命
命 — Fate
fate, command, decree, destiny, life, appoint
On’yomiメイ (mei)
On’yomiミョウ (myou)
Kun’yomiいのち (inochi)
Stroke order (8 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 命
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 革命 | かくめい kakumei | revolution; 58th year of the sexagenary cycle (in Onmyōdō) |
| 生命 | せいめい seimei | life; existence; (one's) working life |
| 命 | いのち inochi | life; life force; lifetime |
| 命令 | めいれい meirei | order; command; decree |
| 懸命 | けんめい kenmei | eager; earnest; strenuous |
| 一生懸命 | いっしょうけんめい isshoukenmei | very hard; with utmost effort; as hard as one can |
Study notes
命 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 8 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 3), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #465 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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