補 means “supplement, make up for”
おぎなう · oginau
Also: supply, make good, offset
- Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)
- おぎなう
- On'yomi (Chinese reading)
- ホ
JLPT N2 · Taught in grade 6 · 12 strokes
The story
Clothing (衤) beside 甫, pictured as a stitched patch: 補 began as mending a torn garment. 補う is to make up for what's missing, 補習 the extra classes for students who fell behind, and a 候補 is a candidate.
Used in 補う (oginau, to make up for), 候補 (kouho, candidate), and 補助 (hojo, assistance/subsidy)
More from The Order of Things
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Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.