Kanji Kaisen

漢字Kanji · in Tools & Weapons

利: profit, advantage

Also: benefit

JLPT N37 strokesGrade 4Your ink: 白 Not met

禾 and 刂 carry the meaning

7 strokes

Two readings, and the words that use each

リri · on'yomi · in compounds

  • 利点りてんadvantage, point in favor
  • 利益りえきbenefit, profit, gain [n.]
  • 利害りがいadvantages and disadvantages interest
  • 利息りそくinterest
  • 権利けんりright, privilege
  • 利口なりこうなclever, shrewd, bright, sharp
  • 便利なべんりなconvenient, handy, useful
  • 有利なゆうりなadvantageous, profitable
  • 利用するりようするuse, utilize, apply
  • 勝利するしょうりするtriumph, succeed, be victorious

きくkiku · kun'yomi · on its own

  • 利くきくbe effective
  • 左利きひだりききleft handed

Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.

Learn it 4 steps
Print sheet Present
成り立ち

Where it comes from

Origin · sourced

Ideogrammic compound (會意)禾 grain + 刀 knife

To reap grain (禾) with a knife (刀).

Source: Wiktionary, 利 (rev. 92924034), CC BY-SA 4.0

Memory story · made up to help you remember

“Slice through it! This "standing knife" radical is all about precision and force.”
More in the ⺉ knife story
繋がり
Ink shades, lightest to darkest: 白 Not met, 淡 Met, 中 Learning, 濃 Familiar, 印 Mastered
禾

Also built on grain (禾)

All 32
刂

Also built on knife (刂)

All 27

利 gives its sound to

The family reading is リ (ri). Sound parts: KanjiVG.

Also read リ

14 kanji share this on'yomiAll 14

Easy to confuse

The difference, side by side
利 profit · 禾
vs刹 temple · 乂 + 木
利 has 禾 where 刹 has 乂 + 木.
In ChineseSame character in simplified and traditional · lì

Same form: 利 is written the same way in mainland China (simplified) and in Taiwan and Hong Kong (traditional).

Simplified
利 mainland China, Singapore
Traditional
利 Taiwan, Hong Kong

Pinyin lì most common reading

Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.

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