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Kanji Detail for 魁 - "leader, vanguard"
魁
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Meaning
魁 means "leader, vanguard." Also associated with large.
Large - Big; outstanding; excellent.
Leader - Chief; one who leads; captain.
Vanguard - The front; the forefront.
Big Dipper - A large ladle; the constellation.
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Four-character idioms with 魁
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容貌魁偉
ようぼうかいい
(a man) having a commanding face and a powerful physique
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容貌魁偉
ようぼうかいい
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Origin of 魁
鬼, the demon, which lends the reading kai, beside 斗, the ladle: the oldest gloss is a big soup ladle. The bowl of the Big Dipper has that same shape, and 魁 also names its leading star; the word means "big" as well, and the sense of chief or pioneer is usually explained from there.
How to remember it: The ladle 斗 shape the Dipper wears in the sky — and whoever goes first: the vanguard.
Sources: en.wiktionary.org · mojinavi.com
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Tattoo check: 魁
- Verified meaning: leader, vanguard
- Jinmeiyō kanji — officially approved for use in Japanese given names
- Used in real Japanese given names (read いさお, いさむ, かい, かいと)
- Also carries these associations: large
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.
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Name readings of 魁
Given names 魁(いさお)
魁(いさむ)
魁(かい)
魁(かいと)
魁(さきがけ)
魁(つとむ)
魁(はじめ)
魁(やすし)
魁(るい)
Surnames 魁(すぐる)
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Compare with other kanji that mean the same thing:
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Dictionary Citations
The meaning above is based on the following sources:
KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary
charging ahead of others
Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters
chief; leader; best; monstrous
CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary
chief; head; outstanding; exceptional; stalwart
Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data
chief, leader; best; monstrous
XSZD Xuéshēng Zìdiǎn (學生字典) - Student's Dictionary
A leader. The head of a group is called 魁. | In the imperial examination system, scholars were selected in five classics. The top candidate in each classic was called 魁. Either called 五魁 (five leaders) or 經魁 (classics leader). The zhuangyuan (top scholar) was called 大魁. | Tall and large. As in describing one's appearance as 魁梧 (imposing). | A star name. The first to fourth stars of the Big Dipper. Colloquially, the Kui constellation is erroneously called 魁星. During imperial examinations, it was worshipped as a deity believed to govern literary fortune. | A type of ladle. The end opposite the handle is called 魁. Hence called 羹魁 (soup ladle). | Aquatic creatures with shells. Those whose shells are spoon-shaped are also called 魁. Such as crabs, clams, and mussels. | Bulb-type plants. Their roots are called 魁. As in 芋魁 (taro corm).
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Onyomi
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Kunyomi
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Strokes
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Radical
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Related Keywords