界かい

noun, used as a suffix

community; circles; world

Suffix used to denote a social or professional sphere, such as 芸能界 (show business) or 政界 (political world).

• 彼かれは芸げい能のう界かいで有ゆう名めいだ。

  He is famous in the entertainment world.

• 政せい界かいに入いるにはコネが必ひつ要ようだと言いわれる。

  It is said that connections are necessary to enter the political world.

noun, noun, used as a suffix

kingdom (biology)

Taxonomic rank in biology; used in terms like 動物界 (animal kingdom) and 植物界 (plant kingdom).

• 生せい物ぶつは五ご界かいに分ぶん類るいされることがある。

  Living things are sometimes classified into five kingdoms.

noun, noun, used as a suffix

erathem (geology)

Geochronologic unit; used in terms like 古生界 (Paleozoic erathem).

• 古こ生せい界かいは約やく5億おく4千せん万まん年ねん前まえから2億おく5千せん万まん年ねん前まえまでの地ち層そうを含ふくむ。

  The Paleozoic erathem includes strata from about 540 million to 250 million years ago.

noun, used as a suffix

field (electrical)

Used in physics for a region of influence, e.g., 電界 (electric field) or 磁界 (magnetic field).

• 電でん界かいの強つよさを測そく定ていする。

  Measure the strength of the electric field.

noun

border; boundary; division

Rare standalone noun meaning a dividing line or limit; more commonly encountered in compounds like 境界 (boundary) or 分界 (division).

• 「界かい」という漢かん字じは、もともと境さかい目めを意い味みした。

  The kanji 界 originally meant a boundary.