甲 jiǎ — armor · English

甲

jiǎ

armor

At a glance · 甲

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Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

「甲」甲骨文象盔甲或种子的外皮，天干第一位。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「甲」本为铠甲象形，天干第一，亦指甲等、甲壳。

Structure

象形字，象甲胄/种皮，借为天干第一，引申甲兵、甲第。

At a glance

Pinyinjiǎ

Radical田

Strokes5

UnicodeU+7532

Character type象形

Theme数术

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English armor armor, shell; fingernails; 1st heavenly stem

Français premier rameau / armure Premier rameau céleste ; armure. «甲帐对楹» : tentures somptueuses.

Español primer tallo / armadura Primer tallo celeste; armadura. «甲帐对楹»: suntuosas tiendas.

العربية الفرع السماوي الأول / درع الفرع السماوي الأول؛ درع. «甲帐对楹»: ستائر فخمة.

Русский первая ветвь / броня Первая небесная ветвь; броня. «甲帐对楹»: пышные шатры.

Common words

甲级jiǎ jífirst-class
甲jiǎfirst/shell

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