命 — “life / command” in Japanese

Grade 3めい, みょう, いのち

Radical ⼝ · radical 30 The building block this kanji is filed under

“life / command” in Japanese is 命, read mei, myou, inochi (めい, みょう, いのち). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 生命 (life).

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What does 命 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	命
Meaning	life / command
Readings	めい, みょう, いのち
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	生命 (life)

How to read 命

命 is read mei (めい) or myou (みょう) or inochi (いのち) depending on the word.

Words with 命

生命せいめい
命令
革命
寿命
勅命

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Kanji read the same way as 命

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

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Updated: 2026-08-28