flat object; broad and flat thing
Refers to something physically flat and broad, such as a plate, board, or a flat surface. Often used in compound words.
I picked up a flat stone.
noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'
ordinary; common; rank-and-file
Describes something or someone without special rank, title, or distinction. Common in phrases like 平社員 (regular employee) or 平の社員 (rank-and-file employee).
He has stayed a regular employee for ten years since joining the company.
What do you use this flat box for?
He went from being a regular employee to department head.
I'd like them to also listen to the opinions of rank-and-file employees.
I just joined the company, so I'm still a low-ranking employee.
The salary is low while you're a novice.
He rose from a regular employee to a section chief.
He joined this company as a regular employee.
平 is a casual abbreviation used to mean a rank-and-file employee, while 平社員 is the full, explicit term for the same position.
counter for thin, flat objects; sheet; plate; coin · serving of soba; portion of gyōza · sumo rank position; wrestler at a given rank · field; rice paddy plot · palanquin bearer
flat rice field; unterraced paddy
hiragana
flat; even; level · plain; simple
one-story house; bungalow
flounder; bastard halibut; olive flounder · sycophant; toady; brown-noser
palm; open hand · playing on equal terms; no handicap
flat earthenware dish; divination plate
earnestly; humbly
breaststroke
Standard kanji spelling for all senses.
Kana spelling is common when the intended sense is clear from context, especially for the 'ordinary' sense.
The kanji 平 means 'flat' or 'level'. The reading ひら is a native Japanese word (kun'yomi) for flatness, and by extension came to mean 'ordinary' or 'without rank'.
castle on the plains; flatland castle
earnest apology; profuse apology
kinpira; chopped burdock root cooked in sugar and soy sauce
non-executive director; nonmanagerial director
flat ground; level area · orchestra seats; floor seats in front of the stage · multi-brand display area; open sales floor · starting field without 20-point cards
yellowtail amberjack
rank-and-file wrestlers in the top division
flat bottom
rank-and-file employee; ordinary staff member
kanji "wa" radical at top (radical 14)
flat paper; flat sheet
ordinary verse of a renga
tsubo; traditional unit of land area
flat garden; level garden
earnestly; intently; determinedly · the heck; in the world; on earth
open-hearth furnace
concave roof tile; flat tile
flat dish; flat plate