Meaning & readings
example, custom, usage, precedent
On’yomi レイ
Kun’yomi たと.える
Origin
The left component represents a person, which hints at the overall meaning of doing something in the way that people typically do it. The right component provides a sound hint for pronunciation — it doesn't add meaning to the character itself. Together, the character came to mean an example or precedent, the kind of customary way that people follow based on what others have done before. The idea of "a person doing what is established" naturally connects to the concept of an example or usage that others can imitate.
Components
- 亻
- 列
A sound hint component points at the character’s pronunciation, not its meaning — don’t read a meaning into it.
Common words
Reference
- Strokes
- 8
- Kangxi radical
- 9
- Formation type
- Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint)
- Grade
- Grade 4 (Kyōiku)
- Frequency rank
- #399 (newspapers)
- Former JLPT
- level 2
- Unicode
- U+04F8B