Meaning & readings

recess, rest, relax, repose

On’yomi ケイ
Kun’yomi いこ.い、いこ.う

Origin

This character combines the idea of the heart or feelings (the left side, which relates to emotions and mental states) with elements suggesting a pause or stopping point. The right side appears to reference a moment of stillness or cessation. Together, the character visually represents the heart or mind coming to rest, which is how it came to mean relaxation, repose, or taking a break. The combination of these components—one pointing to the inner self and one suggesting quietness—directly expresses the concept of finding peace and comfort through rest.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Pictographic or simple.

16 strokes

Components

This character is treated as a single, undivided shape (憩).

  • meaning part

Common words

  • 休憩 きゅうけい rest; break
  • 憩い いこい rest; relaxation
  • 憩う いこう to rest; to relax
  • 休憩所 きゅうけいじょ rest area; rest stop
  • 休憩時間 きゅうけいじかん rest period; intermission

Reference

Strokes
16
Kangxi radical
61
Grade
Jōyō (secondary school)
Frequency rank
#1731 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 1
Unicode
U+061A9