義
義 — Righteousness
righteousness, justice, morality, honor, loyalty, meaning
On’yomiギ (gi)
Kun’yomi—
Stroke order (13 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 義
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 主義 | しゅぎ shugi | doctrine; rule; principle |
| 朝鮮民主主義人民共和国 | ちょうせんみんしゅしゅぎじんみんきょうわこく chousenminshushugijinminkyouwakoku | Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea); DPRK |
| 義 | ぎ gi | morality; righteousness; justice |
| 義務 | ぎむ gimu | duty; obligation; responsibility |
| 社会主義 | しゃかいしゅぎ shakaishugi | socialism |
| 正義 | せいぎ seigi | justice; right; righteousness |
Study notes
義 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 13 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #415 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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