字 Kanji Decipher

Meaning & readings

employee, member, number, the one in charge

On’yomi イン
Nanori いな、かず

Origin

This character combines two elements to represent a person in a defined role. The box shape at the top (口) represents an enclosed space or boundary, suggesting a defined position or group. Below it, the shell or treasure symbol (貝) originally referred to valuable items and came to represent goods or resources. Together, these parts suggest someone contained within an organization or position—a person counted as a member of a group or workforce. Over time, this became the standard way to write the word for employee or member.

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

員 10 strokes

Components

  • 口 radical top
  • 貝 meaning part bottom

Common words

  • 委員 いいん committee member
  • 一員 いちいん one person; one member
  • 員数 いんずう (total) number (of people or things); count
  • 駅員 えきいん (train) station attendant; station employee
  • 課員 かいん section staff
  • 会員 かいいん member; the membership
  • 議員 ぎいん member of an assembly; member of the Diet
  • 客員 きゃくいん guest member; associate member

Related kanji

Same radical
Shares components

Reference

Strokes
10
Kangxi radical
30
Grade
Grade 3 (Kyōiku)
Frequency rank
#54 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 3
Unicode
U+054E1