民
people, nation, subjects
Readings
On'yomi
- ミン
Kun'yomi
- たみ
Nanori
- ひと
- み
Meaning
民 centers on a collective body of people under a shared identity or rule: the populace, a nation, or subjects of a sovereign.
Most common words using 民
24 of 716- 国民こくみんN3
people (of a country); nation; citizen; national
- 市民しみんN4
citizen (of a country); citizenry
- 民たみ
people; citizens; subjects; folk
- 住民じゅうみんN3
inhabitant; resident; citizen; population
- 民間みんかんN2
private; non-governmental; non-official; civilian; civil
- 民主みんしゅN1
democracy; popular sovereignty
- 民族みんぞくN1
people; race; nation; ethnic group; ethnos
- 民主党みんしゅとう
Democratic Party
- 自民党じみんとう
Liberal Democratic Party; LDP
- 県民けんみん
resident of a prefecture; citizen of a prefecture
- 移民いみんN2
immigration; emigration
- 民衆みんしゅうN1
people; populace; masses
- 難民なんみんN1
refugee; displaced person
- 庶民しょみんN2
common people; ordinary people; masses
- 人民じんみんN1
the people; citizens; the populace
- 自民じみん
Liberal Democratic Party; LDP
- 民事みんじ
civil affairs; civil case
- 民営みんえい
private management
- 農民のうみんN3
farmer; peasant
- 民家みんか
private house
- 民放みんぽう
commercial broadcast
- 民法みんぽうN1
civil law; civil code
- 都民とみん
resident of Tokyo; citizen of Tokyo; Tokyoite
- 原住民げんじゅうみん
native people; aboriginal; indigenous people
Study
Etymology
民 originally depicted a person with a marked or blinded eye, possibly representing subjugated people or subjects. The modern form retains the eye-like shape at the bottom.
Meaning mnemonic
The top stroke looks like a flat roof, and the bottom part resembles a person kneeling with an eye. Picture a nation of people living under one roof, all subjects of the same ruler.
Reading mnemonic
For ミン, imagine a nation of people all named Min: every subject you meet is called Min, so 民 is the Min people.