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What is the Kanji for "Rule"?

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

The Japanese Kanji for "Rule" is "則".

This kanji has 1 reading:

Its onyomi reading is "Soku".

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 "貝" means "Shellfish" and can be read as "Bai" and "Kai". And The radical "刂" means "Sword" .

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

What does the kanji "則" mean in japanese?

"則" means "Rule" .

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Fifth Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N2 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

原則: "Principle". The Japanese noun '原則 (げんそく)' means 'principle'. It refers to a fundamental rule, law or standard that serves as the basis for action or conduct. It is often used to describe underlying guidelines or policies that guide decision making. For example: We follow the principle of fairness in our company - (会社では公平性の原則に従っています). The principles of democracy - (民主主義の原則)
規則: "Rule". The Japanese noun '規則 (きそく)' means 'rule'. This word refers to an established guideline, regulation, or principle that must be followed within a particular context, such as in an organization, society, or system. Rules are put in place to ensure order, consistency, and proper conduct. For example: The company has strict rules about employee conduct - (会社には社員の行動に関する厳しい規則がある). Follow the school rules - (学校の規則に従ってください).
法則: "Law" or "Rule". The Japanese noun '法則 (ほうそく)' refers to a general principle, law, or rule that governs the functioning of something. It describes a fundamental truth or relationship that applies consistently across a wide range of situations. For example: The law of gravity - (重力の法則). This rule applies in all cases - (この法則はすべての場合に適用される).
不規則: "Irregular". The adjectival noun '不規則 (ふきそく)' means 'irregular'. This word is used to describe something that does not follow a regular pattern or rule. It can be applied to a variety of situations, such as irregular schedules, irregular heartbeats, or irregular shapes. For example: The work schedule is irregular - (仕事のスケジュールは不規則だ). The pattern of the tiles is irregular - (タイルのパターンは不規則だ).
反則: "Foul" or "Violation". The verbal noun '反則 (はんそく)' has the meanings 'foul' and 'violation'. It is used to refer to an infraction of the rules or regulations in a game or competition. It can describe actions that are considered illegal or unfair according to the established rules. For example: The referee called a foul on the player - (レフェリーは選手に反則を取った). That was a serious violation of the rules - (あれは規則に対する重大な反則だった).

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 "そ" is read as "so". And The hiragana "く" is read as "ku".