KANJI: KAI E a (meet, meeting, party, join)

ASCII Art Representation:

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Character Etymology:

An older form of this character reveals it to be a lid coming down upon a pot of steaming rice. This character first meant only to put together, but later it meant to come together/meet.

One final simplification occured in which the rather complex character representing the steaming rice was replaced with the radical meaning to speak. This may have been done both as a simplification of the writing of this character and to reflect its changing meaning.

A Listing of All On-Yomi and Kun-Yomi Readings:

on-yomi: KAI E
kun-yomi: a(u) a(waseru) atsu(maru)

Nanori Readings:

Nanori: ai i

English Definitions:

1. E: Buddist ceremony; understanding.
2. KAI: meeting, assembly; party; association, club.
3. a(u): meet, interview.
4. a(waseru): expose to, be subject to.
5. kai(suru): meet, assemble; join.
6. e(suru): understand.
7. tamatama: casually, unexpectedly; few.

Character Index Numbers:

New Nelson: 143
Henshall: 87

Unicode Encoded Version:

会

Unicode Encoded Compound Examples:

会社 (kaisha): company, corporation.
会食 (kaishoku): dining together; mess (hall).
国会 (kokai): the Diet.

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