律儀
りちぎ
conscientious, dutiful, honest
By Nihongo PathUpdated
Examples
彼は律儀に毎年年賀状をくれる。
かれはりちぎにまいとしねんがじょうをくれる。
He dutifully sends me a New Year's card every year.
律儀な人で、借りたお金は必ず返す。
りちぎなひとで、かりたおかねはかならずかえす。
He is scrupulous — he always pays back money he has borrowed.
そんなに律儀に約束を守らなくてもいいのに。
そんなにりちぎにやくそくをまもらなくてもいいのに。
You really needn't keep your promises quite so faithfully.
Common patterns
- 律儀な人
- a scrupulous, dutiful person
- 律儀に守る
- to keep (a rule, promise) faithfully
- 律儀者
- a stickler for doing the right thing
Memory tip
律儀 praises someone who honours every small obligation to other people — thank-you notes, returned loans, yearly greetings — often with a faint smile at how far they take it. 真面目 is much broader; 律儀 is specifically about duties owed to others.
Kanji in this word
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What does 律儀 mean?