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Kanji for Power

The kanji most commonly used for "Power" are 力、権、威.

Kanji that mean Power

  • power, to exert, effort

    Onyomi: rii, riki, ryoku Kunyomi: chikara 2 strokes Jōyō

  • right, power

    Also associated with temporary.

    Onyomi: gon, ken Kunyomi: haka.ru, kari, omori 15 strokes Jōyō

  • to threaten, power

    Also associated with stern.

    Onyomi: i Kunyomi: odo.kasu, odo.shi, odo.su 9 strokes Jōyō

  • force, vigor, situation

    Onyomi: sei, zei Kunyomi: hazumi, ikio.i 13 strokes Jōyō

力 is power at its most basic: physical force and the capacity to act. Two strokes, read chikara on its own, it is also the second half of most of the words in this family — 能力 (ability), 体力 (physical strength), 権力, 威力.

権 is power as authority: the right to decide, and the institutions that hold it. 権力 is political power, 権利 is a legal right, 人権 is human rights. It is power granted or claimed rather than power possessed.

威 is power that overawes. 威力 is sheer might, 威厳 is dignity, 脅威 is a threat; joined to 権 it makes 権威, authority in the sense of standing. 勢 is power as momentum, the force behind something already moving, as in 勢力.

Be careful with the dictionary glosses here: 乗 is filed under power only in the mathematical sense — 二乗 means squared — and otherwise means to ride.

Before you use Power kanji

力 is the plain, safe choice and reads as strength or power with no second meaning. 権 is about authority and legal rights and reads bureaucratic. 威 leans toward intimidation — 威圧 is to overawe someone — so it is not a flattering single character to wear.

Other meanings to explore

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