漢字Kanji · in Human Body & People
代: substitute, change
Also: convert, replace, period, age, counter for decades of ages, eras, etc., generation, charge, rate, fee
亻 carries the meaning · 弋 gives the sound
Five readings, and the words that use each
ダイdai · on'yomi · in compounds
- 時代じだいera
- 現代げんだいmodern times
- 世代せだいgeneration
- 10代じゅうだいyears between age 10 and 19
- 70年代ななじゅうねんだいseventies
- 電気代でんきだいelectric utility expenses
- 代表するだいひょうするrepresent
タイtai · on'yomi
- 交代するこうたいするtake turns, alternate
かわるkawaru · kun'yomi · on its own
- 代わるかわるtake the place of [v.i.]
かえるkaeru · kun'yomi
- 代えるかえるexchange, replace [v.t.]
よyo · kun'yomi
- 明治の代めいじのよMeiji era
Special readingsThese words are read as a whole, not from the readings above.
- 身代金みのしろきんransom
Also read かわる, かわり, かわり, -がわり, -がわり, しろ, with no example words in our sources. Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.
Where it comes from
Origin · sourced
Phono-semantic compound (形聲)人 person, as 亻 (meaning) + 弋 (sound)
Source: Wiktionary, 代 (rev. 93549193), CC BY-SA 4.0
Memory story · made up to help you remember
“A person (人) + a staked arrow (弋). Originally related to a person taking their "turn" or "staking their claim" in a family lineage—representing a "substitute" or a new "age."”
Connections
Also read ダイ
11 kanji share this on'yomiEasy to confuse
The difference, side by sideIn ChineseSame character in simplified and traditional · dài
Same form: 代 is written the same way in mainland China (simplified) and in Taiwan and Hong Kong (traditional).
- Simplified
- 代 mainland China, Singapore
- Traditional
- 代 Taiwan, Hong Kong
Pinyin dài most common reading
Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.