字 Kanji Decipher

Meaning & readings

evaluate, criticism, comment

On’yomi ヒョウ

Origin

The kanji 評 combines the word component 言, which means "speech" or "words," with 平 on the right side. The 平 component is primarily a sound hint that suggests how the character is pronounced, rather than contributing to its meaning. Since evaluation and criticism are fundamentally acts of expressing judgment through words, the left side 言 establishes the semantic domain of the character. Together, this character represents the idea of speaking critically or making comments about something—which is what an evaluation does.

評 12 strokes

Components

  • 言 radical left
  • 平 sound hint right

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

Common words

  • 好評 こうひょう favorable reception; good reputation
  • 酷評 こくひょう severe criticism; sharp criticism
  • 書評 しょひょう book review
  • 総評 そうひょう general comment
  • 定評 ていひょう established reputation
  • 批評 ひひょう criticism; critique
  • 評価 ひょうか valuation; appraisal
  • 評議 ひょうぎ conference; discussion

Related kanji

Same sound component 平
Same radical

Easily confused with

These look alike but are unrelated in meaning — check the stroke that differs.

Reference

Strokes
12
Kangxi radical
149
Formation type
Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint)
Grade
Grade 5 (Kyōiku)
Frequency rank
#454 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 2
Unicode
U+08A55