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JLPT N39画 · 9 strokesradical 招grade 5freq #3500

invite, beckon

On'yomi (音読み)

  • ショウ
  • ショ

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

  • まね.く

Mnemonic

As I beckon my small friend under the tree, I invite everyone to join us for a picnic.

About this kanji

The kanji 「招」 primarily means to invite or beckon. It is often used as a verb, as in the native reading まね.く, which describes the action of summoning someone or calling them over. In Japanese, you will frequently see it in compounds such as 招待 (しょうたい), which means 'invitation'; 招集 (しょうしゅう), meaning 'summons'; and 招き猫 (まねきねこ), referring to the 'beckoning cat' that is thought to bring good luck. A fun usage note is that the phrase 招かれざる客 (まねかれざるきゃく) translates to 'uninvited guest,' emphasizing the idea of invitation in a negative context.

Built from

Example sentences

  • 友達を招待する予定だ。

    I plan to invite my friends.

Meanings across languages

English
invite, beckon
Tiếng Việt
mời, gọi
日本語
招待する, 招く
한국어
초대하다
中文
邀请
id
mengundang
th
เชื้อเชิญ
es
invitar
fr
inviter
de
einladen
pt
convidar

Common compounds

  • 招待しょうたいinvitation
  • 招集しょうしゅうsummons
  • 招き猫まねきねこbeckoning cat (lucky cat)
  • 招かれざる客まねかれざるきゃくuninvited guest

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