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Kanji for Life
The kanji most commonly used for "Life" are 生、命、世.
生
Kanji that mean Life
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生
to give birth, life, to grow
Onyomi: sei, shoh Kunyomi: ha.eru, haya.su, i.kasu, i.keru, i.kiru, ki, musu, na.su, nama, naru, o.u, u, u.mu, umare, umareru 5 strokes Jōyō
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命
life, fate, command
Onyomi: mei, myoh Kunyomi: inochi 8 strokes Jōyō
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世
world, generation, life
Onyomi: se, sei, soh Kunyomi: yo 5 strokes Jōyō
生 is life as living: to be alive, to be born, to grow. It gives 人生 (a human life, a lifetime), 生活 (daily living), 生物 (living things) and 誕生 (birth). It is often cited as the character with the most readings in Japanese, and it means “raw” about as often as it means “life” — 生ビール is draft beer.
命 is life as the thing you have one of and can lose. It is 命 (inochi) itself, and the character in 生命 (life in the biological sense) and 一生懸命 (with everything you have, literally staking a life). It also carries fate and command — 運命 (destiny), 命令 (an order) — a genuinely different range from 生.
世 is not life but lifetime and era: 世界 (world), 世代 (generation), 一世 (a first generation). It reaches “life” only in the sense of the age one lives through.
Words using Life kanji
Everyday Japanese vocabulary built from the characters above.
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学生
がくせい
student (esp. a university student)
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革命
かくめい
revolution; 58th year of the sexagenary cycle (in Onmyōdō)
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世界
せかい
the world; society; the universe
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生活
せいかつ
life; living; livelihood
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生命
せいめい
life; existence; (one's) working life
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世代
せだい
generation
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生産
せいさん
production; manufacture
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命令
めいれい
order; command; decree
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世紀
せいき
century; era; of the century (e.g. fight of the century)
Before you use Life kanji
生 and 命 are both safe, but they say different things: 生 is living and growing, 命 is the life you hold and can lose. 生命 and 一生懸命 are the everyday words. Avoid 世 for this sense — it reads as "world" or "generation."