漢字Kanji · in Nature & Elements
極: extreme, pole
Also: extremely, very, highly, most, end, settlement, conclusion, highest rank
- 木tree(meaning)
- 亟(sound)
木 carries the meaning · 亟 gives the sound
Bronze · Spring and Autumn Small seal · Qin Today
Bronze and small seal: Wikimedia Commons, public domain. Today’s form: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0.
Five readings, and the words that use each
キョクkyoku · on'yomi · in compounds
- 極限きょくげんlimit [n.]
- 北極ほっきょくnorth pole, Arctic
- 南極なんきょくsouth pole, Antarctic
- 極端なきょくたんなextreme
- 積極的なせっきょくてきなpositive, active, proactive
- 消極的なしょうきょくてきなpassive
- 多極化するたきょくかするbecome multipolar
ゴクgoku · on'yomi
- 極ごくvery, extremely
- 極楽ごくらくparadise
きわめるkiwameru · kun'yomi · on its own
- 極めるきわめるcarry to extremes [v.t.]
きわまるkiwamaru · kun'yomi
- 極まるきわまるreach an extreme [v.i.]
きわみkiwami · kun'yomi
- 極みきわみheight, acme, extremity
Also read きわまり, きめる, -ぎめ, きまる, 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)木 tree, wood (meaning) + 亟 (sound)
Originally meaning a crossbeam rafter.
Source: Wiktionary, 極 (rev. 92200820), CC BY-SA 4.0
Memory story · made up to help you remember
“Stand before a great, ancient tree and see 木! The vertical line is the sturdy trunk, the top strokes are branches reaching for the sunlight, and the bottom strokes are the roots gripping the earth.”
Connections
Also read キョク
3 kanji share this on'yomiAlso read ゴク
1 kanji shares this on'yomiIn ChineseSimplified 极 · traditional, as in Japanese · jí
Japan keeps the traditional form 極; mainland China simplifies it to 极.
- Simplified
- 极 mainland China, Singapore
- Traditional
- 極 Taiwan, Hong Kong
Pinyin jí most common reading
Forms and pinyin: Unicode Unihan database (Unicode License v3). Pinyin lists the most common reading, not every reading.