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利口 (りこう, rikou) Japanese meaning: clever | Kotomora
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Usage patterns 利り 口こう に 立た ち 回まわ る to act shrewdly/cleverly for one's own advantage
He worked things cleverly and got in his boss's good graces.
お 利り 口こう にする to be well-behaved, to behave nicely (of a child or pet)
My dog always behaves nicely.
利り 口こう なやり 方かた a clever/shrewd way of doing something
That can't really be called a clever approach.
Kanji 利 profit, advantage, benefit 巧 adroit, skilled, ingenuity Related words 賢い is a more formal i-adjective emphasizing deep wisdom or intelligence, while 利口 leans toward practical cleverness or sensible, well-behaved conduct.
頭がいい is a common everyday phrase focusing on academic or cognitive smartness, whereas 利口 can also describe sensible behavior, not just intellect.
利口 often implies cleverness or shrewdness, sometimes with a hint of being crafty, whereas 賢明 emphasizes wise, well-judged decisions.
利口 is a common everyday word for cleverness or shrewdness, while 発明 as an adjective in this sense is old-fashioned and rarely used now.
利口 is a common na-adjective/noun for being clever or bright in behavior, whereas ワイズ is a rarer katakana word used mainly for effect.
Don't confuse with 利口 (clever) and 利己 (selfish, self-interested) look almost identical in kanji but have unrelated meanings, so learners often mix them up.
利口 (clever, smart) and 利根 (sharp, innate intelligence) share the kanji 利 and overlapping meaning, but 利口 is the far more common everyday word.
Word family well-behaved; obedient; good
clever person; smart person
clever; smart; shrewd
act smart; pretend to be clever
Written forms 利り 口こう Usage 70%
Standard kanji form; high priority.
りこう Usage 23%
利り 巧こう Usage 5%
Variant kanji form; less common.
悧り 巧こう Usage 2%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
Etymology The kanji 利 (profit, advantage) and 口 (mouth) combine to suggest 'clever speech' or 'sharpness'. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has long been used to describe intelligence and good behavior.
good child; well-behaved child
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form.
