卿
you, lord, secretary, state minister
Readings
On'yomi
- ケイ
- キョウ
Kun'yomi
- きみ
Meaning
卿 centers on a person of high rank or formal address: a lord, state minister, or secretary, and by extension a respectful 'you' used for such figures.
Most common words using 卿
- 卿きょう
Lord; Sir
- 枢機卿すうききょう
cardinal (Catholic Church)
- 公卿くぎょう
high-ranking court noble; senior court official; kugyō
- 三卿さんきょう
three secondary Tokugawa branch families (Tayasu, Shimizu, and Hitotsubashi)
- 九卿きゅうけい
nine ministers (of the ancient Chinese government)
- 六卿りくけい
six ministers (of the six Zhou dynasty Chinese ministries)
- 卿けい
you
- 卿相けいしょう
court nobles and state ministers
- 卿等けいら
you (plural)
- 御三卿ごさんきょう
three secondary Tokugawa branch families (Tayasu, Shimizu, and Hitotsubashi)
- 月卿げっけい
high-ranking court noble; senior court official; kugyō
- 月卿雲客げっけいうんかく
court nobles and other courtiers allowed into the Imperial Palace
Study
Etymology
卿 is thought to combine 卯 (a kneeling person) and 皀 (a food vessel), suggesting a person serving food, which came to mean a high-ranking official or minister. The exact historical development is uncertain.
Meaning mnemonic
The outer 卯 looks like a kneeling figure, and the inner 皀 resembles a food container. Picture a kneeling servant offering food to a lord, representing the high status of a minister or secretary.
Reading mnemonic
For ケイ, imagine a lord named Kay who is always addressed respectfully: Kay -> ケイ, and you say 'you, Lord Kay'.