slave, servant, prisoner, criminal

About this kanji

The kanji 隷 (れい) primarily means slave or servant and can imply a sense of being under someone else's control. It is used in both noun and verb forms, though it is often seen as a noun in contexts related to servitude or imprisonment. Some common compounds include 奴隷 (どれい), which means slave, and 隷書 (れいしょ), referring to an ancient style of writing known as clerical script. Another example is 隷属 (れいぞく), meaning subordination. It's interesting to note that while this kanji carries heavy meanings, it can also be found in historical or literary contexts that reflect on power dynamics.

Example sentences

• 彼女は隷属状態から解放された。

  She was freed from a state of bondage.

Meanings across languages

English

slave, servant, prisoner, criminal, follower

Tiếng Việt

nô lệ, người phục vụ, tù nhân

日本語

奴隷, 奉仕者, 囚人

한국어

노예, 하인, 죄수

中文

奴隶, 仆人, 囚犯

id

budak

th

ทาส

es

esclavo

fr

esclave

de

Sklave

pt

escravo

Common compounds

• 奴隷どれいslave, servant, slavery
• 隷書れいしょclerical script (ancient, highly angular style of kanji)
• 蛮隷ばんれいslaves of the barbarians
• 隷従れいじゅうslavery
• 隷属れいぞくsubordination, servitude, servility
• 篆隷てんれいseal style and ancient square style
• 隷下れいかsubordinates, followers
• 隷属国れいぞくこくsubject nation, subordinate state, dependency

Words using this kanji