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.
Components
This character is treated as a single, undivided shape (憩).
Common words
Reference
- Strokes
- 16
- Kangxi radical
- 61
- Formation type
- Pictographic or simple
- Grade
- Jōyō (secondary school)
- Frequency rank
- #1731 (newspapers)
- Former JLPT
- level 1
- Unicode
- U+061A9