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Kanji Detail for 命 - "life, fate, command"

命

  • Meaning

    命 means "life, fate, command."

    1. Life - The state of being alive.

    2. Fate - Destiny; one's lot in life.

    3. Order - A command; an instruction.

    4. Name - To designate; to appoint.

  • Words using 命

    • 革命 かくめい Listen revolution; 58th year of the sexagenary cycle (in Onmyōdō)
    • 生命 せいめい Listen life; existence; (one's) working life
    • 命令 めいれい Listen order; command; decree
    • 懸命 けんめい Listen eager; earnest; strenuous
    • 一生懸命 いっしょうけんめい Listen very hard; with utmost effort; as hard as one can
    • 亡命 ぼうめい Listen fleeing from one's country; seeking asylum; defection
    • 使命 しめい Listen mission; errand; task
    • 運命 うんめい Listen fate; destiny; lot

  • Four-character idioms with 命

    • 一生懸命 いっしょうけんめい Listen very hard; with utmost effort; as hard as one can
    • 至上命令 しじょうめいれい Listen unconditional command; must-obey order
    • 一所懸命 いっしょけんめい Listen very hard; with utmost effort; as hard as one can
    • 不惜身命 ふしゃくしんみょう Listen devoting one's body and soul to Buddhist teachings; unsparing devotion to Buddhism
    • 五十知命 ごじゅうちめい Listen at age fifty, one comes to know the will of Heaven
    • 佳人薄命 かじんはくめい Listen beauties die young; beauty and luck seldom go together

  • Origin of 命

    令, the command — a figure kneeling under a roof to receive orders — with 口, the mouth that speaks them: life as what is decreed. Your 命 is the order you were given at birth.

    How to remember it: An order 令 spoken 口 once, at your birth — life: the command you are still carrying out.

    Sources: en.wiktionary.org · mojinavi.com

  • Tattoo check: 命

    • Verified meaning: life, fate, command
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read あきら, いのち, まこと, みこと)

    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 命

    Given names 命(あきら)Listen 命(いのち)Listen 命(まこと)Listen 命(みこと)Listen 命(めい)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

    fate; command; decree; destiny; life; appoint

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    life; destiny, fate, luck; an order, instruction

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    life; fate; order or command; to assign a name, title etc

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    life; destiny, fate, luck; an order, instruction

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

    An order. Major ones are called 命; minor ones are called 令. | Words of conferring rank and reward are called 命. Such as 誥命 (imperial mandate). | Heavenly mandate. In old times, all matters of fortune and misfortune, gain and loss, as if directed by something beyond human power, were called 命. | Life. Those who die peacefully are said to 考終命. Those who don't die peacefully are said to 死於非命 (die an unnatural death). | Name. 亡命 means escaping by removing one's name from the register.

  • Onyomi

    tip

    mei(メイ) メイ

    myoh(ミョウ) ミョウ

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    inochi(いのち) いのち

  • Strokes

    tip

    8 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    人 亻 (hito・nimben・hitogashira・hitoyane)口 (kuchi・kuchihen)

  • Related Keywords

    life fate command order aim honor destiny alive birth existence govern instruction longevity mortality purpose soul spirit

Sentences including 命

  • Are you sure you want to put your life in her hands?

  • If he will not work hard , he will be fired.

  • It will pay you to study hard.

  • She laid down her life for her country.

  • Work as hard as you can.

  • I work hard and play hard.

  • The work cost him his life.

  • He tried hard , but failed.

  • Long may he live !

  • She was busy doing her hair.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

More kanji with the radical 人 亻 (hito・nimben・hitogashira・hitoyane)

See all kanji with this radical →

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