What is the Kanji for "Reside" and "Be"?

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

The Japanese Kanji for "Reside" and "Be" is "居".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "I".

Its onyomi reading is "Kyo".

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 "尸" means "Corpse" . And The kanji "古" means "Old" and can be read as "Ko" and "Furu".

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

What does the kanji "居" mean in japanese?

"居" means "Reside" and "Be".

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:

居る: "Be" or "Exist". The Japanese verb '居る (いる)' has two primary meanings: 'to be' and 'to exist'. It is used to indicate the presence or location of a person, animal, or inanimate object. This verb can be used to express the state of being in a physical location, as well as the existence of something. For example: I am here - (私はここにいる). The cat exists - (猫が居る).

住居: "Home". The Japanese noun '住居 (じゅうきょ)' means 'home'. It refers to a place where someone lives, such as a house, apartment, or other type of dwelling. This word can be used to describe one's personal living space or a general residential area. For example: My home is a small apartment - (私の住居は小さいアパートです). The houses in this neighborhood are nice homes - (この近所の家は良い住居です).

居住: "Residence". The noun '居住 (きょじゅう)' means 'residence'. It refers to the place where a person lives or stays, usually a home or dwelling. This word can be used to describe one's permanent place of living, or a temporary accommodation. For example: He moved into his new residence yesterday - (彼は昨日新居に居住し始めた). The residence has 3 bedrooms - (その居住地には3つの寝室がある).

芝居: "Play". The Japanese noun '芝居 (しばい)' refers to a theatrical play or performance. It can be used to describe a wide range of dramatic productions, from classical Japanese theater to modern stage plays. This word emphasizes the theatrical nature of the performance, rather than just a general 'story' or 'drama'. For example: The play was very well-acted - (芝居が非常に上手に演じられた). I enjoyed watching the play last night - (昨晩の芝居を楽しんだ).

居眠り: "Doze". The verbal noun '居眠り (いねむり)' means 'to doze'. It refers to the action of falling asleep, often unintentionally or briefly, while in a sitting or reclining position. This can happen during activities like working, studying, or on public transportation. For example: I dozed off during the lecture - (講義中に居眠りしてしまった). The teacher caught me dozing - (先生に居眠りを見つかった).

居間: "Living room". The Japanese noun '居間 (いま)' means 'living room'. This word refers to the main room in a house or apartment where people gather and relax. The living room is usually furnished with comfortable seating and may also contain a television or other entertainment equipment. For example: Let's relax in the living room - (居間でくつろぎましょう). I like to read in the living room - (私は居間で本を読むのが好きです).

同居: "Coexist" or "Live together". The verbal noun '同居 (どうきょ)' means 'to coexist' or 'to live together'. This term is used to describe a situation where two or more people live in the same household or shared living space. It can refer to a couple living together, family members living together, or even roommates cohabiting. For example: They have lived together for 10 years - (彼らは10年間同居している). Our parents live together - (両親は同居している).

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 "い" is read as "i". And The hiragana "き" is read as "ki".

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.