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道Nihongo Path
涯

涯·horizon, shore, limit

On-yomi
がい
Kun-yomi
none

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
生涯しょうがいlifetime, all one's life
生涯学習しょうがいがくしゅうlifelong learning
天涯てんがいthe far horizon, a distant land
境涯きょうがいone's lot in life, circumstances

Example sentences

  1. 彼は生涯、研究を続けた。

    かれはしょうがい、けんきゅうをつづけた。

    He carried on his research all his life.

  2. 生涯学習の講座に申し込んだ。

    しょうがいがくしゅうのこうざにもうしこんだ。

    I signed up for a lifelong-learning course.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • 生涯 is しょうがい, a homophone of 障害 and 傷害 — context tells them apart.
  • 涯 hardly ever appears outside compounds.

Memory aid

Picture it

Water 氵 meeting 厓 (a cliff): where the water runs up against the cliff is the limit — and a life has the same far edge.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

1 / 2Multiple choiceDifficulty 4 of 5

What does the kanji 涯 mean?