Kanji Kaisen

漢字Kanji · in Action & Movement

助: help, rescue

Also: assist

JLPT N37 strokesGrade 3Your ink: 白 Not met

力 carries the meaning · 且 gives the sound

7 strokes

Four readings, and the words that use each

ジョjo · on'yomi · in compounds

  • 助詞じょし(grammar) particle
  • 助手じょしゅassistant
  • 助教授じょきょうじゅassistant professor
  • 助監督じょかんとくassistant director
  • 助言するじょげんするadvise
  • 援助するえんじょするaid, support
  • 救助するきゅうじょするrescue [v.t.]

たすけるtasukeru · kun'yomi · on its own

  • 助けるたすけるhelp, save [v.t.]
  • 手助けてだすけhelp [n.]

たすかるtasukaru · kun'yomi

  • 助かるたすかるbe saved, survive [v.i.], helpful [adj.]

すけsuke · kun'yomi

  • 助っ人すけっとhelper

Also read すける, with no example words in our sources. Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.

Learn it 4 steps
Print sheet Present
成り立ち

Where it comes from

Origin · sourced

Phono-semantic compound (形聲)且 (sound) + 力 strong arm (meaning)

To help with one’s strength.

Source: Wiktionary, 助 (rev. 93814832), CC BY-SA 4.0

Memory story · made up to help you remember

“Power radical + another/further (且) = adding your own strength to someone else's effort to help them carry the load.”
From the 力 power story
繋がり
Ink shades, lightest to darkest: 白 Not met, 淡 Met, 中 Learning, 濃 Familiar, 印 Mastered
且

Also built on moreover (且)

The 且 family reads ソ (so); 助 is read ジョ.

力

Also built on power (力)

All 21

Also read ジョ

7 kanji share this on'yomi

Easy to confuse

The difference, side by side
助 help · 力
vs狙 aim at · ⺨
助 has 力 where 狙 has ⺨.
In ChineseSame character in simplified and traditional · zhù

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

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

Pinyin zhù 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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