契 — “Pledge / Promise / Vow” in Japanese

Master (高手)けい, ちぎ

Radical ⼤ · radical 37 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Pledge / Promise / Vow” in Japanese is 契, read kei, chigi (けい, ちぎ). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 契約 (contract).

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What does 契 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	契
Meaning	Pledge / Promise / Vow
Readings	けい, ちぎ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	契約 (contract)

How to read 契

契 is read kei (けい) or chigi (ちぎ) depending on the word.

Words with 契

契機けいき
契約

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Kanji read the same way as 契

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

Updated: 2026-08-28