臨
look to, face, meet, confront, attend, call on
Readings
On'yomi
- リン
Kun'yomi
- のぞ.む
Nanori
- み
Meaning
臨 centers on being present and facing a situation directly: looking toward something, confronting it, meeting it, or attending to it. The idea of calling on someone is a natural extension of going to face them.
Most common words using 臨
20 of 133- 臨床りんしょう
clinical (e.g. pathology, training, trial)
- 臨時りんじN2
temporary; provisional; interim
- 臨むのぞむN1
to look out on; to overlook; to front onto
- 降臨こうりん
descent (to earth, esp. of a god); advent; epiphany
- 君臨くんりん
reigning (over a country)
- 臨場りんじょう
visit; presence; attendance
- 臨界りんかい
boundary
- 臨海りんかい
coastal; seaside; oceanfront; maritime
- 臨機応変りんきおうへん
adapting oneself to the requirements of the moment; playing by ear; ad hoc approach
- 臨終りんじゅうN1
deathbed; dying hour; one's death
- 再臨さいりん
second coming; second advent
- 臨戦りんせん
preparing for action or battle
- 臨月りんげつ
final month of pregnancy; month in which childbirth is due
- 臨済宗りんざいしゅう
Rinzai school of Zen Buddhism
- 臨死りんし
near-death; close to death
- 臨席りんせき
attendance; presence
- 臨港りんこう
facing (along) the harbor (harbour)
- 光臨こうりん
arrival; visit; call
- 臨検りんけん
on-the-spot investigation or inspection; raid
- 臨場感りんじょうかん
(sense of) presence; feeling as if one was there; feeling of actually being there; realism; ambiance
Study
Etymology
臨 originally combined 臣 (a downward-looking eye) with 品 (many objects) and a person element, suggesting overseeing or looking down upon many things. The modern form retains the eye and the idea of facing or attending to something.
Meaning mnemonic
The left side 臣 looks like a wide eye peering down. The right side resembles a person standing over three boxes (品), like someone overseeing goods. Together, 臨 shows a person facing and attending to what is before them.
Reading mnemonic
For リン, imagine a ring of people facing you, and you must confront them: ring -> リン, and you look to meet their eyes.