字 Kanji Decipher

Meaning & readings

interval, space

On’yomi カン、ケン
Kun’yomi あいだ、ま、あい
Nanori ちか、は、はざ、はし

Origin

This character combines a gate (門) with the sun or day (日) inside it. The image suggests looking through a doorway or opening, which creates the sense of a space or interval between things. The gate frame represents a boundary or opening, while the sun inside shows what you see through that space—the area in between. Over time, this visual idea of "something in the middle" or "the space between" became the character's main meaning of interval or space.

間 12 strokes

Components

  • 門 radical enclosure
  • 日 meaning part

Common words

  • 間隔 かんかく space; interval
  • 間近 まぢか near; close (to)
  • 間口 まぐち frontage; width (of a building, plot of land, etc.)
  • 間際 まぎわ the point just before ...; the point of (doing)
  • 間食 かんしょく eating between meals; snacking
  • 間接 かんせつ indirection; indirectness
  • 間中 あいだじゅう during
  • 間柄 あいだがら relationship; relation

Related kanji

Same radical
Shares components

Reference

Strokes
12
Kangxi radical
169
Formation type
Compound ideographic (combined meanings)
Grade
Grade 2 (Kyōiku)
Frequency rank
#33 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 4
Unicode
U+09593