待
待 — Wait
wait, depend on
On’yomiタイ (tai)
Kun’yomiまつ (matsu)
Kun’yomi-まち (machi)
Stroke order (9 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 待
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 期待 | きたい kitai | expectation; anticipation; hope |
| 招待 | しょうたい shoutai | invitation |
| 待遇 | たいぐう taiguu | treatment; reception; service |
| 接待 | せったい settai | entertainment (of guests; esp. in the corporate world); treating (to food and drinks); wining and dining |
| 期待感 | きたいかん kitaikan | sense of anticipation; feeling of expectation; feeling of hope |
| 虐待 | ぎゃくたい gyakutai | abuse; ill-treatment; maltreatment |
Study notes
待 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 9 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 3), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #391 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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