What is the Kanji for "Self" and "Ego"?

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

The Japanese Kanji for "Self" and "Ego" is "我".

This kanji has 3 readings:

Its kunyomi readings are "Wa" and "Ware".

Its onyomi reading is "Ga".

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 "手" means "Hand" and can be read as "Shu", "Te", and "Zu". And The component "戈" .

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

What does the kanji "我" mean in japanese?

"我" means "Self" and "Ego".

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:

我々: "We". The pronoun '我々 (われわれ)' means 'we'. It is a formal and polite way of referring to a group that includes the speaker. It suggests a sense of unity and collectivity. This pronoun is commonly used in written Japanese and formal speech. For example: We are happy to announce... - (我々は発表できることを喜んでいます。)

我が: "My". The determiner '我が (わが)' means 'my'. It is used to express possession or ownership, specifically referring to something that belongs to the speaker. This word has a formal, elegant connotation and is often used in writing or formal speech. For example: 我が家 (わがや) - My home, 我が国 (わがくに) - My country.

我: "I". The Japanese pronoun '我 (われ)' means 'I'. This pronoun is a classical, formal, and somewhat archaic way to refer to oneself. It is used mainly in literary, poetic, or very formal contexts, and is rarely used in modern casual conversation. For example: I am a samurai - (我は侍である). I will not yield - (我は屈しない).

怪我: "Injury". The verbal noun '怪我 (けが)' means 'injury'. It refers to physical harm or damage done to the body, such as a cut, bruise, fracture, or other type of trauma. This word is commonly used to describe various types of accidents or incidents that result in bodily harm. For example: I suffered an injury when I fell - (私は転んで怪我をした). Please be careful, you might get injured - (怪我をしないよう気をつけてください).

我慢: "Restraint". The verbal noun '我慢 (がまん)' means 'restraint'. It refers to the act of controlling one's impulses, emotions, or desires, often in the face of difficulties or hardship. This concept is highly valued in Japanese culture, as it demonstrates self-discipline and strength of character. For example: I need to practice more restraint - (もっと我慢しなければならない). He showed great restraint during the difficult situation - (彼は困難な状況で大きな我慢を示した).

我が家: "My home" or "One's own home". The noun '我が家 (わがや)' means 'my home' or 'one's own home'. It is a polite way to refer to one's personal residence, conveying a sense of pride and ownership. This term is often used when contrasting one's home with another's, or when discussing domestic matters. For example: I went to my home - (私は我が家に行きました). This is my home - (これが我が家です).

自我: "Self" or "Ego". The noun '自我 (じが)' refers to one's sense of self or personal identity. It encompasses an individual's thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about themselves. The concept of '自我' is central to many philosophical and psychological theories, particularly in the field of psychoanalysis. For example: I am trying to understand my own self - (私は自我を理解しようと努めている). The patient's ego was damaged by the traumatic experience - (患者の自我は心的外傷により傷つけられた).

我が国: "Country". The noun '我が国 (わがくに)' means 'one's own country'. It is a respectful way of referring to one's own country or homeland. This term is used to indicate a sense of national pride and patriotism. For example: I love my country - (我が国が大好きです). Our country is blessed with natural beauty - (我が国は自然に恵まれている).

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 "が" is read as "ga". The hiragana "わ" is read as "wa". And The hiragana "れ" is read as "re".

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.