祈 means “pray, wish”

いのる · inoru

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)
いのる
On'yomi (Chinese reading)
キ

JLPT N2 · Taught in secondary school · 8 strokes

The story

An altar (礻) and an axe (斤): picture a warrior laying his axe before the gods to pray for a safe return. 祈る is to pray, students hang 合格祈願 plaques at shrines before exams, and a job rejection is an お祈りメール, since it ends by wishing you well.

Used in 祈る (inoru, to pray), お祈り (oinori, prayer), and 祈願 (kigan, prayer for a wish)

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