済
済 — Settle (debt, etc.)
settle (debt, etc.), relieve (burden), finish, come to an end, excusable, need not
On’yomiサイ (sai)
On’yomiセイ (sei)
Kun’yomiすむ (sumu)
Kun’yomi-ずみ (zumi)
Kun’yomi-ずみ (zumi)
Kun’yomiすまない (sumanai)
Kun’yomiすます (sumasu)
Stroke order (11 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 済
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 経済 | けいざい keizai | economy; economics; finance |
| 救済 | きゅうさい kyuusai | relief; aid; help |
| 返済 | へんさい hensai | repayment; reimbursement; refund |
| 経済的 | けいざいてき keizaiteki | economic; financial; economical |
| 経済界 | けいざいかい keizaikai | economic world; financial circles; business community |
| 経済企画庁 | けいざいきかくちょう keizaikikakuchou | Economic Planning Agency (1955-2001) |
Study notes
済 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 11 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 6), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #168 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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