Meaning & readings

bestow, participate in, give, award, impart, provide, cause, gift, godsend

On’yomi
Kun’yomi あた.える、あずか.る、くみ.する、ともに
Nanori とも、ゆ

Origin

This character appears to be a pictographic representation of two hands or arms coming together. The three strokes form a simplified image suggesting the gesture of giving or exchanging something between people. The idea of hands meeting or extending toward each other naturally captures the meaning of "bestow" or "give"—the basic human action of passing something from one person to another. Over time, this visual foundation expanded to include related meanings like "participate in" and "provide," all rooted in the original concept of hands joined in the act of giving or sharing.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Pictographic or simple.

3 strokes

Components

This character is treated as a single, undivided shape (与).

  • meaning part

Common words

  • 関与 かんよ participation; taking part in
  • 寄与 きよ contribution; service
  • 給与 きゅうよ pay; salary
  • 供与 きょうよ giving; provision
  • 参与 さんよ participation; taking part
  • 授与 じゅよ awarding; conferment
  • 賞与 しょうよ bonus
  • 贈与 ぞうよ donation; presentation

Reference

Strokes
3
Kangxi radical
1
Grade
Jōyō (secondary school)
Frequency rank
#308 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 2
Unicode
U+04E0E