What is the Kanji for "Duty" and "Responsibility"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Duty" and "Responsibility", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Duty" and "Responsibility" is "任".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "Maka".

Its onyomi reading is "Nin".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The radical "亻" means "Person" . And The component "壬" .

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "任" mean in japanese?

"任" means "Duty" and "Responsibility".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Fifth Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N3 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

責任: "Responsibility". The Japanese noun '責任 (せきにん)' means 'responsibility'. This word refers to a duty or obligation that someone has to deal with or take care of something. It can be used in contexts where someone is required to be accountable for their actions or decisions. For example: She takes responsibility for her mistakes - (彼女は自分の過ちに責任を持つ). The manager has a lot of responsibility - (その管理者は多くの責任を負っている).

任せる: "Entrust" or "Commit". The Japanese verb '任せる (まかせる)' means 'to entrust' or 'to commit'. It is used when you give responsibility or authority over something to another person. For example: I'll entrust the task to you - (その仕事を君に任せる). Please commit this matter to me - (この件を私に任せてください).

辞任: "Resign". The verbal noun '辞任 (じにん)' means 'to resign'. It refers to the act of voluntarily leaving an official position or job. It is often used in the context of a high-ranking official or leader stepping down from their role due to some reason, such as a scandal or pressure. For example: The minister resigned from his position - (大臣は辞任した). She resigned as the CEO of the company - (彼女は会社のCEOを辞任した).

就任: "Appointment" or "Assumption of office". The Japanese verbal noun '就任 (しゅうにん)' means 'appointment' or 'assumption of office'. It refers to the act of taking up a new position or role, such as becoming the president of a company or the prime minister of a country. For example: The new president will assume office next month - (新しい大統領が来月就任する). She was appointed as the CEO of the firm - (彼女は会社の新CEOに就任した).

任務: "Duty". The Japanese noun '任務 (にんむ)' means 'duty'. This noun refers to a task or responsibility that one is assigned or expected to carry out. It can be used to describe an official or professional obligation, or a personal commitment. For example: It is my duty to help - (それが私の任務です). She has an important duty - (彼女には重要な任務がある).

任命: "Appointment". The Japanese noun '任命 (にんめい)' means 'appointment'. It refers to the act of officially designating or assigning someone to a particular position, office, or duty. This word is commonly used when discussing the formal process of being selected for a job, role, or responsibility. For example: She was appointed as the new manager - (彼女は新しい管理職に任命された). The appointment of the new director - (新しい理事の任命).

任意: "Voluntary". The noun '任意 (にんい)' means 'voluntary'. This word refers to something that is optional, done of one's own free will, or not mandatory. It can be used to describe choices, actions, or situations that are not compulsory. For example: It is voluntary to join the club - (クラブに入るのは任意です). Voluntary participation is encouraged - (任意での参加が奨励されています).

担任: "Homeroom teacher". The Japanese verbal noun '担任 (たんにん)' refers to a homeroom teacher who is responsible for a specific class or group of students. This person is in charge of administrative duties, student guidance, and overseeing the overall well-being of the students in their class. A 担任 acts as the main point of contact between the school and the students' families. For example: My homeroom teacher is very kind - (私の担任の先生はとてもやさしい). The homeroom teacher held a meeting with all the parents - (担任の先生が全ての保護者と会議を開いた).

無責任: "Irresponsible". The Japanese word '無責任 (むせきにん)' is an adjectival noun that means 'irresponsible'. It refers to a person who lacks a sense of responsibility or accountability for their actions. This word is often used to criticize someone who fails to fulfill their duties or makes decisions without considering the consequences. For example: He acts in an irresponsible manner - (彼は無責任な行動をする). It's irresponsible to drive without a license - (免許なしで運転するのは無責任だ).

主任: "Manager". The Japanese noun '主任 (しゅにん)' means 'manager'. This word refers to a person who is in charge of a particular department, team, or project. They are responsible for overseeing the work of a group of employees and making decisions related to the functioning of the department or team. For example: The manager held a meeting with his team - (主任は部下たちと会議を行った). She is the manager of the sales department - (彼女は営業部の主任です).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "に" is read as "ni". The hiragana "ん" is read as "n". The hiragana "ま" is read as "ma". And The hiragana "か" is read as "ka".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.