Meaning & readings
rest, day off, retire, sleep
On’yomi キュウ
Kun’yomi やす.む、やす.まる、やす.める
Origin
This character combines a person (the left component) with a tree (the right component). The image suggests a person resting against or leaning on a tree — a natural place to take shelter and recover. Over time, this visual idea of a person finding comfort and stopping activity near a tree came to represent the broader concept of resting, taking a break, or ceasing work. The character eventually expanded to include meanings like sleep and days off, all variations on the core idea of pausing and restoring oneself.
AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Compound ideographic (combined meanings).
Components
- 亻
- 木
Common words
- 運休 うんきゅう suspension (of a transportation service); cancellation
- 休み やすみ rest; recess
- 休む やすむ to be absent; to take a day off
- 休暇 きゅうか holiday; vacation
- 休学 きゅうがく temporary absence from school
- 休刊 きゅうかん suspension of publication
- 休業 きゅうぎょう suspension of business; temporary closure (of a store, school, etc.)
- 休憩 きゅうけい rest; break
Reference
- Strokes
- 6
- Kangxi radical
- 9
- Grade
- Grade 1 (Kyōiku)
- Frequency rank
- #642 (newspapers)
- Former JLPT
- level 4
- Unicode
- U+04F11