Meaning & readings
lineage, system
On’yomi ケイ
Origin
This character combines two elements to represent a connected line of descent or organization. The top part, a slant stroke, represents a thread or line being pulled, while the bottom part is the character for thread or silk (糸). Together, these components suggest a continuous thread linking things together—much like how family members are connected through lineage, or how individual elements are woven into a system. The image of thread continuing unbroken captures both the idea of ancestry passing down through generations and the concept of an interconnected whole.
Components
- 丿
- 糸
Common words
Easily confused with
These look alike but are unrelated in meaning — check the stroke that differs.
Reference
- Strokes
- 7
- Kangxi radical
- 120
- Formation type
- Compound ideographic (combined meanings)
- Grade
- Grade 6 (Kyōiku)
- Frequency rank
- #567 (newspapers)
- Former JLPT
- level 1
- Unicode
- U+07CFB