Onyomi: ライ · Kunyomi: たの.む, たの.もしい, たよ.る · Meanings: request, trust
Kanji for request, trust
Fast lookup with examples and clean stroke-order visualization.
Experience 頼 in 3D! View the complete 3D Kanji model to understand its shape and stroke depth from every angle. Click the button below to see 頼 in 3D and explore how each stroke forms this character.
Please support us by sharing!
The kanji 頼 combines the radical 頁 (head) on the right with the character 束 (bundle) on the left. In ancient times, 束 represented binding things together, like tying sticks or gathering resources, and 頁 symbolized the head, representing a person. Together, the image conveys the idea of entrusting someone with responsibility — giving a person (head) a bundle to manage. Over time, this combination came to mean “to rely on,” “request,” or “trust,” reflecting the concept of depending on someone with care or responsibility.
A bundle (束) with a person’s head (頁) — showing the idea of entrusting, relying on, or requesting someone.
Imagine giving a bundle (束) to someone (頁), trusting them to handle it carefully. That’s 頼 — to rely on or request.
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 頼む | たのむ | to request, to beg, to ask | common JLPT-N5 Godan verb with 'mu' ending, Transitive verb |
| 頼る | たよる | to rely on, to depend on, to count on, to turn to (for help) | common JLPT-N3 Godan verb with 'ru' ending, Intransitive verb, Transitive verb |
| 頼もしい | たのもしい | reliable, dependable, trustworthy, reassuring | common JLPT-N2 I-adjective (keiyoushi) |
| 頼み | たのみ | request, favor, favour | common JLPT-N1 Noun |
| 頼り | たより | reliance, dependence | common Noun |
| 頼りない | たよりない | unreliable, undependable, indefinite, vague | common I-adjective (keiyoushi) |
| 頼み込む | たのみこむ | to request earnestly | Godan verb with 'mu' ending, Transitive verb |
| 頼みごと | たのみごと | favour, favor | Noun |
| 頼りがい | たよりがい | reliability, trustworthiness, dependability | Noun |
| 頼りになる | たよりになる | to be reliable | Expressions (phrases, clauses, etc.), Godan verb with 'ru' ending |
| 頼りにする | たよりにする | to rely on | Expressions (phrases, clauses, etc.), Transitive verb, Suru verb - included |
| 頼りに出来る | たよりにできる | to be dependable, to be reliable | Ichidan verb, Intransitive verb |
| 頼むから | たのむから | please!, I'm asking you, for heaven's sake | Expressions (phrases, clauses, etc.) |
| 頼母子 | たのもし | mutual financing association | Noun |
| 頼み入る | たのみいる | to entreat, to request earnestly | Godan verb with 'ru' ending, Transitive verb |