the latter, duplicate, strange, witty
Also: fishhook radical (no. 5)
On'yomi (音読み)
- オツ
- イツ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- おと-
- きのと
About this kanji
The kanji 「乙」 primarily means 'the latter' or 'strange', and it can take on meanings like 'duplicate' or 'witty' depending on context. It is most commonly used as a noun rather than a verb. You will find it in compounds such as 早乙女 (さおとめ), meaning 'young female rice planter', and 甲乙 (こうおつ), which refers to 'first and second'. Another interesting compound is 乙子 (おとご), meaning 'last child'. A usage note is that this kanji often appears in contexts distinguishing between two items or classes, sometimes carrying a sense of being second in rank.
Example sentences
乙な趣味を持つ。
I have an unusual hobby.
Meanings across languages
- English
- the latter, duplicate, strange, witty, fishhook radical (no. 5)
- Tiếng Việt
- sau cùng, trùng lặp, kỳ lạ, thú vị, căn bản 5
- 日本語
- 乙, 重複, 奇妙, ウィット, 釣り針の部首
- 한국어
- 을, 중복, 이상한, 재치 있는, 낚시바늘 부수
- 中文
- 乙, 重复, 奇怪, 机智, 鱼钩偏旁
- id
- yang terakhir
- th
- คนสุดท้าย
- es
- el último
- fr
- le dernier
- de
- der Letzte
- pt
- o último
Common compounds
- 早乙女さおとめyoung female rice planter, young girl
- 甲乙こうおつfirst and second, A and B, superiority and (or) inferiority
- 乙子おとごlast child
- 乙巡おつじゅんsecond-class cruiser
- 乙夜いつやsecond division of the night (approx. 9pm to 11pm)
- 乙姫おとひめyounger princess, Oto Hime, Princess of the Dragon Palace (from the story of Urashima Tarō)
- 乙種おつしゅB-grade, second-class
- 乙丑きのとうしWood Ox (2nd term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1925, 1985, 2045)
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