日
学
夢
本
語
心
Life / Birth
生
Life / Birth
Kun-yomi 🇯🇵:
うまれる (umareru) / いきる (ikiru)
(Japanese reading)
On-yomi 🇨🇳:
セイ (sei)
(Chinese-derived reading)
Life
Life

Pronunciation rules

  • うまれる (umareru) is the kun-yomi used as a verb meaning "to be born".
  • いきる (ikiru) is another kun-yomi used as a verb meaning "to live".
  • セイ (sei) is the on-yomi used in compounds like 先生 (せんせい, sensei: teacher) and 生活 (せいかつ, seikatsu: life).
  • Etymology: A plant coming out from the earth → symbol of life → to be born

Examples

Kun-yomiNative Japanese Readings
生まれる です。
To be born.
Uses kun-yomi うまれる (umareru) as a verb meaning to be born
生きる です。
To live.
Uses kun-yomi いきる (ikiru) as a verb meaning to live
On-yomiSino-Japanese Readings
先生 です。
It's a teacher.
Uses on-yomi セイ (sei) in compound 先生
生活 です。
It's life.
Uses on-yomi セイ (sei) in compound 生活

Quick facts

  • Radical: 生 (itself)
  • Strokes: 5
  • Common compounds: 先生 (せんせい, sensei), 生活 (せいかつ, seikatsu), 生まれる (うまれる, umareru)
  • ⚠️ Reading usage:
    • As verb: うまれる (umareru) - to be born
    • As verb: いきる (ikiru) - to live
    • In compounds: せい (sei) - life

Key Words

生まれる - to be born
先生 - teacher
生きる - to live
生活 - life