命 — life / command

Grade 3めい, みょう, いのち

Radical ⼝ · radical 30 The building block this kanji is filed under

命 (readings: めい, みょう, いのち; Japanese kanji) means “life / command”. It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 生命 (life).

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What does 命 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	命
Meaning	life / command
Readings	めい, みょう, いのち
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	生命 (life)

How to read 命

命 is read めい or みょう or いのち depending on the word.

Words with 命

生命せいめいsinh mệnh
命令mệnh lệnh
革命cách mạng
寿命tuổi thọ
勅命sắc lệnh vua

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Updated: 2026-08-09