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道Nihongo Path
紀

紀·chronicle, record, era, period, order, discipline

On-yomi
キ
Kun-yomi
none

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

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

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
世紀せいきcentury
紀元きげんera, epoch
紀元前きげんぜんBC, before the common era
風紀ふうきpublic morals, discipline

Example sentences

  1. 二十世紀に多くの技術が生まれた。

    にじっせいきにおおくのぎじゅつがうまれた。

    Many technologies were born in the twentieth century.

  2. 紀元前三世紀の遺跡が見つかった。

    きげんぜんさんせいきのいせきがみつかった。

    Ruins from the third century BC were discovered.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Writing 世記 for 世紀 — a century takes the thread radical
  • Mixing 紀元 (an era's starting point) with 起源 (the origin of a thing) — both きげん

Memory aid

Picture it

糸 (thread) plus 己 (self): laying out the thread of time in order, so events can be recorded along it.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 紀 mean?