 (bùzhī rénjiān yǒu xiūchǐ shì)
• 不食人間煙火／不食人间烟火 (bù shí rénjiān yānhuǒ)
• 人間世／人间世 (rénjiānshì)
• 人間仙境／人间仙境
• 人間冷暖／人间冷暖
• 人間喜劇／人间喜剧
• 人間地獄／人间地狱 (rénjiān dìyù)
• 人間天上／人间天上 (rénjiān tiānshàng)
• 人間天堂／人间天堂
• 人間樂園／人间乐园 (rénjiān lèyuán)
• 人間煙火／人间烟火
• 人間蒸發／人间蒸发 (rénjiānzhēngfā)
• 人間第一黃／人间第一黄
• 人間行路難／人间行路难
• 人間觀察／人间观察 (rénjiān guānchá)
• 人間詞話／人间词话
• 人間重晚晴／人间重晚晴
• 別有人間／别有人间
• 別有天地非人間／别有天地非人间
• 天上人間／天上人间 (tiānshàng rénjiān)
• 春滿人間／春满人间
• 遊戲人間／游戏人间

 

Related terms

• 世界 (shìjiè)
• 宇宙 (yǔzhòu)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (人間):

• → Japanese: 人間(にんげん) (ningen); 人間(じんかん) (jinkan)
• → Korean: 인간(人間) (in'gan)
• → Vietnamese: nhân gian (人間)

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
人	間
にん Grade: 1	けん > げん Grade: 2
on'yomi

From a Buddhist term: 人間界(にんげんかい) (ningenkai, “human world”).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) にんげん [nìńgéń] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ɲ̟ĩŋɡẽ̞ɴ]

Noun

人(にん)間(げん) • (ningen) 

1. human, person, human being

   人間(にんげん)社会(しゃかい)

   ningen shakai

   human society

2. personality, character
3. (Buddhism) literally meaning: "human society", referring to one of the six realms of reincarnation in Buddhist cosmology.

Descendants

• → English: ningen

See also

• (person): 人類(じんるい) (jinrui)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
人	間
じん Grade: 1	かん Grade: 2
on'yomi

From Middle Chinese 人間 (MC nyin kean|keanH).

Noun

人(じん)間(かん) • (jinkan) 

1. (archaic) the world in which people live; the world, society

Synonyms

• 世(よ)の中(なか) (yo no naka)
• 世(せ)間(けん) (seken)

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
人	間
ひと Grade: 1	ま Grade: 2
kun'yomi

人 (hito, “human”) +‎ 間 (ma, “place, space”) This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Noun

人(ひと)間(ま) • (hitoma) 

1. (dated, rare) a place devoid of people

Korean

Hanja in this term
人	間

Noun

人間 • (in'gan) (hangeul 인간)

1. hanja form^? of 인간 (“people, humanity”)

Miyako

Kanji in this term
人	間
にん Grade: 1	きん > ぎん Grade: 2
on'yomi

Pronunciation

• (Tarama) IPA^(key): /ninɡin/
• (Nakachi, Irabu) IPA^(key): /niŋɡiŋ/

Noun

人(にん)間(ぎん) (ningin) 

1. human, person, human being
2. personality, character

References

• Tokuyama, Shun'ei (渡久山春英), Kenan, Celik (セリック・ケナン) (2020) 南琉球宮古語多良間方言辞典 [A Dictionary of Tarama Miyako, a dialect of Southern Ryukyuan], Tokyo (東京都): Kokuritsu Kokugo Kenkyūjo, Gengo Hen'i Kenkyū Ryōiki (国立国語研究所 言語変異研究領域), →ISBN, page 343
• Tomihama, Sadayoshi (富浜定吉) (2013) 宮古伊良部方言辞典 [Miyako Irabu Dialect Dictionary], Naha (那覇市): Okinawa Times (沖縄タイムス社), →ISBN, page 504

Okinawan

Kanji in this term
人	間
にん Grade: 1	きん > ぢん Grade: 2
on'yomi

Noun

人(にん)間(ぢん) (ninjin) 

1. human, person, human being

References

• Miyara, Shinshō (宮良信詳) (2021) うちなーぐち活用辞典 [Dictionary of the Practical Use of Okinawan] (in Japanese), Tokyo (東京都): Kokuritsu Kokugo Kenkyūjo, Gengo Hen'i Kenkyū Ryōiki (国立国語研究所 言語変異研究領域), →DOI, →ISBN, page 233

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
人	間

Noun

人間

1. chữ Hán form of nhân gian (“the human world; the world of mortals”).