Meaning & readings
public, prince, official, governmental
On’yomi コウ、ク
Kun’yomi おおやけ
Nanori あきら、き、きみ、きん、たか、ただし、とも、ひろ、まさ
Origin
This character appears to combine two parts to express the idea of something open and shared. The top component 八 originally depicted something spreading outward or dividing, suggesting openness and breadth. The bottom component 厶 represents a private or personal element. Together, they create the concept of something that spreads beyond the private individual—that is, something public or belonging to everyone. Over time, this came to mean official, governmental, or relating to a prince or public authority, since these are roles and functions that serve the collective rather than private interests.
Components
- 八
- 厶
Common words
Reference
- Strokes
- 4
- Kangxi radical
- 12
- Formation type
- Compound ideographic (combined meanings)
- Grade
- Grade 2 (Kyōiku)
- Frequency rank
- #118 (newspapers)
- Former JLPT
- level 2
- Unicode
- U+0516C