適 means “suitable, fit, apt”

てき · teki

Also: occasional, rare, qualified

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)
かなう
On'yomi (Chinese reading)
テキ

JLPT N3 · Taught in grade 5 · 14 strokes

The story

The road (辶) beside 啇: picture a path that ends at exactly the right spot, like a key sliding into the one lock it fits. 快適 is comfortable, 最適 the best fit, and 適当 means "suitable" but, in casual talk, "any old way".

Used in 適当 (tekitou, suitable/careless), 快適 (kaiteki, comfortable), and 最適 (saiteki, optimal)

More from How Things Feel

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