筆

Glyph origin
– a hand holding a brush 聿. The bamboo (竹) refers to the material of traditional Chinese brushes.

Etymology
Possibly from or  (STEDT). Related to.

surmises that this might ultimately be a loan from Austro-Tai into Sino-Tibetan; compare 🇨🇬 (> 🇨🇬).

Definitions

 * 1) writing brush
 * 2)  pen; pencil
 * 3)  to write; to compose
 * 1)  to write; to compose

Descendants
Others

Etymology 1
→ →

Shift in pronunciation from fumite below, caused by a regular shift where medial causes nasalization of the preceding vowel and voicing of the following consonant, with the nasalization reverting in some cases. Now the most common pronunciation in modern.

Noun

 * 1) a writing brush, a painting brush, a pen
 * 2) writing:
 * 3) the act of writing
 * 4) something written
 * 5) handwriting, how someone writes

Usage notes
The sense is more commonly expressed using the 🇨🇬-derived term.

Etymology 2
→ →

Shift in pronunciation from fumite below, caused by a regular shift where medial causes nasalization of the preceding vowel and voicing of the following consonant. Listed with this reading in the edition of the 11th- or 12th-century  dictionary.

Superseded by the fude reading above in modern 🇨🇬.

Noun

 * 1)  same as for fude above: brush; pen; writing

Etymology 3
Compound of. Appears with this reading in the Man'yōshū, circa 759.

Superseded by the fude reading above in modern.

Noun

 * 1)  same as for fude above: brush; pen; writing

Etymology 4
→ →

From. Compare modern 🇨🇬 and 🇨🇬 pit, 🇨🇬 bǐ.

Noun

 * 1) a brush, a pen, a writing or drawing implement
 * 2) the mark made by a brush or pen
 * 3) writing or drawing with a brush or pen
 * 4) an allotment of land, such as for agriculture or housing