級（きゅう、kyuu）
- grade

The Japanese word 級 (きゅう, *kyuu*) primarily means "grade," "rank," "class," or "level." It indicates a degree, a level of proficiency, a category, or a stage. It can refer to various types of classifications, from academic grades to ranks in sports or skill levels.

⚫︎ 日本語能力試験 級 Translation: Japanese Language Proficiency Test Level ⚫︎ 一 級 のレストラン Translation: A first-class restaurant ⚫︎ ゲームのレベルが上がって、上 級 になった Translation: My game level increased, and I leveled up.

級 is used in various contexts to denote a level or degree. ⚫︎ In education, it often refers to academic grades (e.g., 成績はA 級 - *seiseki wa A kyuu*, "My grade is an A"). ⚫︎ It's used in proficiency tests (e.g., 日本語能力試験 - *Nihongo Nouryoku Shiken*, or the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, where different 級s represent different levels of fluency). ⚫︎ In sports and other activities, it indicates ranking or skill levels (e.g., martial arts). ⚫︎ It can also refer to the quality or standard of something (e.g., a "first-class" restaurant).

⚫︎ 級 is usually written as the kanji 級 (きゅう). ⚫︎ Hiragana: きゅう ⚫︎ The okurigana (the suffix hiragana) is not applicable because 級 itself is the word. ⚫︎ There are no common variations in how it is written.

⚫︎ レベル (*reberu*) - level ⚫︎ ランク (*ranku*) - rank ⚫︎ 程度 (*teido*) - degree, level ⚫︎ クラス (*kurasu*) - class (as in a category or group) ⚫︎ 段階 (*dankai*) - stage, step

The antonym of 級 would depend on the specific context: ⚫︎ For "level" or "rank": Lower levels, such as 下位 (*ka-i* - lower rank) ⚫︎ For "quality": The antonym could be words like 劣る (*otoru* - inferior) or 低い (*hikui* - low).

彼は剣道の初 級 を取得した。 ・Translation: He obtained the first-degree black belt in Kendo. ・Explanation: This sentence uses 級 to refer to a rank in martial arts.

このホテルは二 級 のサービスを提供しています。 ・Translation: This hotel provides second-class service. ・Explanation: In this case, 級 indicates the level of service provided.

The kanji 級 (きゅう) is a loanword from Chinese. It originally referred to levels or grades and has maintained that meaning in Japanese. The character itself is a combination of two elements: "糸" ( *ito* - thread or silk) and "及" ( *kyuu* - reach). The combined meaning implies a sequence of threads or degrees to reach the highest level.