遍 means “everywhere, universal, times”

へん · hen

Also: widely, generally

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

あまねく

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ヘン

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 12 strokes

The story

Walking (辶) the land with a flat tablet (扁) in hand: picture a pilgrim going temple to temple. On Shikoku, white-clad お遍路さん walk the 88-temple circuit, 普遍的 truths hold good everywhere, and 一遍 is a single time.

Used in 普遍 (fuhen, universality), 一遍 (ippen, once/one time), and お遍路 (ohenro, the Shikoku pilgrimage)

More from Moments & Eras

• 迅 swift
• 頃 around (a time)
• 漸 gradually
• 紀 chronicle
• 節 joint
• 既 already
• 暫 temporary
• 旬 in season
• 即 immediate
• 瞬 instant
• 恒 constant
• 曽 great- (generation)

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

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