介 means “mediate, between”

かい · kai

Also: jammed in, shellfish, concern oneself with

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

カイ

JLPT N2 · Taught in secondary school · 4 strokes

The story

A person (人) standing between two lines: someone stepping in between. 介 is half of 紹介, introduction, 介護 is care for the elderly, a huge field in aging Japan, and its old sense of a shell lives on in 魚介, seafood.

Used in 紹介 (shoukai, introduction), 介護 (kaigo, nursing care), and 魚介 (gyokai, seafood)

More from Names & Introductions

• 児 child
• 齢 age
• 籍 register
• 仲 relationship
• 紹 introduce
• 童 child
• 幼 very young
• 姓 surname

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

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