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役
🇹🇼🇭🇰🇨🇳🇯🇵🇰🇷

service

HSK 7 N2
Human →Actions
yì
ヤク、エキ
역
Depicts a person (亻) being controlled by a weapon (殳). Based on the original meaning "to command". The meaning later shifted to "servant" and "service".
Components
亻 person (side)+ 殳 weapon or tool =
役 service
亻 Iconic component
rén person (side)
Depicts a person. Modern form looks like unrelated 彳.
殳 Iconic component
shū weapon or tool
name of old weapon
Notes
Similar Characters
亿 hundred million (simp)什 what?仁 benevolence仃 solitary仅 solely (simp)仆 to fall forward (simp)仇 animosity仍 still仔 meticulous仕 official他 he仗 battle仙 immortal仟 one thousand代 generation仫 tribe (alt)们 plural (simp)仰 look up to仲 mid-仳 part
Historical Evolution
Oracle (~1250-1000 BC)
Oracle
(~1250-1000 BC)
Bronze Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)
Bronze
Mid Western Zhou (~900 BC)
Seal Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal
Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal
Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal
Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical
Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical
Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical
Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
役
Regular
Modern
Chinese
役 [yì]
forced labor; corvée; obligatory task; military service; to use as servant; to enserf; servant (old); war; campaign; battle
Japanese
役 えき 、 えだち 同音

noun

  1. war; campaign; battle
  2. archaic unpaid work (ritsuryō system); forced labor
役 やく 同音

noun

  1. role; assignment; responsibility; duty; function; job; service
  2. position (of responsibility); post; office
  3. part (in a play, film, etc.); role; character
  4. mahjongcard gameshanafuda scoring combination; hand; yaku; meld
Example Sentences
🇯🇵 (2)
彼が重要な役を果たした。
He played an important part.
彼の望みはハムレットの役を演じることです。
His ambition is to play the part of Hamlet.
Japanese Names
役 えき
Eki surname
役 えん
En surname
役 おおせ
Oose surname
役 まもり
Mamori unclassified name
役 まもる
Mamoru given name
CHINESE WORDS (57)
战役 [zhàn​yì] #6,757
military campaign
战役 [zhàn​yì] #6,757
military campaign
退役 [tuì​yì] #8,275
to retire from the military, sport etc
服役 [fú​yì] #6,395
to serve in the army
奴役 [nú​yì] #13,414
to enslave
现役 [xiàn​yì] #28,168
(military) active duty
现役 [xiàn​yì] #28,168
(military) active duty
兵役 [bīng​yì] #17,894
military service
拘役 [jū​yì] #27,098
detention
劳役 [láo​yì] #30,164
forced labor
47 more items
JAPANESE WORDS (200)
⭐ 役に立つ [やくにたつ] #1,271
to be helpful
⭐ 役目 [やくめ] #2,111
duty
⭐ 役割 [やくわり] #2,633
part
⭐ 役立つ [やくだつ] #2,949
to be useful
役に立てる [やくにたてる] #5,323
to put to use
⭐ 主役 [しゅやく] #5,479
leading part
⭐ 役者 [やくしゃ] #6,381
actor
⭐ 現役 [げんえき] #7,159
active duty
役割を果たす [やくわりをはたす] #8,112
to play a role
⭐ 役人 [やくにん] #8,574
government official
190 more items
KOREAN WORDS (18)
역할 #17,038
role; part
배역 #25,469
part; role
고역
toil; drudgery
노역
toil; drudgery; exertion
단역
minor role; supporting role
무기 징역
imprisonment for life; life sentence
병역
military service
복역
serving a sentence
사역
putting to work; fatigue duty
용역
service
8 more items