Nihongo

Kanji Detail of 尽

Level:N1 Low
Strokes:6
Stroke Order
Related Words
AI Explanation
Basic Meaning

The kanji primarily conveys the idea of "to use up," "to exhaust," "to run out," "to finish," or "to do one's utmost." It implies a complete depletion or the ultimate extent of something, whether it be resources, effort, or time. It often suggests a sense of thoroughness or totality.

Readings

・On-yomi (音読み): ジン ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): く.す (tsu.kus (u)) - to exhaust, to use up, to do one's best; きる (tsu.kiru) - to run out, to be exhausted

Usage Examples

⚫︎ 力 (ぜんりょく) Translation: Utmost effort; all one's efforts; doing one's best. ⚫︎ き果てる (ききはてる) Translation: To be exhausted; to be worn out. ⚫︎ きる (とききる) Translation: To be finished; to be over (time)

Origin and Formation

The kanji is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). The character combines the radical 尸 (しかばね, しかばら) which means "corpse", and the phonetic component 聿 (itsu), indicating its pronunciation and also with a meaning related to a brush. The original meaning was related to "to finish, end". Over time, it evolved to represent a broader sense of depletion or exhaustion.

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