生き甲斐

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Japanese

Kanji in this term

Grade: 1
か > が
Grade: S

Jinmeiyō
kun'yomi irregular
Alternative spellings
生甲斐
生きがい
 生き甲斐 on Japanese Wikipedia
 Ikigai on Wikipedia

Etymology

Compound of 生きる (ikiru, to live, to exist) +‎ 甲斐 (kai, worth, value). The kai changes to gai as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

Noun

()()() (ikigaiいきがひ (ikigafi)?

  1. A reason for living; one's purpose; raison d'être.
    ()()()()つけたい。
    Ikigai o mitsuketai.
    I want to find my life's purpose.

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  2. 2.0 2.1 Yamada, Tadao et al., editors (2011), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Seventh edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN