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Kotomora

民

people, nation, subjects

JLPTN4StatusJōyō · grade 4FrequencyTop 100Strokes5

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

Explore all words using 民 →

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.