仮 means “temporary, provisional, fake”

かり · kari

Also: sham, interim, assumed (name)

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

かり

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

カ, ケ

JLPT N1 · Taught in grade 5 · 6 strokes

The story

A person (亻) beside 反, turned around: picture someone wearing a face that is not their own. 仮 is for now, or for show: 仮面 is a mask, 仮病 is faking sick, and kana are 仮名, "stand-in letters", named against 真名, the true letters, kanji.

Used in 仮に (kari ni, supposing/for now), 仮面 (kamen, mask), and 仮病 (kebyou, feigned illness)

More from Copies & Models

• 範 model
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• 矯 straighten
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• 抄 excerpt
• 倣 imitate
• 塑 model
• 模 model

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

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