徐 means “slowly, gradually”

じょ · jo

Also: deliberately, gently

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

おもむろに

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ジョ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 10 strokes

The story

Steps (彳) taken with time to spare (余): no hurry at all. 徐々に is little by little, and 徐行, painted in big letters on Japanese roads and parking lots, tells drivers to slow to a crawl.

Used in 徐々に (jojo ni, gradually), 徐行 (jokou, go slow), and 徐に (omomuro ni, slowly/deliberately)

More from Moments & Eras

• 疾 disease
• 頻 frequent
• 暦 calendar
• 遍 everywhere
• 迅 swift
• 頃 around (a time)
• 漸 gradually
• 紀 chronicle
• 節 joint
• 既 already
• 暫 temporary
• 旬 in season

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