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Kanji Detail for 開 - "open, begin"

開

  • Meaning

    開 means "open, begin." Also associated with develop.

    1. Open - To make accessible; to unlock.

    2. Begin - To start; to commence.

    3. Develop - To expand; to grow; to progress.

    4. Spread - To extend; to unfold.

  • Words using 開

    • 開発 かいはつ Listen development; cultivation; application
    • 公開 こうかい Listen opening to the public; making available to the public; exhibiting
    • 展開 てんかい Listen development; evolution; progression
    • 開催 かいさい Listen holding (a conference, exhibition, etc.); opening; hosting (e.g. the Olympics)
    • 開始 かいし Listen start; commencement; beginning
    • 開放 かいほう Listen opening (a door, window, etc.); leaving open; opening up (e.g. to the public)
    • 再開 さいかい Listen reopening; resumption; restarting
    • 開幕 かいまく Listen raising the curtain; opening (of an event); start

  • Four-character idioms with 開

    • 文明開化 ぶんめいかいか Listen civilization and enlightenment; Japan's Westernization movement during the Meiji era (Westernisation)
    • 天地開闢 てんちかいびゃく Listen creation of heaven and earth
    • 局面打開 きょくめんだかい Listen breakthrough in the situation; break in the deadlocked situation
    • 転迷開悟 てんめいかいご Listen casting away one's vices or worldly desires and achieving enlightenment
    • 門戸開放 もんこかいほう Listen open door policy
    • 開口一番 かいこういちばん Listen at the very beginning of one's speech; immediately upon opening one's mouth (to speak); before anything else

  • Tattoo check: 開

    • Verified meaning: open, begin
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read かい, さとる, はり, はる)
    • Also carries these associations: develop

    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 開

    Given names 開(さとる)Listen 開(はるき)Listen 開(ひらく)Listen

    Surnames 開(かい)Listen 開(はり)Listen 開(はる)Listen 開(ひらき)Listen

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    open; unfold; unseal

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    open; initiate, begin, start

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    to open (transitive or intransitive); (of ships, vehicles, troops etc) to start; to turn on; to put in operation; to operate; to run; to boil; to write out (a prescription, check, invoice etc); (directional complement) away; off; carat (gold); abbr. for Kelvin, 開爾文|开尔文[Kai1 er3 wen2]; abbr. for 開本|开本[kai1 ben3], book format

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    to open; to start, to initiate, to begin

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

    The opposite of 閉. To open a door. | To bloom. As in flowers blooming is called 花開. | To excavate. As in 開河 (dig a river), 開礦 (open a mine). | To begin. As in 開創 (found), 開端 (start). | To separate. As in 擘開 (split open). | To spread out. As in 開筵 (set a feast). | To expand. Du Fu's poem says: "How much expansion of borders." | Broad-minded. As in 開朗 (cheerful), 開明 (enlightened). | To release. As in 開釋 (release), 開放 (open up). | To list. As in listing items is called 開單, 開賬. | To depart. As in 開船 (set sail), 開車 (start a vehicle). | Fraction. As in one-fourth is colloquially called 四開. One-eighth is colloquially called 八開. A single sheet of paper is also called 一開. | To remove. As in 開缺, 開去差使 (dismiss from duty) and the like. | To boil. Colloquially boiling water is called 開水.

  • Onyomi

    tip

    kai(カイ) カイ

  • Kunyomi

    tip

    a.keru(あ-ける) あ-ける

    a.ku(あ-く) あ-く

    bira.ki(びら-き) びら-き

    hira.keru(ひら-ける) ひら-ける

    hira.ki(ひら-き) ひら-き

    hira.ku(ひら-く) ひら-く

  • Strokes

    tip

    12 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    門 (mon・mongamae・kadogamae)

  • Related Keywords

    open begin develop release separate spread start unlock expand bloom reveal launch inaugurate commence unfold pioneer expose blossom unseal flourish

Sentences including 開

  • The door opened.

  • Please open the window.

  • I opened my account with the bank.

  • Are they open on sunday?

  • We started it again right after dinner.

  • Open the door , please.

  • The policeman observed the man open the door.

  • You can tear the box open.

  • Don't leave the door open.

  • Open the door.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

More kanji with the radical 門 (mon・mongamae・kadogamae)

See all kanji with this radical →

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