Nihongo

Kanji Detail of 冗

Level:N1 Low
Strokes:4
Stroke Order
Related Words
AI Explanation
Basic Meaning

The kanji primarily conveys the meanings of "excess," "superfluity," "unnecessary," or "trivial." It often implies something that is more than required, redundant, or not essential. It can also suggest something being leisurely or idle due to having too much time or resources.

Readings

・On-yomi (音読み): ジョ (jo) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): None, or rarely used as a standalone verb

Usage Examples

⚫︎ 冗談(じょうだん) Translation: joke, jest ⚫︎ 冗長(じょうちょう) Translation: verbose, prolix, redundant ⚫︎ 冗費(じょうひ) Translation: surplus expenditure; unnecessary expense

Origin and Formation

The kanji is a 形声文字 (keisei moji), which means a phono-semantic compound character. This means it combines a semantic component (meaning) and a phonetic component (sound). The semantic component is likely the radical 亠 (たけかんむり, takekanmuri), which often relates to covering or something above. The phonetic component is 几 (き, ki), which provides the sound element. The combination implies something "above" or "extra" and gives the meaning of excess or superfluity.

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