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Kanji Detail for 念 - "thought, desire"

念

  • Meaning

    念 means "thought, desire." Also associated with read aloud.

    1. Thought - An idea; a consideration.

    2. Desire - A wish; a longing.

    3. Read aloud - To recite; to chant.

  • Words using 念

    • 懸念 けねん Listen worry; fear; anxiety
    • 残念 ざんねん Listen regrettable; unfortunate; disappointing
    • 理念 りねん Listen (Platonic) ideal (of how things ought to be, e.g. human rights); foundational principle; idea
    • 念頭 ねんとう Listen (on one's) mind; heed
    • 概念 がいねん Listen general idea; concept; notion
    • 記念日 きねんび Listen memorial day; commemoration day; anniversary
    • 信念 しんねん Listen belief; faith; conviction
    • 断念 だんねん Listen abandoning (hope, plans); giving up

  • Four-character idioms with 念

    • 一念発起 いちねんほっき Listen being resolved to (do something); having a wholehearted intention
    • 既成概念 きせいがいねん Listen stereotype; preconceived idea; preconceived notion
    • 念仏三昧 ねんぶつざんまい Listen being deep in prayer; praying devoutly to Amida Buddha
    • 残念無念 ざんねんむねん Listen deep regret; bitter disappointment; chagrin
    • 残念至極 ざんねんしごく Listen deep regret; bitter disappointment; chagrin
    • 無念千万 むねんせんばん Listen being really disappointed; feeling utterly mortified; being deeply vexed

  • Tattoo check: 念

    • Verified meaning: thought, desire
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read うすい, うすぎぬ, おもい, ねん)
    • Also carries these associations: read aloud

    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 念

    Given names 念(おもい)Listen

    Surnames 念(うすい)Listen 念(うすぎぬ)Listen 念(ねん)Listen

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    wish; sense; idea; thought; feeling; desire; attention

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    think of, recall, study

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    variant of 念[nian4], to read aloud

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    to think of, to recall; to study

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

    To think of. | To recite. Such as 念書, 念經. Also written as 唸. | Colloquially, twenty is 念. Used by Song people in stele inscriptions. See (Records of Metal and Stone Inscriptions).

  • Onyomi

    tip

    nen(ネン) ネン

  • Kunyomi

    tip
    none

  • Strokes

    tip

    8 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    心 忄 (kokoro・shitagokoro・risshimben)

  • Related Keywords

    thought desire read aloud attention feelings think idea awareness chant concentration consideration contemplation emotion intellect intention longing meditation mind recite recollection reflection remembrance sentiment

Sentences including 念

  • We regret his death.

  • I regret to say he's gone for good.

  • I fear so.

  • I am sorry i am unable to attend your party.

  • It is a pity that you cannot come to the party.

  • Unfortunately it will be impossible for us to accept your proposal.

  • Unfortunately , you cannot bring him along.

  • I'm afraid not.

  • It's too bad she can't come to the party.

  • He abandoned the plan.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

More kanji with the radical 心 忄 (kokoro・shitagokoro・risshimben)

See all kanji with this radical →

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