Refers to the fundamental idea, purpose, or core of a matter. Often used in formal or explanatory contexts.
I conveyed that I would not be able to attend the meeting.
Please explain the aim of this plan.
I understood the gist of his story.
Only when written 旨
Focuses on the essential content or intended meaning of a statement or document. Restricted to the 旨 kanji.
Please summarize the purport of this letter.
instructions; orders; wishes
Only when written 旨
Used for conveying someone's directives, intentions, or desires, often in formal or business settings. Restricted to the 旨 kanji.
Following the president's instructions, we announced the new policy.
We will make every effort to meet the customer's wishes.
I acknowledged the request.
We proceeded with the plan in accordance with the president's wishes.
The purport of the precautions was stated in the contract.
They clarified the aim behind enacting this law.
要点 refers to the concrete main points of a summary, whereas 旨 can also imply an underlying principle or intention behind those points.
意向 emphasizes a person's intentions or leanings, while 旨 in the sense of 'instructions/wishes' focuses more on a formally conveyed directive.
胸 is a homophone of 旨 meaning 'chest', with no semantic connection to 旨's meaning of 'gist' or 'purpose'.
棟 is another homophone of 旨, but it refers to a building or the ridge of a roof, unrelated to 旨's meaning of 'gist' or 'instructions'.
旨 means the 'gist' or 'purport' of a statement, while 由 means the underlying 'reason' or, separately, marks reported speech; both appear in stiff formal writing and are easy to mix up.
God's will
Standard kanji for all senses; high-frequency news kanji.
Rare alternative kanji for the 'principle' sense; mostly seen in older texts.
The kanji 旨 originally depicted a spoon over a mouth, suggesting 'delicious' or 'good,' and later extended to mean 'intention' or 'principle.' The reading むね is native Japanese and may be related to 胸 (chest/heart) as the seat of thoughts.