棄 means “abandon, discard, renounce”

き · ki

Also: throw away, resign

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

すてる

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

キ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 13 strokes

The story

The top (亠 over 厶) began as a child drawn upside down, and the Shuowen reads 棄 as a baby cast out in a basket: abandonment. 放棄 is giving something up, as in Article 9's renunciation of war, and 棄権 is abstaining from a vote or pulling out of a race.

Used in 放棄 (houki, renunciation/abandonment), 廃棄 (haiki, disposal), and 棄権 (kiken, abstention)

More from Block & Refuse

• 却 send back
• 控 refrain
• 排 expel
• 抵 resist
• 阻 obstruct
• 妨 hinder
• 遮 block
• 罷 dismiss
• 斥 repel
• 塞 block
• 抗 oppose
• 廃 abolish

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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.