Kanji 役: duty, war, campaign, drafted labor, office, service, role
Key takeaways
Kanji 役: duty, war, campaign, drafted labor, office, service, role. Readings and core meaning.
See vocabulary and examples below.
Kanji at a glance
Core meaning / core image
Core meaning: 役
duty, war, campaign, drafted labor, office, service, role
Kanji structure breakdown
Mnemonic story
Mnemonic story
The character depicts someone walking (彳) while carrying a weapon (殳), representing military service or a guard's duty. This evolved to mean any assigned 'duty' or 'role' one performs. Think of words like 'role' (役割) or 'active duty' (現役).
