Readings: ダイ, タイ (Onyomi), か.わる, か.える, よ, しろ (Kunyomi)
Meaning: substitute, change, generation, era, send, cost, charge
The kanji 代 is composed of the radical 人 (にんべん – person) on the left and 戈 (ほこ – halberd/spear) on the right. The 戈 component often implies movement or change. Together, these elements suggest ‘a person moving into another’s place’ or ‘taking over’, hence the meanings of ‘substitute’, ‘replace’, or ‘generation’ (as one generation replaces another).
View JLPT N4 Kanji ListHow to Write – Stroke Order
The kanji 代 is written in 5 strokes. It starts with the ‘person’ radical (人) on the left side, followed by the three strokes on the right side which include a horizontal line, a vertical line intersecting it, and a final sweeping stroke to the left.
Kanji Details
| Radical | 人 (にんべん) |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 5 |
| JLPT Level | N4 |
| Grade | 3 |
Readings with English Transcription
Onyomi (Chinese readings)
- ダイ (dai)
- タイ (tai)
Kunyomi (Japanese readings)
- かわる (kawaru)
- かえる (kaeru)
- よ (yo)
- しろ (shiro)
Common Words Using 代
Onyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 時代 | じだい | era, period |
| 世代 | せだい | generation |
| 代表 | だいひょう | representative |
| 交代 | こうたい | change, shift, alternation |
| 現代 | げんだい | modern age, present day |
| 代金 | だいきん | price, cost |
| 代理 | だいり | agency, proxy |
| 年代 | ねんだい | decade |
| 歴代 | れきだい | successive generations/reigns |
| 初代 | しょだい | first generation |
Kunyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 代わる | かわる | to take the place of, to substitute |
| 代える | かえる | to replace, to substitute (transitive) |
| 代わりに | かわりに | instead of, in place of |
| お代わり | おかわり | another helping, second serving |
| 代わり | かわり | substitute, replacement (noun) |
| 身代わり | みがわり | substitute, scapegoat |
| 代替品 | だいがえひん | replacement item |
| 御代 | みよ | emperor’s reign, current era |
| 数代 | すうよ | several generations |
| 代々 | よよ | generations |
Example Sentences
Japanese: 現代は情報の時代です。
Kana: げんだいはじょうほうのじだいです。
Romaji: Gendai wa jōhō no jidai desu.
English: The modern age is an era of information.
Japanese: 彼の祖父は戦争世代です。
Kana: かれのそふはせんそうせだいです。
Romaji: Kare no sofu wa sensō sedai desu.
English: His grandfather belongs to the war generation.
Japanese: 商品の代金はいくらですか。
Kana: しょうひんのだいきんはいくらですか。
Romaji: Shōhin no daikin wa ikura desu ka.
English: How much is the price of the product?
Japanese: 私が彼の代わりに会議に出席します。
Kana: わたしがかれのかわりにかいぎにしゅっせきします。
Romaji: Watashi ga kare no kawari ni kaigi ni shusseki shimasu.
English: I will attend the meeting in his place.
Japanese: 古い電池を新しいものに代えましょう。
Kana: ふるいでんちをあたらしいものにかえましょう。
Romaji: Furui denchi o atarashii mono ni kaemashō.
English: Let’s replace the old battery with a new one.
Japanese: 彼はクラスの代表として選ばれた。
Kana: かれはクラスのだいひょうとしてえらばれた。
Romaji: Kare wa kurasu no daihyō to shite erabareta.
English: He was chosen as the class representative.
Japanese: 運転手が途中で交代した。
Kana: うんてんしゅがとちゅうでこうたいした。
Romaji: Untenshu ga tochū de kōtai shita.
English: The drivers changed midway.
Japanese: ご飯のお代わりはいかがですか。
Kana: ごはんのおかわりはいかがですか。
Romaji: Gohan no okawari wa ikaga desu ka.
English: Would you like another serving of rice?
Japanese: この建物は1960年代に建てられた。
Kana: このたてものは1960ねんだいにたてられた。
Romaji: Kono tatemono wa senkyūhyaku rokujūnendai ni taterareta.
English: This building was built in the 1960s.
Japanese: この家は代々受け継がれてきた。
Kana: このいえはよようけつがれてきた。
Romaji: Kono ie wa yoyo uketsugarete kita.
English: This house has been passed down through generations.
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