ChiramiN4 kanji · 10 strokes
員 means member, employee
員
口 mouth · 貝 money
員Memory trick
A mouth (口) to feed with money (貝): someone on the payroll, a member.
Memory trick: a picture to help you remember the kanji, not its history.
Meaning and readings
- Meanings
- employee, member, number, the one in charge
- JLPT level
- N4
- Strokes
- 10
- School grade
- Grade 3 in Japan
From Chinese (onyomi) イン in
イン (in) came from Chinese with the character. You mostly hear it in words made of several kanji. Dictionaries call this the on reading.
Tap a reading to see when it's used. Why kanji have two kinds of reading: onyomi vs kunyomi.
Common word
社員 しゃいん · shain
company employee
Built from
- 口 mouth
- 貝 shell, money
- 目 eye
- 八 eight, split apart
Tap a part to see the N5 and N4 kanji that use it.
目 Used in 136 kanji
See all 14 at N5 and N4Quick check
What does 員 mean?
Right: 員 means member, employee.Not quite: 員 means member, employee.In 社員, 員 is read いん. Which kind of reading is that?
Right. 社員 is read しゃいん (shain): 員 takes イン, its reading from Chinese. It's the only reading 員 has.Not quite. 社員 is read しゃいん (shain): 員 takes イン, its reading from Chinese. It's the only reading 員 has.