Character: 甲
Modern (Beijing) reading: jiǎ
Preclassic Old Chinese: krāp
Classic Old Chinese: krāp
Western Han Chinese: krāp
Eastern Han Chinese: krāp
Early Postclassic Chinese: kạ̄p
Middle Postclassic Chinese: kạ̄p
Late Postclassic Chinese: kạ̄p
Middle Chinese: kạp
Fanqie: 吉鴨
Rhyme class: 洽
English meaning : mail-coat, armor; the first of the Heavenly Stems
Russian meaning[s]: 1) первый знак десятиричного цикла; первый, главный; "А"; быть первым, возглавлять; 2) возраст, годы; 3) латы; броня; доспехи; панцырь, щит (животных); ногти; 4) "цзя" (объединение 10 дворов в системе круговой поруки в деревне)
Shuowen gloss: 東方之孟陽气萌動. 從木. 戴孚甲之象. 一曰. 人頭宜為甲. 甲象人頭. 凡甲之屬皆從甲.
Comments: PST *qruap, cf. Tib. khrab 'shield, buckler; coat of mail, scales', Burm. hrap 'a sea shell; male upper coat' (cf. also khjap 'coat of mail' < Tib.?); Kach. kop31 'a crust, rind, shell', makop31 'to cover, shield, defend'.
Dialectal data: Dialectal data Number: 199
Character: 甲
MC description : 咸開二入狎見
ZIHUI: 3946 0085
Beijing: ćia 2
Jinan: ćia 11
Xi'an: ćia 11
Taiyuan: ćiaʔ 41
Hankou: ćia 12
Chengdu: ćia 12
Yangzhou: kaʔ 4; ćiaʔ 4 (lit.)
Suzhou: ćiaʔ 41 (lit.); kaʔ 41
Wenzhou: ka 41
Changsha: ćia 4
Shuangfeng: ka 12
Nanchang: kat 41
Meixian: kap 41
Guangzhou: kāp 43
Xiamen: kap 41 (lit.); kaʔ 41
Chaozhou: kaʔ 41
Fuzhou: kaʔ 41
Shanghai: ćiaʔ 4
Zhongyuan yinyun: ka 42
Radical: 102
Four-angle index: 2633
Karlgren code: 0629 a-d
Jianchuan Bai: -kɛ6
Dali Bai: -ker6
Bijiang Bai: -qa6