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Kanji Detail for 介 - "to mediate"

介

  • Meaning

    介 means "to mediate." Also associated with armor, to help.

    1. To help - To assist.

    2. To mediate - To come between; to act as a go-between.

    3. To separate - To divide; to keep apart.

    4. Armor - To wear armor.

    5. Alone - To be isolated.

  • Words using 介

    • 介入 かいにゅう Listen intervention
    • 介護 かいご Listen nursing; care; caregiving
    • 仲介 ちゅうかい Listen agency; intermediation
    • 紹介 しょうかい Listen introduction; presentation; referral
    • 魚介類 ぎょかいるい Listen marine products; seafood; fish and shellfish
    • 介助 かいじょ Listen help; assistance; aid
    • 介在 かいざい Listen existing (between); interposition; intervention
    • 厄介 やっかい Listen trouble; burden; nuisance

  • Four-character idioms with 介

    • 狷介不羈 けんかいふき Listen stubbornly sticking to one's own convictions; being stubbornly independent
    • 狷介固陋 けんかいころう Listen stubbornly sticking to old ways; narrow-mindedly rejecting other people's views
    • 狷介孤高 けんかいここう Listen stubborn and aloof

  • Tattoo check: 介

    • Verified meaning: to mediate
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read かい, かいじ, かたし, すけ)
    • Also carries these associations: armor, to help

    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 介

    Given names 介(かい)Listen 介(かたし)Listen 介(すけ)Listen 介(たすく)Listen

    Surnames 介(かいじ)Listen

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    jammed in; shellfish; mediate; concern oneself with

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    forerunner, herald, harbinger; to lie between; sea shell; to wear armor

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    to introduce; to lie between; between; shell; armor

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    agent, go-between, intermediary; to introduce; shell, armor

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

    Between; boundary. Being between two things is called 介. In ancient times, the host had an usher, the guest had an 介. The 介 conveyed words between host and guest, like later interpreters. Today, mediators are called 媒介, 紹介, originating from this. | To help; to assist. (Book of Odes) "To help with great longevity." | Firm; resolute. Such as being unwavering in righteousness is called 耿介. | Armor. 介冑 means armor and helmet. Aquatic creatures with shells are also called 介屬 (shellfish). | Great. Today, calling someone's younger brother 貴介弟 or 介弟. The expression originates from (Zuo Zhuan). | Side; edge. Such as calling riverside 江介. | An individual. Such as 一介行李 (a single messenger). 一介 means one person. See (Zuo Zhuan). | Interchangeable with 芥. Trivial matters are called 纖介, meaning as fine as a mustard seed. Today's 介意, 介懷 originate from this. Hence feeling uneasy is called 介介, like saying 耿耿. See (Book of Later Han).

  • Onyomi

    tip

    kai(カイ) カイ

  • Kunyomi

    tip
    none

  • Strokes

    tip

    4 strokes

  • Radical

    tip

    人 亻 (hito・nimben・hitogashira・hitoyane)

  • Related Keywords

    to help to mediate armor alone shell edge intervening separating agent assist between liaison mediator middleman divide isolated carapace exoskeleton

Sentences including 介

  • Please let me introduce myself.

  • I want you to meet my parents.

  • They met through her introduction.

  • We didn't have much trouble.

  • It's a difficult matter.

  • I am afraid i'll be a burden to you.

  • Will you introduce me to her?

  • Let me introduce my mother to you.

  • Let me introduce you to him.

  • Let me introduce my parents to you.

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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