字 Kanji Decipher

Meaning & readings

blame, condemn, censure

On’yomi セキ
Kun’yomi せ.める

Origin

This character combines a sound hint at the top with a meaning component at the bottom. The bottom part, 貝, originally depicted a shell or treasure and relates to value and debt—connecting to the idea of holding someone accountable for what they owe or for a wrong. The top component 龶 provides a sound hint for how to pronounce the character. Together, the character came to mean blame or censure, the idea of calling someone to account for their obligations or wrongdoings.

AI-generated (claude-haiku-4-5), not yet reviewed. Formation type (automated guess): Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint).

責 11 strokes

Components

  • 龶 sound hint top
  • 貝 radical bottom

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

Common words

  • 引責 いんせき taking responsibility
  • 自責 じせき self-condemnation; self-reproach
  • 重責 じゅうせき heavy responsibility
  • 責任 せきにん duty; responsibility (incl. supervision of staff)
  • 責務 せきむ duty; obligation
  • 免責 めんせき exemption from responsibility
  • 問責 もんせき blame; censure
  • 責める せめる to condemn; to blame

Related kanji

Same sound component 龶
Same radical

Reference

Strokes
11
Kangxi radical
154
Grade
Grade 5 (Kyōiku)
Frequency rank
#598 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 2
Unicode
U+08CAC