What is the Kanji for "Substitute" and "Era"?

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

The Japanese Kanji for "Substitute" and "Era" is "代".

This kanji has 3 readings:

Its kunyomi readings are "Yo" and "Ka".

Its onyomi reading is "Dai".

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 radical "弋" means "Ceremony" .

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

What does the kanji "代" mean in japanese?

"代" means "Substitute" and "Era".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Third Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N4 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

時代: "Era". The Japanese noun '時代 (じだい)' refers to a particular period of history, an era or age. It can be used to describe a specific point in time marked by distinct cultural, political, or social characteristics. For example: The Edo period was a significant era in Japanese history - (江戸時代は日本の歴史で重要な時代でした).

代: "Period". The suffix '代 (だい)' is used to indicate a period of time or generation. It is typically added to nouns to indicate a specific time period or generation, such as a decade or century. For example: 明治時代 (めいじじだい) - Meiji period, 現代 (げんだい) - present time/modern age, 次世代 (つぎせだい) - next generation.

現代: "Modern". The Japanese noun '現代 (げんだい)' refers to the present or contemporary time period. It is used to indicate the current age or era, as opposed to the past or future. This word is commonly used in phrases like '現代社会' (modern society) or '現代文化' (contemporary culture). For example: We live in modern times - (私たちは現代を生きている)

代表: "Represent". The verbal noun '代表 (だいひょう)' means 'to represent'. It refers to the act of officially standing in for or acting on behalf of another person, group, or organization. This word can be used when someone or something is chosen to speak or act on behalf of others. For example: The team captain will represent the players at the meeting - (チームのキャプテンが選手たちを代表して会議に出席する). My professor will represent the university at the conference - (教授が大学を代表して会議に出席する).

近代: "Modern". The Japanese noun '近代 (きんだい)' refers to the 'modern' period or era, usually referring to the time period from the late 19th century to the present day. It represents the more recent, contemporary or up-to-date state of things, as opposed to the traditional or historical. This word is often used to denote the modern age of industrialization, technology, and social and political changes. For example: Modern Japan - (近代日本). The modern age - (近代)

代わり: "Substitute" or "Replacement". The noun '代わり (かわり)' means 'substitute' or 'replacement'. It refers to something that takes the place of or replaces something else. For example: I'll bring a replacement - (代わりを持っていきます). She found a substitute teacher - (代わりの先生を見つけました).

世代: "Generation". The Japanese noun '世代 (せだい)' refers to a generation, an age group, or a cohort of people born around the same time and that share similar cultural experiences and characteristics. For example: Each generation has its own unique values and customs - (それぞれの世代には独自の価値観や慣習がある). The younger generation today is very different from the previous generation - (今の若い世代は前の世代と非常に異なる).

古代: "Ancient". The noun '古代 (こだい)' refers to a period of time in the distant past, often hundreds or thousands of years ago. It is used to describe things, events, or civilizations that existed in ancient times. For example: Ancient Greece - (古代ギリシャ), Ancient ruins - (古代遺跡)

代理: "Representative". The Japanese noun '代理 (だいり)' means 'representative'. This word refers to a person who acts on behalf of another individual or organization. A '代理' is someone who is authorized to make decisions or take actions in the place of the original party. For example: My real estate agent is my representative - (私の不動産代理は私の代理人です). The manager's representative will attend the meeting - (マネージャーの代理人が会議に出席します).

代わる代わる: "Alternately" or "In turns". The adverb '代わる代わる (かわるがわる)' means 'alternately' or 'in turns'. It is used to describe a situation where things or people take turns doing something. For example: They went to the store alternately - (彼らは代わる代わる店に行った). The two brothers took turns mowing the lawn - (二人の兄弟は代わる代わら芝刈りをした).

代わる: "Replace" or "Change". The Japanese verb '代わる (かわる)' has two main meanings. The first meaning is 'to replace' or 'to take the place of'. For example: I will replace him - (私は彼に代わる). The second meaning is 'to change' or 'to become different'. For example: The weather changed - (天気が代わった).

交代: "Change". The noun '交代 (こうたい)' refers to the act of changing, switching or replacing one thing with another. It can be used to describe a change in position, role, turn or shift. For example: The manager changed shifts with the assistant - (マネージャーが助手と交代した). A change in leadership - (リーダーシップの交代).

年代: "Era". The Japanese noun '年代 (ねんだい)' refers to a specific period of time, typically spanning several years or decades. It is used to describe historical eras, such as the Edo period or the Meiji era. The term can also be used more generally to discuss age groups or particular time periods. For example: The Heian period is an important era in Japanese history - (平安時代は日本史上重要な年代です). The younger generation - (若い年代の人々)

代金: "Price". The Japanese noun '代金 (だいきん)' refers to the price or payment that is required for a product or service. It is used to indicate the total amount that must be paid. For example: The price of the new phone is 500 yen - (新しい携帯電話の代金は500円です). I need to pay the price for the meal - (食事の代金を払わなければなりません).

初代: "First generation". The noun '初代 (しょだい)' refers to the 'first generation' of something, such as the first leader, founder, or model of a company, organization, or product. It signifies the original or inaugural version. For example: The first president of the company - (会社の初代社長). The first smartphone model - (初代のスマートフォン).

代名詞: "Pronoun". A '代名詞 (だいめいし)' is a pronoun in Japanese. Pronouns are words that are used in place of nouns or noun phrases, such as 'he', 'she', 'it', 'they', etc. Some common Japanese pronouns include '私 (わたし)' (I/me), '彼 (かれ)' (he/him), and '彼女 (かのじょ)' (she/her). Pronouns allow speakers to avoid repetition and make sentences more concise. For example: 私は学生です。彼は先生です。(I am a student. He is a teacher.)

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 "よ" is read as "yo". The hiragana "だ" is read as "da". The hiragana "い" is read as "i". 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.