bowl
On'yomi (音読み)
- ヒ
- ビ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
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About this kanji
The kanji 琵, pronounced as "bi" or "hi," primarily means "bowl." However, it is most commonly encountered in specific compounds rather than alone. A notable example is 琵琶 (biwa), which refers to the traditional Japanese lute, an important musical instrument in Japan. Another common compound is 琵琶湖 (Biwa-ko), the name of Japan’s largest lake, located in Shiga Prefecture. Since琵 doesn’t have a standalone native reading, you will mostly see it used in these combinations. Keep in mind that you will often encounter this kanji in cultural contexts related to music and geography.
Built from
Example sentences
琵琶の音色は心を癒す。
The sound of the biwa heals the soul.
Meanings across languages
- English
- bowl
- Tiếng Việt
- bát, chén
- 日本語
- おおきな器, 陸に浮いている楽器
- 한국어
- 그릇
- 中文
- 碗
- id
- mangkuk
- th
- ชาม
- es
- tazón
- fr
- bol
- de
- Schale
- pt
- tigela
Common compounds
- 琵琶びわbiwa (Japanese lute)
- 琵琶湖びわこLake Biwa
Want to actually learn this kanji?
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