do, change, make, benefit

About this kanji

The kanji 為, pronounced "i" in on'yomi and "tame" or "naru/nasu/suru" in kun'yomi, primarily means "to do" or "to make." It often appears in verbs, but also in nouns. For example, 為替 (かわせ) means "money order," and 行為 (こうい) translates as "act." The verb 為る (する) is very common and means "to do." Another interesting compound is 人為 (じんい), which means "human work." Note that this kanji can indicate not only actions but also the results of those actions, so context is essential for understanding its nuanced meanings.

Example sentences

• 自分の為だけに働くのは難しい。

  It's difficult to work only for oneself.

Meanings across languages

English

do, change, make, benefit, welfare, be of use, reach to, try, practice, cost, serve as, good, advantage, as a result of

Tiếng Việt

làm, thay đổi, tạo ra, lợi ích, phúc lợi, hữu ích, đạt tới, cố gắng, thực hành, chi phí, đóng vai trò, tốt, ưu thế, do kết quả của

日本語

する, 変える, 作る, 利益, 福祉, 役立つ, 至る, 試みる, 実践する, コスト, 役立つ, 良い, 利益, その結果として

한국어

하다, 변화시키다, 만들다, 이익, 복지, 도움이 되다, 도달하다, 시도하다, 연습하다, 비용, 역할을 하다, 좋은, 장점, 결과로서

中文

做, 改变, 制造, 利益, 福利, 有用, 达到, 尝试, 实践, 成本, 充当, 好, 优势, 作为结果

id

melakukan

th

ทำ

es

hacer

fr

faire

de

tun

pt

fazer

Common compounds

• 為替かわせmoney order, draft, exchange (e.g. foreign)
• 行為こういact, deed, conduct
• 為るするto do, to carry out, to perform
• 人為じんいhuman work, human agency, art
• 所為せいconsequence, outcome, result
• 為すなすto do, to commit, to carry out
• 為さるなさるto do
• 人為的じんいてきartificial, unnatural, human-caused (e.g. mistake, error, disaster)