What is the Kanji for "Reason" and "Translation"?

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

The Japanese Kanji for "Reason" and "Translation" is "訳".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "Wake".

Its onyomi reading is "Yaku".

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 kanji "言" means "Say" and can be read as "Gen", "I", "Gon", and "Koto". And The kanji "尺" means "Foot" and can be read as "Shaku".

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

What does the kanji "訳" mean in japanese?

"訳" means "Reason" and "Translation".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Sixth Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N1 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

訳: "Reason" or "Cause". The Japanese noun '訳 (わけ)' primarily means 'reason' or 'cause'. It is used to refer to the explanation or rationale behind a particular situation or action. For example: What is the reason for your absence? - (あなたの欠席の訳は何ですか). There is a good reason for my tardiness - (遅刻の訳がある).

申し訳: "Excuse". The noun '申し訳 (もうしわけ)' means 'excuse'. This word is used to express regret or remorse for an action or situation, and to apologize sincerely. It is a polite and formal way to apologize, and is often used in professional or social settings. For example: I'm very sorry, let me make it up to you - (大変申し訳ございません。何か良いことをしましょう。) Please accept my apologies - (申し訳ありませんでした)

言い訳: "Excuse". The Japanese verbal noun '言い訳 (いいわけ)' means 'excuse'. It refers to an explanation or justification given to avoid blame or responsibility for an action or situation. It often implies that the person is trying to avoid admitting fault or error. For example: That's just an excuse - (それは単なる言い訳だ). I don't accept your excuse - (あなたの言い訳は受け入れられません).

訳す: "Translate". The verb '訳す (やくす)' means 'to translate'. It is used to describe the act of converting text or speech from one language into another. This verb is commonly used when referring to the process of translating documents, books, articles, or conversations. For example: I will translate the document - (書類を訳します). She translated the book into English - (彼女がその本を英語に訳した).

翻訳: "Translate". The verbal noun '翻訳 (ほんやく)' means 'to translate'. This refers to the act of converting text or speech from one language into another. It is commonly used when discussing the process of translation between languages. For example: I need to translate this document - (この文書を翻訳する必要があります). The translator is skilled at translating technical manuals - (その翻訳者は技術マニュアルを翻訳するのが上手です).

通訳: "Interpret". The verbal noun '通訳 (つうやく)' means 'to interpret'. This refers to the act of translating spoken language from one language to another in real-time, facilitating communication between people who do not share a common language. Interpreters play a crucial role in various settings such as business meetings, conferences, court proceedings, and medical appointments. Example sentences: I work as an interpreter - (私は通訳者として働いている). The interpreter translated the speech into English - (通訳者がその演説を英語に通訳した).

申し訳ない: "Sorry" or "Apologetic". The Japanese adjective '申し訳ない (もうしわけない)' means 'sorry' or 'apologetic'. It expresses regret or remorse for something that has been done or said. This adjective is used to politely apologize or express contrition. For example: I'm sorry for being late - (申し訳ありませんでした). I apologize for the inconvenience - (大変申し訳ございませんでした).

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 "や" is read as "ya". The hiragana "く" is read as "ku". The hiragana "わ" is read as "wa". And The hiragana "け" is read as "ke".

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.