The kanji 事 generally conveys the meaning of "thing," "matter," "affair," or "fact." It encompasses a wide range of concepts related to occurrences, events, and subjects. It can refer to concrete things, abstract concepts, or specific situations. It implies something that exists or happens, often with implications of significance or importance.

・On-yomi (音読み): ジ (ji) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): こと (koto)

⚫︎ 仕事 (shigoto) Translation: Work, job. ⚫︎ 事件 (jiken) Translation: Incident, event, case. ⚫︎ 食事 (shokuji) Translation: Meal, dining.

The kanji 事 is a pictograph. It originally depicted a hand 又 holding a weapon or something else 口 . Over time, the meaning of the 口 evolved to represent the mouth, and together with 又, it came to represent "to serve" or "to deal with." Eventually, the meaning broadened to encompass "matter," "affair," or "thing."