汽 means “steam, vapor”

き · ki

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

キ

JLPT N1 · Taught in grade 2 · 7 strokes

The story

Water (氵) and 气, steam curling upward: vapor. 汽 is the steam age: 汽車 was the steam train, 汽船 the steamship, and a 汽笛 still sounds as a ferry leaves port. Careful: in Chinese 汽車 means a car.

Used in 汽車 (kisha, steam train), 汽船 (kisen, steamship), and 汽笛 (kiteki, steam whistle)

More from Ships & Shores

• 藻 seaweed
• 舷 ship's side
• 浜 beach
• 江 inlet
• 浦 inlet
• 津 harbor
• 瀬 rapids
• 潮 tide
• 艦 warship
• 艇 small boat
• 搭 embark
• 漂 drift

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

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