Meaning & readings

cause, factor, be associated with, depend on, be limited to

On’yomi イン
Kun’yomi よ.る、ちな.む
Nanori

Origin

This character shows a large person () enclosed or surrounded by a square frame (囗). The square represents a boundary or container, while the large figure inside suggests something that is caught, held, or limited within it. The meaning of "cause" or "factor" comes from the idea of something being bound or constrained — a cause is what holds an effect in place or what something depends on. Over time, this visual image of containment evolved to represent the abstract notion of causation and dependency.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Compound ideographic (combined meanings).

6 strokes

Components

  • radical enclosure
  • meaning part
  • radical enclosure

Common words

  • 一因 いちいん one cause; one reason
  • 因縁 いんねん fate; destiny
  • 因果 いんが cause and effect; causality
  • 因子 いんし factor
  • 起因 きいん to be caused by; to result from
  • 原因 げんいん cause; origin
  • 死因 しいん cause of death
  • 主因 しゅいん primary cause; main factor

Reference

Strokes
6
Kangxi radical
31
Grade
Grade 5 (Kyōiku)
Frequency rank
#636 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 2
Unicode
U+056E0