易 means “easy, trade”

やさしい · yasashii

Also: ready to, simple, fortune-telling

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

やさしい, やすい

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

エキ, イ

JLPT N3 · Taught in grade 5 · 8 strokes

The story

Picture a lizard, the sun (日) its head and 勿 its scuttling legs, changing color as it goes: 易 is change and exchange. Goods swapped across the sea are 貿易, trade, and an easy test is 易しい, a different やさしい from kind 優しい.

Used in 易しい (yasashii, easy), 貿易 (boueki, trade), and 容易 (youi, simple/easy)

More from Money Matters

• 給 supply
• 返 return
• 貧 poor
• 経 pass through
• 受 receive
• 支 support
• 済 finish
• 得 gain
• 資 resources
• 与 give
• 費 expense
• 財 wealth

Learn 易 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

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