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Kanji Detail for 文 - "pattern, letters, learning"

文

  • Meaning

    文 means "pattern, letters, learning."

    1. Writing - Sentences; literature; text.

    2. Pattern - Design; motif; decoration.

    3. Culture - Civilization; refinement.

    4. Character - A written symbol; a letter.

    5. Penny - A small monetary unit.

  • Words using 文

    • 文化 ぶんか Listen culture; civilization; civilisation
    • 文学 ぶんがく Listen literature
    • 文書 ぶんしょ Listen document; writing; letter
    • 文字 もじ Listen letter (of an alphabet); character; writing
    • 文部省 もんぶしょう Listen Ministry of Education, Science and Culture (1871-2001)
    • 論文 ろんぶん Listen thesis; essay; treatise
    • 文庫 ぶんこ Listen library; book collection; paperback book
    • 文明 ぶんめい Listen civilization; civilisation; culture

  • Four-character idioms with 文

    • 文明開化 ぶんめいかいか Listen civilization and enlightenment; Japan's Westernization movement during the Meiji era (Westernisation)
    • 真一文字 まいちもんじ Listen straight line; beeline
    • 一文不通 いちもんふつう Listen total illiteracy
    • 一文半銭 いちもんきなか Listen meagre sum of money
    • 不立文字 ふりゅうもんじ Listen Buddhist revelation through intuitive discernment; Spiritual awakening cannot be experienced with words and letters; Spiritual enlightenment can be attained only by means of communion of mind with mind (Zen Buddhism)
    • 二束三文 にそくさんもん Listen dirt cheap; very cheap

  • Tattoo check: 文

    • Verified meaning: pattern, letters, learning
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read あい, あや, あやみ, おさむ)

    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 文

    Given names 文(あい)Listen 文(あや)Listen 文(あやみ)Listen 文(かざり)Listen 文(かざる)Listen 文(かのう)Listen

    Surnames 文(おさむ)Listen 文(かさう)Listen 文(かさの)Listen 文(かさり)Listen 文(のぶ)Listen 文(びよん)Listen

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    sentence; literature; style; art; decoration; figures; plan; literary radical (no. 67)

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    literature, culture, writing

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    surname Wen

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    culture, literature, writing

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

    Patterns. Such as 文石, 文錦. | Literature. Assembling characters into compositions. Such as 藝文, 文籍. | Characters. Creating according to categories and shapes is 文. Combining form and sound is 字. See (Shuowen Preface). | The manifest aspect of the Way is 文. Meaning the traces of rites, music, laws, and education. (Analects) "King Wen is dead. Is not culture here with me?" Today's 世界文明, 文化 have this meaning. | The opposite of substance. Focusing on appearance rather than reality. Such as 繁文, 浮文, 具文. | The opposite of martial. Such as officials not in charge of military being collectively called 文職. Describing someone refined is 文雅, 文靜, same meaning. | Laws. Such as 舞文, 文致, meaning manipulating laws to condemn people. | Money units are 文. Such as one coin being 一文. | To embellish. (Analects) "The petty person must embellish his faults."

  • Onyomi

    tip

    bun(ブン) ブン

    mon(モン) モン

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    aya(あや) あや

    fumi(ふみ) ふみ

  • Strokes

    tip

    4 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    文 (bun・bunnyo)

  • Related Keywords

    pattern letters learning writing culture appearance character currency decoration measurement penny sentence art civilization communication composition design dialogue discourse document grammar language literature motif prose refinement rhetoric script style symbol syntax

Sentences including 文

  • He's a student of japanese literature.

  • Did you order the book?

  • This order has just come in over the phone.

  • She ordered the book from england.

  • Thank you for looking at my poor scribblings.

  • He's always complaining about the food.

  • I am not as interested in literature as you.

  • The failure in business left me penniless.

  • She says something every time i turn around.

  • She finished her coffee and asked for another.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

More kanji with the radical 文 (bun・bunnyo)

See all kanji with this radical →

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