Meaning & readings

officer, an official

On’yomi
Nanori さと、し

Origin

This character combines two elements: the box or mouth symbol (), which often represents official matters or speech, and the tall measure symbol (), which appears twice to emphasize authority or stature. The repetition of the taller element suggests someone of standing or rank, while the mouth component indicates their role involves giving orders and handling official business. Together, these parts evoke the idea of a person in an official position—someone with authority who speaks on behalf of the government.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Compound ideographic (combined meanings).

6 strokes

Components

  • meaning part
  • radical
  • meaning part

Common words

  • 官吏 かんり government official; public servant

Reference

Strokes
6
Kangxi radical
30
Grade
Jōyō (secondary school)
Frequency rank
Former JLPT
level 1
Unicode
U+0540F