life, birth, raw
On'yomi (音読み)
- セイ
- ショウ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- なま
- い.きる
- う.まれる
- は.える
- き
- な.る
About this kanji
The kanji 生 primarily means life, birth, or raw, and is often used in both nouns and verbs. For example, in the compound 生活 (せいかつ), it refers to one’s lifestyle or way of living. Another common usage is 生まれる (うまれる), which means "to be born." You might also see 生肉 (なまにく), meaning "raw meat," highlighting the meaning of something being fresh or uncooked. This kanji indicates the concept of being alive or natural. An important note is that 生 can represent different nuances depending on its context, so pay attention to how it is used in sentences.
Example sentences
私は生徒です。
I am a student.
Meanings across languages
- English
- life, birth, raw
- Tiếng Việt
- cuộc sống, sinh, sống
- 日本語
- 生, 誕生, 生まれる
- 한국어
- 생명, 출생, 생
- 中文
- 生命, 出生, 生的
- id
- kehidupan, lahir, mentah
- th
- ชีวิต, การเกิด, ดิบ
- es
- vida, nacimiento, crudo
- fr
- vie, naissance, cru
- de
- Leben, Geburt, roh
- pt
- vida, nascimento, cru
Common compounds
- 生活せいかつlife, living
- 生まれるうまれるto be born
- 生肉なまにくraw meat
- 学生がくせいstudent
Want to actually learn this kanji?
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