敏
cleverness, agile, alert
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
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.