Kanji Kaisen

漢字Kanji · in Tools & Weapons

平: even, flat

Also: peace

JLPT N35 strokesGrade 3Your ink: 白 Not met
5 strokes

Four readings, and the words that use each

ヘイhei · on'yomi · in compounds

  • 平野へいやplain, open field
  • 平均へいきんaverage [n.]
  • 平日へいじつweekdays
  • 平気なへいきなunconcerned
  • 平凡なへいぼんなmediocre
  • 公平なこうへいなfair, impartial

ビョウbyou · on'yomi

  • 平等なびょうどうなequal, impartial

たいらtaira · kun'yomi · on its own

  • 平らなたいらなflat

ひらhira · kun'yomi

  • 平たいひらたいflat
  • 手の平てのひらpalm (of one's hand)
  • 平社員ひらしゃいんemployee without a title
  • 平仮名ひらがなhiragana

Also read ヒョウ, たいらげる, 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

Pictogram (象形)八 division + 亏 exhaled air

Uncertain. Various explanations include:.

Source: Wiktionary, 平 (rev. 92689944), CC BY-SA 4.0

Memory story · made up to help you remember

“Shield (干) + a horizontal dividing mark. Imagine a "shield" that has been laid "flat" on the ground after a conflict—the ultimate symbol of peace.”
From the 干 dry story
繋がり
Ink shades, lightest to darkest: 白 Not met, 淡 Met, 中 Learning, 濃 Familiar, 印 Mastered
干

Also built on dry (干)

All 9

平 gives its sound to

The family reading is ヘイ (hei). Sound parts: KanjiVG.

Also read ヘイ

15 kanji share this on'yomiAll 15

Also read ビョウ

6 kanji share this on'yomi

Also read ヒョウ

11 kanji share this on'yomi

Easy to confuse

The difference, side by side
平 even · 干
vs半 half · 丶 + 二 + 十
平 has 干 where 半 has 丶 + 二 + 十.
In ChineseSame character in simplified and traditional · píng

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

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

Pinyin píng 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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