Nihongo

Kanji Detail of 俳

Level:N1 Low
Strokes:10
Stroke Order
Related Words
AI Explanation
Basic Meaning

The kanji primarily conveys the meaning of "haiku" or "a person who composes haiku." It's closely associated with poetry, particularly the short form of Japanese poetry known as haiku, and by extension, someone who practices or is skilled in this art. It can also imply a sense of performance or acting related to the theatrical aspects of haiku.

Readings

・On-yomi (音読み): はい (hai) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): none

Usage Examples

⚫︎俳句 Translation: haiku (a type of Japanese poem) ⚫︎俳人 Translation: haiku poet ⚫︎俳諧 Translation: a type of comic linked verse poetry

Origin and Formation

The kanji is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字, けいせいもじ). The left side is the "亻" radical (にんべん, ninben), representing "person" or "human." The right side is "非" (hi), which originally meant "not" or "wrong," but in this case, it gives a phonetic clue for the sound "hai." Thus, combines the element of "person" with a sound component, indicating someone associated with the act of creating or performing poetry. Over time, the character has become specifically linked to the art of haiku.

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