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Kanji Detail for 力 - "power, to exert, effort"

力

  • Meaning

    力 means "power, to exert, effort."

    1. Power - Strength; force; capability.

    2. Effort - Exertion; hard work.

    3. To exert - To put forth strength.

    4. Ability - Capacity; skill.

  • Words using 力

    • 努力 どりょく Listen effort; exertion; endeavour
    • 勢力 せいりょく Listen influence; power; might
    • 協力 きょうりょく Listen cooperation; collaboration; help
    • 実力 じつりょく Listen (real) ability; true strength; merit
    • 有力 ゆうりょく Listen influential; prominent; leading
    • 権力 けんりょく Listen (political) power; authority; influence
    • 武力 ぶりょく Listen armed might; military power; the sword
    • 能力 のうりょく Listen ability; faculty

  • Four-character idioms with 力

    • 不可抗力 ふかこうりょく Listen act of God; irresistible force; inevitability
    • 他力本願 たりきほんがん Listen salvation by faith in Amitabha; relying on others; depending on others
    • 全力投球 ぜんりょくとうきゅう Listen using all of one's strength (to); giving (it) everything one has got; going full-out
    • 力戦奮闘 りきせんふんとう Listen fighting with all one's might; fighting up against; making strenuous efforts
    • 努力奮励 どりょくふんれい Listen making strenuous efforts; exerting oneself
    • 勢力伯仲 せいりょくはくちゅう Listen (two sides) being evenly matched in influence or power

  • Origin of 力

    A pictograph of a hand-plough, the tool that takes strength to drive — the reading most modern scholars prefer; the Shuowen saw instead the sinews of a flexed arm. Either way, the two strokes draw effort itself.

    How to remember it: Two strokes of a hand-plough — or, as the Shuowen had it, a flexed arm. Either way: strength.

    Sources: en.wiktionary.org · mojinavi.com

  • Tattoo check: 力

    • Verified meaning: power, to exert, effort
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read いさお, いさむ, たかりき, ちから)

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Name readings of 力

    Given names 力(いさお)Listen 力(いさむ)Listen 力(ちから)Listen 力(つとむ)Listen 力(つとめ)Listen 力(つよし)Listen 力(ていりき)Listen 力(りき)Listen

    Surnames 力(たかりき)Listen

  • Compare with other kanji that mean the same thing:

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    power; strength; strong; strain; bear up; exert

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    power, capability, influence; Kangxi radical 19

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    surname Li

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    strength, power; capability, influence

    XSZD Xuéshēng Zìdiǎn (學生字典) - Student's Dictionary

    Muscular strength. The function of animal muscles, used to move limbs and accomplish tasks. In science, the study of principles of objects' self-movement and movement by external force is called 力學 (mechanics). | All that the mind reaches is called 力. Such as 目力 (eyesight), 耳力 (hearing). | A person's ability to handle affairs. Such as 勢力 (power), 權力 (authority), 力不從心 (the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak). | What objects can bear is also called 力. Such as 筆力 (brushwork power), 馬力 (horsepower). | Diligent. Such as 孝弟力田, meaning being filial to parents and elder brothers while being diligent in farming. | To strive. Such as 力求節儉, meaning to strive with all one's might. | One who works for others is called 力. See (Tao Qian's writings).

  • Onyomi

    tip

    rii(リイ) リイ

    riki(リキ) リキ

    ryoku(リョク) リョク

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    chikara(ちから) ちから

  • Strokes

    tip

    2 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    力 (chikara)

  • Related Keywords

    power effort to exert ability momentum energy strength force authority brawn capacity dominance dynamism exertion fortitude impact influence intensity might muscle potency potential prowess push resilience robustness stamina vigor

Sentences including 力

  • The students are making good progress in english.

  • With all his efforts , he couldn't succeed.

  • He is stronger than i am.

  • Your efforts resulted in the success.

  • Our effort ended in failure.

  • Man alone has the ability to reason.

  • I tried my best , only to fail again.

  • He is above all others in originality.

  • Whether you will succeed or not depends on your efforts.

  • I'm glad i could help.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

More kanji with the radical 力 (chikara)

See all kanji with this radical →

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