矯 means “straighten, correct”

きょう · kyou

Also: rectify, reform

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

ためる

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

キョウ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 17 strokes

The story

An arrow (矢) beside 喬, tall: 矯 once meant a clamp for bending arrow shafts straight. Now it fixes whatever grew crooked: 矯正 is correction, 歯列矯正 is braces on teeth, and 角を矯めて牛を殺す warns that fixing a small flaw can kill the ox.

Used in 矯正 (kyousei, correction/straightening), 歯列矯正 (shiretsu kyousei, orthodontics), and 矯める (tameru, to straighten)

More from Copies & Models

• 謄 copy
• 抄 excerpt
• 倣 imitate
• 塑 model
• 模 model
• 仮 temporary
• 範 model
• 肖 likeness
• 擬 mimic

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