Japanese Kanji for Life: 生 and 命 — What's the Difference
The Japanese kanji for life is 生 (5 strokes, 'to live, to be born') or 命 (8 strokes, 'life as a span, fate'). 生 is read 'sei/shō' and 'ikiru', 命 is read 'mei' and 'inochi'. 'Life' as a word is most often 人生 (jinsei) — a person's life, or 命 (inochi) — life as something that can be lost.
Japanese has two characters for life, and they are not interchangeable. 生 is the process: to grow, to be born, to be alive. 命 is the life you hold in your hands and give away. A doctor in a drama shouts about 命. A biology teacher writes 生.
How to Write the Japanese Kanji for Life
- Meaning
- life, to be born, live, raw
- Onyomi
- セイ、ショウ
- Kunyomi
- い.きる、い.かす、い.ける、う.まれる、うま.れる、う.まれ、うまれ、う.む、お.う、は.える、は.やす、き、なま、なま-、な.る、な.す、む.す、-う
- strokes
- 5
Level N5, 5 strokes. Click 'Show order' — the long horizontal at the bottom is written last.
Where the Form Comes From
生 is a sprout breaking through the ground: the horizontal line at the bottom is the earth. Hence the whole set of meanings — to be born, to grow, to be alive, and even 'raw, unprocessed': 生ビール (nama bīru) — 'live', unpasteurized beer.
The Second Character for Life — 命
命 (inochi) — 8 strokes, 'life' as an allotted span. It also carries the meaning 'order, command': 命令 (meirei) — an order. The ancient logic: life is given from above, like a command. It is 命 that is used when talking about the price of life: 命を救う (inochi o sukuu) — 'to save a life'.
Words with the Kanji for Life
| Japanese | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 人生じんせい | jinsei | Human life, destiny |
| 命いのち | inochi | Life as something that can be lost |
| 生きるいきる | ikiru | To live |
| 生活せいかつ | seikatsu | Daily life, livelihood |
| 誕生たんじょう | tanjō | Birth |
| 生なま | nama | Raw, fresh, live |
| 生命せいめい | seimei | Life as a biological phenomenon |
Which Character to Choose
For your life in general — 人生 (jinsei). For life as a value — 命 (inochi). For life as a phenomenon, in science — 生命 (seimei). For daily life — 生活 (seikatsu). The single 生 in the meaning of 'life' is almost never used: it has too many other meanings.
Kanji for Life for Tattoos
- A lone 生 a Japanese person would read more as 'raw' or 'student' (in compounds) rather than 'life' — the meaning is vague.
- For 'life', 命 (inochi) is more accurate: one character, unambiguous meaning, beautiful form.
- The popular pair 一生 (isshō) means 'whole life', 一生懸命 (isshōkenmei) — 'with all one's might, as if for one's whole life'.
- 生 has only five strokes, and the last one is a long horizontal at the bottom: if you make it shorter than the others, the character will 'wobble'.
Write 生 Yourself
FAQ
How many kanji mean 'life'?
Two: 生 (5 strokes) — to live, to be born, to be alive, and 命 (8 strokes) — life as a span and value. The word 'human life' is 人生 (jinsei).
How is 生 different from 命?
生 is the process of life and growth, and also 'raw, fresh'. 命 is life as something given and that can be lost; it also carries the meaning 'command'. You save 命, you live 生きる.
How is the kanji 生 read?
On'yomi — セイ (sei), ショウ (shō): 生活 seikatsu, 一生 isshō. Kun'yomi are many: い.きる (ikiru) 'to live', う.まれる (umareru) 'to be born', なま (nama) 'raw'.
How do you say 'life' in Japanese?
人生 (jinsei) — about a person's life, 命 (inochi) — about life as a value, 生命 (seimei) — in the scientific sense, 生活 (seikatsu) — about daily life.
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