鬼

鬼 (Kangxi radical 194, 鬼+0, 10 strokes in traditional Chinese, Japanese and Korean, 9 strokes in mainland China, cangjie input 竹山戈 (HUI) or 竹戈 (HI) or 竹田竹戈 (HWHI), four-corner 2621₃ or 2651₃, composition ⿱甶⿺儿厶(HTJKV) or ⿸⿻白丿⿺乚厶(G))

1. Kangxi radical #194, ⿁.

• Appendix:Chinese_radical/鬼
• 傀, 魂, 𠺌, 塊, 媿, 㟴, 𢄊, 愧, 溾, 𪻆, 隗, 𣉨, 槐, 㱱, 𤌋, 𤗧, 𤛂, 瑰, 𦞙, 䁛, 磈, 𥡂, 䌆, 聭, 𦞱, 螝, 謉(𫍷), 𧷛, 𨉵, 𨍹(𬨐), 醜, 𨪈, 𩌃, 𩏐, 餽, 騩, 𩪁, 𩹷, 𪄔, 䴜
• 𨝀, 𧪵, 䫥, 𩥢, 𥶯, 𧫏, 𭔉, 嵬, 蒐, 𢧩, 𫁖, 䈭, 𣝹, 𭕩, 廆, 瘣, 𮭺, 褢

• KangXi: page 1460, character 30
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 45758
• Dae Jaweon: page 1993, character 19
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 7, page 4427, character 1
• Unihan data for U+9B3C

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

Pictogram (象形) – a man or figure with an ugly face and tail.

Compare 異 (“different, strange”), where the 田 also derives from a face.

It may not be clear from the character, but the lower right “dot” is a small 厶; it is a residual tail – compare 离.

Unknown. May be related to 威 (OC *qul, “to overawe, to terrorise”) with k-nominalisation and endoactive tone B, lit. "the thing which is doing the overawing", or related to 歸 (OC *klul, “to return”). See also 詭 (OC *krolʔ, “to deceive; peculiar”).

鬼

1. ghost, a deceased person who has returned to haunt the living; apparition; spirit (Classifier: 隻／只)

   這房子常常鬧鬼。／这房子常常闹鬼。  ―  Zhè fángzǐ chángcháng nàoguǐ.  ―  This house is haunted.

   • 人之鬼，非人也。 [Classical Chinese, trad. and simp.]

     From: Mozi, c. 4^th century BCE

     Rén zhī guǐ, fēirén yě. [Pinyin]

     A person's ghost is not a person.

   • 為之宗廟，以鬼享之。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     为之宗庙，以鬼享之。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: Classic of Filial Piety, circa 475 – 221 BCE

     Wèi zhī zōngmiào, yǐ guǐ xiǎng zhī. [Pinyin]

     They prepare the ancestral temple (to receive the tablet of the departed), and there they present offerings to the disembodied spirit.

2. devil; demon

   鬼才知道呢！  ―  Guǐ cái zhīdào ne!  ―  How should I know?! (literal: The devil only knows! Similar to: "god knows")

3. goblin
4. stealthy; tricky; furtive
5. sinister plot; dirty trick

   心裡有鬼／心里有鬼  ―  xīnlǐ yǒu guǐ  ―  to harbour intentions that can't bear daylight

6. devilish; damned; ghastly

   鬼天氣／鬼天气  ―  guǐ tiānqì  ―  damned weather

7. (informal) clever; smart; quick

   這孩子鬼得很！／这孩子鬼得很！  ―  Zhè háizǐ guǐ dehěn!  ―  This kid is amazingly smart!

8. (derogatory) fool; blockhead; guy; moral imbecile

   那個老鬼又來了。／那个老鬼又来了。  ―  Nàge lǎoguǐ yòu lái le.  ―  That gaffer is coming again.

9. Derogatory name for people with a flaw or vice. -ard

   煙鬼／烟鬼  ―  yānguǐ  ―  heavy smoker

   酒鬼  ―  jiǔguǐ  ―  alcoholic

   懶鬼／懒鬼  ―  lǎnguǐ  ―  lazybones

10. (intimate) imp; urchin

    小鬼  ―  xiǎoguǐ  ―  imp

    機靈鬼／机灵鬼  ―  jīlíngguǐ  ―  crafty child

11. (regional, usually in compounds) a Caucasian or Western person

    鬼佬 [Cantonese]  ―  gwai² lou² [Jyutping]  ―  gweilo (derogatory term for a white person)

12. (Cantonese) traitor; rat; mole

    • 現場消息話，呢位便衣阿Sir，冇帶口罩噉混入示威者入面，係噉影人大頭，畀示威者發現係鬼[……[[#Chinese|]]] [Cantonese, trad.]
      现场消息话，呢位便衣阿Sir，冇带口罩噉混入示威者入面，系噉影人大头，畀示威者发现系鬼[……[[#Chinese|]]] [Cantonese, simp.]

      From: 2019, 便衣警扮示威者偷拍人群, in Apple Daily

      jin⁶ coeng⁴ siu¹ sik¹ waa⁶, ni¹ wai⁶ bin⁶ ji¹ aa³ soe⁴, mou⁵ daai³ hau² zaau³ gam² wan⁶ jap⁶ si⁶ wai¹ ze² jap⁶ min⁶, hai⁶ gam² jing² jan⁴ daai⁶ tau^4-2, bei² si⁶ wai¹ ze² faat³ jin⁶ hai⁶ gwai² [...... ] [Jyutping]

      according to those present, this plain-clothes officer mingled with protestors without wearing a gauze mask and took pictures of people, and was discovered to be a mole by protestors […]

    Synonym: 內鬼／内鬼 (nèiguǐ)

13. (Cantonese, ball games) opponent trying to steal the ball
14. (Cantonese, inserted in certain adjectives) so; very
15. (mildly vulgar) the hell

    什麼鬼233／什么鬼233  ―  shénme guǐ 233  ―  what the hell LOL

    我點鬼記得！／我点鬼记得！ [Cantonese]  ―  ngo⁵ dim² gwai² gei³ dak¹! [Jyutping]  ―  How the hell am I supposed to remember?!

    你在搞什麼鬼？／你在搞什么鬼？  ―  Nǐ zài gǎo shénme guǐ?  ―  What the hell are you doing?

    你搞乜鬼呀？ [Cantonese]  ―  nei⁵ gaau² mat¹ gwai² aa³? [Jyutping]  ―  What the hell are you doing?

16. (mildly vulgar) who the hell, what the hell

    鬼知道！  ―  Guǐ zhīdào!  ―  Devil knows!

    有鬼人知咩！ [Cantonese]  ―  jau⁵ gwai² jan⁴ zi¹ me¹! [Jyutping]  ―  Who the hell knows!

    鬼叫你…… [Cantonese]  ―  gwai² giu³ nei⁵...... [Jyutping]  ―  Who the hell told you to... → No one told you to...

    有鬼用 [Cantonese]  ―  jau⁵ gwai² jung⁶ [Jyutping]  ―  has what use (what the hell use it has) → is damn worthless, is of damn-all use

Others:

• → Thai: กุ๊ย (gúi)

(common “Jōyō” kanji)

• Go-on: き (ki, Jōyō)^{←き (ki, historical)←くゐ (kwi, ancient)}
• Kan-on: き (ki, Jōyō)
• Kun: おに (oni, 鬼, Jōyō)

鬼 (oni): two demon-ogres.

From Old Japanese.[1]

Thought to be derived from 隠 (on, “to hide; hidden from sight”).[1][2][3]

• (Tokyo) おに​ [òníꜜ] (Odaka – [2])[3][4][5]
• IPA^(key): [o̞ɲ̟i]

鬼(おに) • (oni) 

1. ghost

   異(い)国(こく)の鬼(おに)

   ikoku no oni

   a ghost of a foreign country

2. evil spirit, demon, ogre
   • 931–938, Minamoto no Shitagō, Wamyō Ruijushō (book 1, page 32)[6]

     人神 周易云、人神曰鬼、居偉反、和名於邇、或説云、於邇者、隠音之訛也、鬼物隠而不欲顯形、故以稱也。

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

3. (figurative) someone of remarkable or diabolical energy or ability, a demon

   彼(かの)女(じょ)は仕(し)事(ごと)の鬼(おに)だ。

   Kanojo wa shigoto no oni da.

   She is a demon for work.

4. "it" in a game of tag/hide and seek (鬼ごっこ onigokko, "pretend spirits")

• (ghost): 御霊(みたま) (mitama), 亡霊(ぼうれい) (bōrei)
• (evil spirit): 悪霊(あくりょう) (akuryō)
• (figuratively: demon): 悪魔(あくま) (akuma)

From Middle Chinese 鬼 (MC kʉi^X). Recorded as Middle Korean 귀〯 (kwǔy) (Yale: kwǔy) in Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會 / 훈몽자회), 1527.

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

Wikisource 鬼 (eumhun 귀신 귀 (gwisin gwi))

1. Hanja form^? of 귀 (“ghost; spirit”).

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

鬼: Hán Việt readings: quỷ
鬼: Nôm readings: khuỷu, quẽ, quỉ, sưu

1. chữ Hán form of quỷ (“any generic ugly, mischievous or evil spirit”).