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役

Today’s #kanji is #役, which is listed under its semantic element of #ぎょうにんべん(彳) which has the meaning of “going.” Its phonetic element is 殳 though 役 and 殳 do not share a sound in Japanese. 殳 is a name of a weapon. So can you guess what 役 means then?

Meaning: work, task, war, etc.
Reading: ヤク、エキ

役者(ヤクシャ): n. an actor, people of the stage
役所(ヤクショ): n. a public office, a government office
役人(ヤクニン): n. a government official, a public servant
助役(ジョヤク): n. an assistant official, a headman’s assistant
配役(ハイヤク): n. the cast (of a play), casting

役夫(エキフ): n. a labourer
課役(カエキ): n. allocation of work, an allocated job
苦役(クエキ): n. toil, labour; hard labor
現役(ゲンエキ): exp. (be on) active service

ちち80歳はちじゅっさいだが、まだ現役げんえきです。
My father is eighty but he’s still working.
おとうと現役げんえき大学だいがく合格ごうかくしました。
My brother passed a university entrance examination during his last year of high school.


使役(シエキ): n. work, labour; 【grammar】 causative

  • ぎょうにんべん

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