Skip to content
Kotomora

界

world, boundary

JLPTN4StatusJōyō · grade 3FrequencyTop 200Strokes9

Readings

On'yomi

  • カイ

Kun'yomi

—

Meaning

界 centers on a defined area or realm: a world, sphere, or the boundary that separates one domain from another.

Most common words using 界

24 of 438
  • 世界せかい
    N5

    the world; society; the universe

  • 業界ぎょうかい
    N1

    business world; business circles; (the) industry

  • 世界中せかいじゅう
    N4

    around the world; throughout the world

  • 限界げんかい
    N3

    limit; bound

  • 世界一せかいいち

    best in the world

  • 境界きょうかい
    N2

    boundary; border; limit; bounds; frontier

  • 界隈かいわい

    neighborhood; neighbourhood; vicinity

  • 視界しかい

    field of vision; visibility; view; visual field; (one's) ken

  • 政界せいかい
    N1

    (world of) politics; political world; political circles

  • 財界ざいかい
    N1

    financial world; business circles

  • 臨界りんかい

    boundary

  • 外界がいかい

    outside world; physical world

  • 球界きゅうかい

    the baseball world

  • 下界げかい

    the earth below; the ground below

  • 世界銀行せかいぎんこう

    World Bank

  • 学界がっかい
    N1

    academic world; academia; academic circles; scientific world; learned circles

  • 法曹界ほうそうかい

    legal circles

  • 角界かくかい

    the world of sumo

  • 官界かんかい

    bureaucracy

  • 世界的せかいてき
    N3

    worldwide; global; international; universal

  • 産業界さんぎょうかい

    the industrial world

  • 経済界けいざいかい

    economic world; financial circles; business community

  • 全世界ぜんせかい

    the whole world

  • 第二次世界大戦だいにじせかいたいせん

    Second World War (1939-1945); World War II; WWII; WW2

Explore all words using 界 →

Study

Etymology

界 combines 田 (field) and 介, which likely contributes the sound and the idea of dividing or separating. Together they suggest a boundary between fields, hence a defined world or realm.

Meaning mnemonic

A field (田) divided by a person (介) standing between them creates a boundary, defining separate worlds.

Reading mnemonic

For カイ, imagine a kite flying over the boundary between two fields: kite -> カイ, and the kite marks the edge of the world.