迷
迷 — Astray
astray, be perplexed, in doubt, lost, err, illusion
On’yomiメイ (mei)
Kun’yomiまよう (mayou)
Stroke order (9 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 迷
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 低迷 | ていめい teimei | hanging low (of clouds); remaining low (of sales, stock prices, etc.); remaining sluggish (of the economy, market, etc.) |
| 迷惑 | めいわく meiwaku | trouble; bother; annoyance |
| 混迷 | こんめい konmei | turmoil; chaos; confusion |
| 迷い | まよい mayoi | hesitation; bewilderment; perplexity |
| 迷う | まよう mayou | to lose one's way; to get lost; to go astray |
| 迷子 | まいご maigo | lost child; lost person; stray child |
Study notes
迷 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 9 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #942 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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