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Kotomora

敏

cleverness, agile, alert

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes10

Readings

On'yomi

  • ビン

Kun'yomi

  • さとい

Nanori

  • さとし
  • ちょう
  • とし
  • び

Meaning

敏 centers on quick mental and physical responsiveness: being clever, agile, and alert. It describes someone who picks up on things fast and reacts swiftly.

Most common words using 敏

20 of 35
  • 敏感びんかん
    N1

    sensitive; alert; aware; susceptible

  • 過敏かびん

    nervousness; oversensitivity

  • 敏びん

    quick; nimble; agile; sharp; smart; clever

  • 俊敏しゅんびん

    quick-witted and agile; keen and nimble

  • 敏腕びんわん

    ability; capability; competence; skill

  • 敏捷びんしょう

    nimble; agile; quick

  • 機敏きびん
    N1

    quick; prompt; alert; smart; clever; astute; shrewd; quick-witted

  • 鋭敏えいびん

    sharp (eyes, ears, etc.); keen; acute; sensitive

  • 敏速びんそく

    quickness; agility; activity

  • 明敏めいびん

    intelligence; discernment

  • 不敏ふびん

    slowness; inertness

  • 光過敏性ひかりかびんせい

    photosensitivity

  • 光過敏性癲癇ひかりかびんせいてんかん

    photosensitive epilepsy

  • 光過敏性発作ひかりかびんせいほっさ

    photosensitive epilepsy; PSE

  • 化学物質過敏症かがくぶっしつかびんしょう

    multiple chemical sensitivity; MCS

  • 感覚過敏症かんかくかびんしょう

    hypersensitivity

  • 慧敏けいびん

    clever; of quick intellect

  • 敏感肌びんかんはだ

    sensitive skin

  • 敏捷力びんしょうりょく

    dexterity (esp. as an attribute in RPGs)

  • 敏捷性びんしょうせい

    agility; nimbleness

Explore all words using 敏 →

Study

Etymology

敏 combines 每 (which historically relates to abundance or repetition) with 攵 (a hand holding a stick, suggesting action). Together they convey quick, repeated action or mental agility.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side 每 suggests something happening repeatedly, and the right side 攵 is a hand taking action. Imagine a person whose hands move so fast they seem to be everywhere at once—that's the agile, alert cleverness of 敏.

Reading mnemonic

For ビン, picture a clever inventor named Bin who is always alert and quickly fixes things with his agile hands: Bin -> ビン.