気き質しつ

also: きしつ

か

た

ぎ

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

noun, noun, used as a suffix

disposition; temperament; nature; character

Refers to a person's inherent mental and emotional qualities. The reading かたぎ is common as a suffix (e.g., 職人気質, 学生気質) to describe the typical temperament of a group. The reading きしつ is more formal and often used in standalone noun form.

彼かれは穏おだやかな気質かたぎの持もち主ぬしだ。
He has a gentle disposition.
職しょく人にん気質かたぎの彼かれは、細さい部ぶまで手てを抜ぬかない。
With his craftsman's temperament, he pays attention to every detail.

Written forms

気質Usage97%
- かたぎ
  Most common spelling for the reading かたぎ, especially as a suffix. Also used for きしつ.
- きしつ
  Formal or literary reading. Often used in psychological or descriptive contexts.
かたぎUsage1%
容かた気ぎUsage1%
Rare variant kanji form.
形かた気ぎUsage<1%
Rare variant kanji form.
きしつ

Kanji

気spirit, mind, air
質substance, quality, matter
容contain, form, looks
形shape, form, style

Similar words

性せい格かく
性格 is the general word for personality or character, while 気質 emphasizes innate disposition or temperament, often with a nuance of being deep-rooted.
性せい質しつ
性質 can refer to the nature of things as well as people, whereas 気質 is primarily used for human temperament.

Etymology

Compound of 気 (ki, 'spirit, mind') and 質 (shitsu, 'quality, nature'). The reading かたぎ is a kun'yomi variant, likely from 形気 (katagi), meaning 'shape/mind', which became associated with innate disposition.