Originally depicts a ritual wine cup with a long stem and handles.
Over time, the character came to symbolize not only the vessel but also the rank (爵位) associated with ritual feasting and noble privilege.

The shape of 爵 is still recognizable in bronze inscriptions, where it clearly represents the three-legged ritual wine vessel.

爵位 (작위) — title of nobility, rank
封爵 (봉작) — to confer a title, ennoble
爵禄 (작록) — rank and emoluments
爵士 (작사) — nobleman; also used in modern Chinese to mean "jazz" (phonetic loan)

Characters

Words

Vocabulary

to simmer, to decoct, to fry

to shine, to illuminate, to reflect, to take a photograph, to compare, to refer to

to be cooked, ripe, done, to ripen, mature, to be skilled, practiced, familiar

hot, warm, heat, fever

to dry up, to become dry, to parch, to wither

to light a fire, to cook, to burn fuel

to contend, struggle, quarrel, to compete, vie for, to argue, dispute

to do, to act, to become, to turn into, for the sake of, on behalf of

rank, title of nobility, official post

thing, object, matter, “something, stuff” in general usage

to pull, to lead

to commit, violate, offender, criminal, to intrude, trespass, encroach

form, shape, appearance, document, written form

badger

prison, jail, lawsuit, litigation, trial

alone, solitary, by oneself, single, unique, lonely, isolated

to offer, present, dedicate, to sacrifice, to devote

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Chinese character

Explore 214 Chinese radicals and their derived characters. Sort by radical or stroke count, and view the complete list of official Hanja radicals.

Chinese characters (Hanja)

Chinese characters dictionary

爵

Etymology

Usage in Korean

Words that derived from 爵

Neighboring characters in the dictionary