Onyomi: ジ, ズ · Kunyomi: こと, つか.う, つか.える · Meanings: business, fact, matter, possibly, reason, thing
Kanji for business, fact, matter, possibly, reason
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The kanji 事 originally depicted a hand holding a weapon or tool, symbolizing an action or task being performed. Over time, it came to represent “things one does,” “matters,” or “affairs.” It expresses the concept of tasks, events, or situations that require human effort or involvement.
A hand performing a task — 事 means thing, matter, or action.
Think of 事 as all the things you have to do — tasks, actions, and matters that fill your day.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 事 | こと | thing, matter | common JLPT-N3 Noun |
| 事 | ごと | nominalizing suffix | Suffix |
| 事 | じ | individual concrete phenomenon (as opposed to a general principle) | Noun |
| 事故 | じこ | accident, incident, trouble | common JLPT-N4 Noun |
| 事実 | じじつ | fact, truth, reality | common JLPT-N3 Adverb (fukushi), Noun |
| 事務所 | じむしょ | office | common JLPT-N4 Noun |
| 事件 | じけん | event, affair, incident, case, plot, trouble, scandal | common JLPT-N3 Noun |
| 事態 | じたい | situation, (present) state of affairs, circumstances | common JLPT-N3 Noun |
| 事情 | じじょう | circumstances, conditions, situation, reasons, state of affairs | common JLPT-N3 Noun |
| 事務 | じむ | office work, clerical work, administration, business, affairs | common JLPT-N3 Noun |