漢字Kanji · in Nature & Elements
対: vis-a-vis, opposite
Also: even, equal, versus, anti-, compare
文 and 寸 carry the meaning
Oracle bone · Shang Small seal · Qin Today
Oracle bone and small seal: Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Today’s form: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Two readings, and the words that use each
タイtai · on'yomi · in compounds
- 反対するはんたいするdisagree, object
- 対抗するたいこうするoppose, cope
- 対応するたいおうするdeal with
- 対立するたいりつするconfront
- 対象たいしょうtarget [n.], object [n.]
- 対日たいにちwith respect to Japan
- 絶対ぜったいabsolute
- 対等なたいとうなequivalent
ツイtsui · on'yomi
- 対ついpair, couple
Also read あいて, こたえる, そろい, つれあい, ならぶ, むかう, with no example words in our sources. Words: Kanji alive, CC BY 4.0.
Where it comes from
Origin · sourced
Ideogrammic compound (會意)丵 tool for digging + 土 earth + 又 hand
In the oracle bone and bronze scripts, it was an ideogrammic compound (會意): 丵 (“tool for digging”) + 土 (“earth”) + 又 (“hand”). The original meaning of the character is unclear, but it may be “to develop (land)”.
Source: Wiktionary, 對 (rev. 93282653), CC BY-SA 4.0
Memory story · made up to help you remember
“Culture/clump + inch (寸). To "measure" one thing "versus" another, creating a pair of "opposites" or a balanced comparison.”
Connections
Also read ツイ
4 kanji share this on'yomiIn ChineseSimplified 对 · traditional 對 · duì
Three different forms: Japanese 対, simplified 对, traditional 對.
- Simplified
- 对 mainland China, Singapore
- Traditional
- 對 Taiwan, Hong Kong
Pinyin duì most common reading
Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.