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Kanji for Kindness

The kanji most commonly used for "Kindness" are 恵、恩、仁.

Kanji that mean Kindness

  • to bless, wise

    Also associated with gentle, wisdom.

    Onyomi: e, kei Kunyomi: megu.mi, megu.mu 10 strokes Jōyō

  • grace, blessing, gratitude

    Onyomi: on 10 strokes Jōyō

  • benevolence, humanity, kernel

    Onyomi: jin, ni, nin 4 strokes Jōyō

  • moisture

    Also associated with thick, luster.

    Onyomi: aku Kunyomi: atsu.i, uruo.u 12 strokes Jinmeiyō

恩 is kindness seen from the receiving end. It is a favor you owe something for: 恩人 is the person who did you a decisive good turn, 恩師 a teacher you remain grateful to, 恩返し the act of repaying kindness. It carries obligation, which the English word does not.

恵 is kindness given freely — blessing, grace, bounty. 恵み is what nature or fortune bestows and 恵まれる is to be blessed with something. It is one of the most common name characters for women (Megumi, Keiko), and it also appears in 知恵 (wisdom), a sense unrelated to kindness.

惠 is the same character as 恵 in its older, pre-reform shape, kept on the name list for family names and traditional spellings. It is not a separate word.

渥 is rare. Its dictionary sense is moistening, with kindness by extension, and in practice it is met almost only in given names such as Atsushi.

Words using Kindness kanji

Everyday Japanese vocabulary built from the characters above.

  • 知恵 ちえ Listen wisdom; wit; sagacity
  • 恩恵 おんけい Listen grace; favor; favour
  • 恩赦 おんしゃ Listen amnesty; pardon
  • 最恵国 さいけいこく Listen most favored nation; most favoured nation; MFN
  • 恩師 おんし Listen teacher (to whom one owes a debt of gratitude); mentor; one's former teacher
  • 恵み めぐみ Listen blessing; grace
  • 恩返し おんがえし Listen paying back a favour; repayment (of an obligation, kindness, etc.)
  • 恵まれる めぐまれる Listen to be blessed with; to be rich in; to abound in
  • 恩人 おんじん Listen benefactor; patron; person to whom one owes a great deal

Before you use Kindness kanji

恵 is the safe choice and reads as blessing and grace. 恩 reads as a debt of gratitude rather than as being a kind person, which makes it an odd thing to wear about yourself. 渥 will be read as a name character, not as a word.

Other meanings to explore

See all kanji by meaning →

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