貞 means “chastity, constancy”

てい · tei

Also: upright, righteousness

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

ただしい, さだ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

テイ, ジョウ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 9 strokes

The story

Divination cracks (卜) over a shell (貝): 貞 once meant consulting an oracle, a question put to heaven in good faith. In Japanese it is faithfulness: 貞操 is chastity, 不貞 infidelity, and it gave The Ring's ghost her name, 貞子.

Used in 貞操 (teisou, chastity), 不貞 (futei, infidelity), and 貞淑 (teishuku, faithful and modest)

More from Loyalty & Duty

• 慈 mercy
• 衷 innermost feelings
• 義 righteousness
• 善 good
• 孝 filial piety
• 徳 virtue
• 忠 loyalty
• 誠 sincerity
• 倫 ethics
• 仁 benevolence

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