字 Kanji Decipher

Meaning & readings

consolation, amusement, seduce, cheer, make sport of, comfort, console

On’yomi イ
Kun’yomi なぐさ.める、なぐさ.む

Origin

This character combines a sound hint with the heart or emotions radical. The top component, 尉, provides a rough guide to pronunciation (い). The bottom component, 心, means heart or feelings and acts as a classifier showing that this character relates to emotions and the inner self. Together they form a character that means to comfort or console someone — soothing or cheering someone's heart when they feel troubled or sad.

慰 15 strokes

Components

  • 尉 sound hint top
  • 心 radical bottom

A sound hint component points at the character’s pronunciation, not its meaning — don’t read a meaning into it.

Common words

  • 慰安 いあん solace; relaxation
  • 慰問 いもん visit to console someone; giving comfort (to the sick, injured, etc.)
  • 慰謝 いしゃ consolation
  • 慰霊 いれい consoling the spirits of the dead
  • 慰める なぐさめる to comfort; to console
  • 慰霊祭 いれいさい memorial service

Related kanji

Same sound component 尉
Same radical

Reference

Strokes
15
Kangxi radical
61
Formation type
Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint)
Grade
Jōyō (secondary school)
Frequency rank
#1158 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 1
Unicode
U+06170