冷

冷	U+51B7, 冷 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-51B7

冷	U+F92E, 冷 CJK COMPATIBILITY IDEOGRAPH-F92E

← 來
[U+F92D]

CJK Compatibility Ideographs

勞 →
[U+F92F]

Translingual

Stroke order

Traditional	冷
Simplified	冷
Japanese	冷
Korean	冷

Han character

冷 (Kangxi radical 15, 冫+5, 7 strokes, cangjie input 戈一人戈戈 (IMOII), four-corner 3812₇, composition ⿰冫令)

Derived characters

References

Kangxi Dictionary: page 132, character 1
Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 1622
Dae Jaweon: page 295, character 3
Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 296, character 5
Unihan data for U+51B7

Unihan data for U+F92E

Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 冷
Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Characters in the same phonetic series (令) (Zhengzhang, 2003)

	Old Chinese
令	ren, reŋ, reŋs, reːŋ, *reːŋs
怜	riːn, reːŋ
零	riːŋ, reːŋ, *reːŋs
魿	ɡriŋ, reːŋ
命	*mreŋs
冷	raːŋʔ, reːŋ, *reːŋʔ
跉	reŋ, reːŋ
嶺	*reŋʔ
領	*reŋʔ
阾	reŋʔ, reːŋ
柃	reŋʔ, reːŋ
袊	*reŋʔ
詅	reŋs, reːŋ
旍	*ʔsleŋ
舲	*reːŋ
齡	*reːŋ
囹	*reːŋ
鴒	*reːŋ
蛉	*reːŋ
鈴	*reːŋ
苓	*reːŋ
伶	*reːŋ
泠	*reːŋ
瓴	*reːŋ
拎	*reːŋ
刢	*reːŋ
玲	*reːŋ
聆	*reːŋ
竛	*reːŋ
軨	*reːŋ
笭	reːŋ, reːŋʔ
翎	*reːŋ
閝	*reːŋ
鹷	*reːŋ
昤	*reːŋ
駖	*reːŋ
彾	*reːŋ
呤	*reːŋ
狑	*reːŋ
秢	*reːŋ
岭	*reːŋ
紷	*reːŋ
砱	*reːŋ
羚	*reːŋ
姈	*reːŋ
蕶	*reːŋ
澪	*reːŋ

Phono-semantic compound (形聲／形声, OC *raːŋʔ, *reːŋ, *reːŋʔ) : semantic 冫 (“ice”) + phonetic 令 (OC *ren, *reŋ, *reŋs, *reːŋ, *reːŋs) – cold as ice.

Etymology 1

trad.		冷
simp. ^#		冷

A vocalic variant of 涼 (OC *ɡ·raŋ, “chilly; cold”) (Schuessler, 2007).

Pronunciation 1

Mandarin
(Standard)
(Pinyin): lěng (leng³)

(Zhuyin): ㄌㄥˇ

(Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): nen³

(Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): лын (lɨn, II)
Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): laang⁵

(Taishan, Wiktionary): lang⁴ / lang¹
Gan (Wiktionary): lang³
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): lâng

(Hailu, HRS): lang^ˋ

(Meixian, Guangdong): lang¹
Jin (Wiktionary): leng²
Northern Min (KCR): lǎing
Eastern Min (BUC): lēng
Southern Min
(Hokkien, POJ): léng

(Teochew, Peng'im): nên²
Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶lan
Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): len³

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: lěng
  - Zhuyin: ㄌㄥˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: lěng
  - Wade–Giles: lêng³
  - Yale: lěng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: leeng
  - Palladius: лэн (lɛn)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɤŋ²¹⁴/
- (Chengdu)
  - Sichuanese Pinyin: nen³
  - Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: len
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /nən⁵³/
- (Dungan)
  - Cyrillic and Wiktionary: лын (lɨn, II)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ləŋ⁵¹/
  (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: laang⁵
  - Yale: láahng
  - Cantonese Pinyin: laang⁵
  - Guangdong Romanization: lang⁵
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /laːŋ¹³/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: lang⁴ / lang¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /laŋ²¹/, /laŋ³³/
Gan
- (Nanchang)
  - Wiktionary: lang³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /laŋ²¹³/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: lâng
  - Hakka Romanization System: lang^ˊ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: lang¹
  - Sinological IPA: /laŋ²⁴/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: lang^ˋ
  - Sinological IPA: /laŋ⁵³/
- (Meixian)
  - Guangdong: lang¹
  - Sinological IPA: /laŋ⁴⁴/
Jin
- (Taiyuan)⁺
  - Wiktionary: leng²
  - Sinological IPA (old-style): /lə̃ŋ⁵³/
Northern Min
- (Jian'ou)
  - Kienning Colloquial Romanized: lǎing
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /laiŋ²¹/
Eastern Min
- (Fuzhou)
  - Bàng-uâ-cê: lēng
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /l̃ɛiŋ³³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Kaohsiung, Singapore)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: léng
  - Tâi-lô: l��ng
  - Phofsit Daibuun: leang
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /liɪŋ⁴¹/
  - IPA (Singapore): /leŋ⁴²/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /liɪŋ⁵⁵⁴/
  - IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Taipei): /liɪŋ⁵³/
- (Teochew)
  - Peng'im: nên²
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: néⁿ
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /nẽ⁵²/
Wu
- (Northern: Shanghai)
  - Wugniu: ⁶lan
  - MiniDict: lan^去
  - Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³lan
  - Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /lã²³/
Xiang
- (Changsha)
  - Wiktionary: len³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lən⁴¹/

Dialectal data

Variety	Location	edit 冷
Mandarin	Beijing	/ləŋ²¹⁴/
	Harbin	/ləŋ²¹³/
	Tianjin	/ləŋ¹³/
	Jinan	/ləŋ⁵⁵/
	Qingdao	/ləŋ⁵⁵/
	Zhengzhou	/ləŋ⁵³/
	Xi'an	/ləŋ⁵³/
	Xining	/lə̃⁵³/
	Yinchuan	/ləŋ⁵³/
	Lanzhou	/lə̃n⁴⁴²/
	Ürümqi	/lɤŋ⁵¹/
	Wuhan	/nən⁴²/
	Chengdu	/nən⁵³/
	Guiyang	/nen⁴²/
	Kunming	/lə⁵³̃/
	Nanjing	/lən²¹²/
	Hefei	/lən²⁴/
Jin	Taiyuan	/ləŋ⁵³/
	Pingyao	/ləŋ⁵³/ /liɑ⁵³/
	Hohhot	/lə̃ŋ⁵³/
Wu	Shanghai	/lã²³/
	Suzhou	/lã³¹/
	Hangzhou	/len⁵³/
	Wenzhou	/liɛ³⁵/
Hui	Shexian	/lʌ̃³⁵/ /lɛ³⁵/
Hui	Tunxi	/lɛ²⁴/
Xiang	Changsha	/lən⁴¹/
Xiang	Xiangtan	/nən⁴²/
Gan	Nanchang	/lɑŋ²¹³/
Hakka	Meixian	/laŋ⁴⁴/
Hakka	Taoyuan	/lɑŋ²⁴/
Cantonese	Guangzhou	/laŋ²³/
	Nanning	/laŋ²⁴/
	Hong Kong	/laŋ¹³/
Min	Xiamen (Hokkien)	/liŋ⁵³/
	Fuzhou (Eastern Min)	/lɛiŋ³²/
	Jian'ou (Northern Min)	/laiŋ²¹/
	Shantou (Teochew)	/nẽ⁵³/
	Haikou (Hainanese)	/leŋ²¹³/ /lɛ²¹³/ /lɛ³¹/ 晾乾

Middle Chinese: laengX, lengX

Rime
Character	冷	冷
Reading #	2/3	3/3
Initial (聲)	來 (37)	來 (37)
Final (韻)	庚 (109)	青 (125)
Tone (調)	Rising (X)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	II	IV
Fanqie	魯打切	力鼎切
Baxter	laengX	lengX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/lˠæŋ^X/	/leŋ^X/
Pan Wuyun	/lᵚaŋ^X/	/leŋ^X/
Shao Rongfen	/laŋ^X/	/lɛŋ^X/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/laɨjŋ^X/	/lɛjŋ^X/
Li Rong	/lɐŋ^X/	/leŋ^X/
Wang Li	/lɐŋ^X/	/lieŋ^X/
Bernard Karlgren	/lɐŋ^X/	/lieŋ^X/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	lěng	lǐng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	lang⁵	ling⁵

Old Chinese
(Baxter–Sagart): /*[r]ˤeŋʔ/

(Zhengzhang): /*raːŋʔ/, /*reːŋʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	冷
Reading #	1/1
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	lěng
Middle Chinese	‹ leng^X ›
Old Chinese	/*[r]ˁeŋʔ/
English	cold (Sagart & Ma, 2020)
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	冷	冷
Reading #	1/3	3/3
No.	8276	8330
Phonetic component	令	令
Rime group	陽	耕
Rime subdivision	0	0
Corresponding MC rime	冷	笭
Old Chinese	/*raːŋʔ/	/*reːŋʔ/

Definitions

冷

cold; cool
寒冷 ― hánlěng ― cold

冷水 ― lěngshuǐ ― cold water
(dialectal) to cool; to cool down; to become cold
cold; desolate; quiet
cold; indifferent
to dishearten
idle
disdainful; sarcastic
neglected; not popular
冷門／冷门 ― lěngmén ― unpopular
unfamiliar; rare
冷僻 ― lěngpì ― rare
corny; lame
sudden; unexpected
a surname

Synonyms

(cold):

Dialectal synonyms of 冷 (“cold”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		冷, 寒冷 weather
Northeastern Mandarin	Beijing	冷
	Taiwan	冷
	Singapore	冷
Jilu Mandarin	Jinan	冷
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	冷
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	冷
	Wanrong	冷
	Xi'an	冷
Lanyin Mandarin	Yinchuan	冷
Southwestern Mandarin	Chengdu	冷, 凊 very cold
	Wuhan	冷, 冷凊 weather
	Guilin	冷
	Liuzhou	冷, 凊
Jianghuai Mandarin	Yangzhou	冷
Jianghuai Mandarin	Hefei	冷
Cantonese	Guangzhou	凍, 冷
	Hong Kong	凍, 冷 weather
	Taishan	冷
	Yangjiang	凍, 冷 weather
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	凍
	Singapore (Guangfu)	凍
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	凍
Gan	Nanchang	冷
Gan	Lichuan	冷
Hakka	Meixian	冷
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	冷, 寒
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	冷, 寒人
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	冷
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	冷, 寒
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	冷, 寒
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	冷, 寒
Huizhou	Jixi	冷, 凍
Jin	Taiyuan	冷
Northern Min	Jian'ou	凊, 鎮 very cold
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	凊, 凍
Southern Min	Xiamen	冷, 凊, 寒 weather
	Quanzhou	冷, 凊, 寒
	Shishi	寒
	Zhangzhou	冷, 凊, 寒
	Zhao'an	寒
	Dongshan	寒
	Taipei	冷, 凊, 寒
	Penang (Hokkien)	冷, 寒 weather, 凊
	Singapore (Hokkien)	冷, 寒 weather
	Manila (Hokkien)	冷, 寒, 凊
	Chaozhou	凝, 寒 weather, 凊
	Shantou	凝, 寒, 凊, 冷
	Shantou (Chenghai)	凝, 凊
	Shantou (Chaoyang)	凝
	Jieyang	凝, 凊
	Singapore (Teochew)	凝
	Wenchang	寒
	Qionghai	寒
	Singapore (Hainanese)	凊, 寒 weather
Wu	Shanghai	冷
	Shanghai (Chongming)	冷
	Suzhou	冷, 凍 weather
	Danyang	冷
	Hangzhou	冷
	Ningbo	冷
	Wenzhou	冷, 凍
	Lishui	冷
	Jinhua	冷
	Yushan	凊
Xiang	Changsha	冷, 凊 very cold
Xiang	Shuangfeng	冷, 凊 very cold

Compounds

Pronunciation 2

Mandarin
(Pinyin): líng (ling²)

(Zhuyin): ㄌㄧㄥˊ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: líng
  - Zhuyin: ㄌㄧㄥˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: líng
  - Wade–Giles: ling²
  - Yale: líng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: ling
  - Palladius: лин (lin)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /liŋ³⁵/

Middle Chinese: leng

Rime
Character	冷
Reading #	1/3
Initial (聲)	來 (37)
Final (韻)	青 (125)
Tone (調)	Level (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	IV
Fanqie	郎丁切
Baxter	leng
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/leŋ/
Pan Wuyun	/leŋ/
Shao Rongfen	/lɛŋ/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/lɛjŋ/
Li Rong	/leŋ/
Wang Li	/lieŋ/
Bernard Karlgren	/lieŋ/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	líng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	ling⁴

Old Chinese
(Zhengzhang): /*reːŋ/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	冷
Reading #	2/3
No.	8317
Phonetic component	令
Rime group	耕
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	靈
Old Chinese	/*reːŋ/
Notes	冷凙

Definitions

冷

Only used in 冷凙／冷𪞝.

Pronunciation 3

Mandarin
(Pinyin): lǐng (ling³)

(Zhuyin): ㄌㄧㄥˇ

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: lǐng
  - Zhuyin: ㄌㄧㄥˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: lǐng
  - Wade–Giles: ling³
  - Yale: lǐng
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: liing
  - Palladius: лин (lin)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /liŋ²¹⁴/

Definitions

冷

Only used in 㓑冷.

Etymology 2

trad.		冷
simp. ^#		冷
alternative forms		唥𦀬 Guangxi

Borrowed from French laine (“wool”).

Pronunciation

Cantonese
(Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): laang^5-1

(Taishan, Wiktionary): lang²

Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: laang^5-1
  - Yale: lāang
  - Cantonese Pinyin: laang^5-1
  - Guangdong Romanization: lang^5-1
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /laːŋ¹³⁻⁵⁵/
- (Taishanese, Taicheng)
  - Wiktionary: lang²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /laŋ⁵⁵/

Definitions

冷

(Cantonese, Liuzhou Mandarin, Pinghua, Leizhou Min, Hainanese) woollen yarn (Classifier: 條／条 c; 嚿 c)

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 毛線 (“knitting wool; wool yarn”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		毛線
Northeastern Mandarin	Taiwan	毛線
Jiaoliao Mandarin	Yantai (Muping)	毛線
Central Plains Mandarin	Luoyang	毛線
	Wanrong	毛線
	Xi'an	毛線
Southwestern Mandarin	Wuhan	絨線, 絨
	Guiyang	毛線, 頭繩 dated
	Liuzhou	冷
Jianghuai Mandarin	Yangzhou	絨線, 頭繩 dated, 扎綆 dated
Cantonese	Guangzhou	毛冷, 冷
	Hong Kong	毛冷, 冷
	Taishan	冷
	Dongguan	冷
Gan	Nanchang	頭繩子
Gan	Pingxiang	毛線, 洋紅繩, 毛繩, 繩子
Hakka	Meixian	羊毛索
Jin	Taiyuan	毛線
Jin	Xinzhou	毛線子
Northern Min	Jian'ou	羊毛索
Southern Min	Xiamen	羊毛
	Tainan	膨紗
	Shantou	羊毛
	Jieyang	羊毛線, 羊毛紗, 羊毛
	Leizhou	冷
	Haikou	冷
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	冷
Wu	Shanghai	絨線, 頭繩 dated
	Shanghai (Chongming)	頭繩
	Danyang	絨線
	Hangzhou	絨線
	Ningbo	絨線
	Wenzhou	絨
	Jinhua	毛線
Xiang	Changsha	洋繩子

Compounds

Etymology 3

trad.		冷
simp. ^#		冷
alternative forms		唥

Borrowed from Teochew 儂／侬 (nang⁵, “person”).

Pronunciation

Cantonese (Jyutping): laang^5-1

Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
  - Jyutping: laang^5-1
  - Yale: lāang
  - Cantonese Pinyin: laang^5-1
  - Guangdong Romanization: lang^5-1
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /laːŋ¹³⁻⁵⁵/

Definitions

冷

(Cantonese, slang, humorous) guy; person (Classifier: 條／条 c)
(Cantonese) Used in words related to Teochew people.
冷話／冷话 [Cantonese] ― laang^5-1 waa^6-2 [Jyutping] ― Teochew language

Compounds

Japanese

Kanji

冷

(Fourth grade kyōiku kanji)

cool
cold (beer, person)
chill

Readings

Go-on: りょう (ryō)^{←りやう (ryau, historical)}
Kan-on: れい (rei, Jōyō)
Kun: ひや (hiya, 冷や, Jōyō)、さめる (sameru, 冷める, Jōyō)、さます (samasu, 冷ます, Jōyō)、つめたい (tsumetai, 冷たい, Jōyō)、ひえる (hieru, 冷える, Jōyō)^{←ひえる (fieru, ひえる, historical)}^{←ひ𛀁る (fyeru, ひ𛀁る, ancient)}、ひやかす (hiyakasu, 冷やかす, Jōyō)、ひやす (hiyasu, 冷やす, Jōyō)、ひやっこい (hiyakkoi, 冷っこい)、しゃっこい (shakkoi, 冷っこい)

Compounds

Derived terms

Etymology

Kanji in this term
冷
ひや Grade: 4
kun'yomi

For pronunciation and definitions of 冷 – see the following entry.

【ひや】	[noun] cold drinking water Alternative spelling 冷や

(This term, 冷, is an alternative spelling of the above term.)

Korean

Hanja

冷 (eumhun 찰 랭 (chal raeng), word-initial (South Korea) 찰 냉 (chal naeng))

hanja form^? of 랭/냉 (“cold”)