Meaning & readings
instead, on the contrary, rather, step back, withdraw, retreat
On’yomi キャク
Kun’yomi かえ.って、しりぞ.く、しりぞ.ける
Origin
This character combines a sound hint on the left with a classifying component on the right. The left part, 去 (which means "go" or "depart"), provides a rough guide to how the character is pronounced. The right part, 卩, is a classifier that narrows down the semantic category — it suggests a connection to movement or change of position. Together, these components created a character whose meanings cluster around stepping back, retreating, or going against expectation — the sense of moving away from or contradicting what was expected.
Components
- 去
- 卩
A sound hint component points at the character’s pronunciation, not its meaning — don’t read a meaning into it.
Common words
- 棄却 ききゃく rejection; dismissal
- 却下 きゃっか rejection; dismissal
- 償却 しょうきゃく repayment; redemption
- 焼却 しょうきゃく incineration; destruction by fire
- 退却 たいきゃく retreat; withdrawal
- 脱却 だっきゃく ridding oneself; freeing oneself of
- 売却 ばいきゃく selling off; disposal by sale
- 返却 へんきゃく return (of something borrowed or entrusted); returning
Reference
- Strokes
- 7
- Kangxi radical
- 26
- Formation type
- Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint)
- Grade
- Jōyō (secondary school)
- Frequency rank
- #959 (newspapers)
- Former JLPT
- level 1
- Unicode
- U+05374