Readings: キャク, キャ (Onyomi), しりぞ-く, しりぞ-ける, かえ-って (Kunyomi)
Meaning: Instead, on the contrary; withdraw, reject, dismiss, get rid of. (Often used as a suffix meaning “away” or “back”).
形声文字 (Phono-semantic character). Combines 「去」(go away) with 「卩」(a kneeling person, often indicating sealing or stopping). The combination suggests “to push back, to reject, to turn away.”
View JLPT N1 Kanji ListHow to Write – Stroke Order
The stroke order for 却 starts with the ‘去’ component on the left, followed by the ‘卩’ radical on the right.
Kanji Details
| Radical | 卩 |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 8 |
| JLPT Level | N1 |
| Grade | Joyo Kanji (not assigned a specific school grade) |
Readings with English Transcription
Onyomi (Chinese readings)
- 却 (Kyaku)
- 却 (Kya)
Kunyomi (Japanese readings)
- 却って (Kaette)
- 却く (Shirizoku)
- 却ける (Shirizokeru)
Common Words Using 却
Onyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 却下 | きゃっか | Rejection, dismissal. |
| 冷却 | れいきゃく | Cooling, refrigeration. |
| 売却 | ばいきゃく | Sale, disposal by sale. |
| 償却 | しょうきゃく | Amortization, depreciation. |
| 返却 | へんきゃく | Return (of something). |
| 焼却 | しょうきゃく | Incineration, burning. |
| 破却 | はきゃく | Demolition, destruction. |
| 脱却 | だっきゃく | Escape from, shedding, breaking free. |
| 撤却 | てっきゃく | Removal, dismantling. |
| 付却 | ふきゃく | Annulment, cancellation (less common than 却下). |
Kunyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 却って | かえって | On the contrary, rather, instead (adverb, derived from this kanji, though often written in hiragana). |
| 却く | しりぞく | To retreat, to withdraw (extremely rare with this kanji; usually 退く). |
| 却ける | しりぞける | To repel, to reject (extremely rare with this kanji; usually 退ける). |
| 却えす | かえす | To return (archaic use of 却; usually 返す). |
| 却る | かえる | To return (archaic use of 却; usually 帰る or 返る). |
| 却し返す | しりぞきかえす | To push back and return (literary/archaic). |
| 却し去る | しりぞきさる | To retreat and leave (literary/archaic). |
| 却し退く | しりぞきしりぞく | To retreat repeatedly (literary/archaic). |
| 却し出す | しりぞきだす | To send back, to push out (literary/archaic). |
| 却し始める | しりぞきはじめる | To begin to retreat (literary/archaic). |
Example Sentences
Japanese: 彼の提案は委員会によって却下された。
Kana: かれのていあんはいいんかいによってきゃっかされた。
Romaji: Kare no teian wa iinkai ni yotte kyakka sareta.
English: His proposal was rejected by the committee.
Japanese: 真夏の暑さ対策として、冷却ファンが欠かせない。
Kana: まなつのあつさたいさくとして、れいきゃくファンがかせない。
Romaji: Manatsu no atsusa taisaku to shite, reikyaku fan ga kakasenai.
English: As a measure against midsummer heat, a cooling fan is indispensable.
Japanese: その土地は高値で売却された。
Kana: そのとちはたかねでばいきゃくされた。
Romaji: Sono tochi wa takane de baikyaku sareta.
English: That land was sold at a high price.
Japanese: 図書館から借りた本は期日までに返却してください。
Kana: としょかんからかりたほんはきじつまでにへんきゃくしてください。
Romaji: Toshokan kara karita hon wa kijitsu made ni henkyaku shite kudasai.
English: Please return the books borrowed from the library by the due date.
Japanese: 古い書類はすべて焼却処分された。
Kana: ふるいしょるいはすべてしょうきゃくしょぶんされた。
Romaji: Furui shorui wa subete shōkyaku shobun sareta.
English: All old documents were incinerated.
Japanese: 彼は病気かと思ったが、却って元気そうだ。
Kana: かれはびょうきかとおもったが、かえってげんきそうだ。
Romaji: Kare wa byōki ka to omotta ga, kaette genki sō da.
English: I thought he was sick, but on the contrary, he looks energetic.
Japanese: 古い建物は安全上の理由から破却されることになった。
Kana: ふるいたてものはあんぜんじょうのりゆうからはきゃくされることになった。
Romaji: Furui tatemono wa anzenjō no riyū kara hakyaku sareru koto ni natta.
English: The old building was decided to be demolished for safety reasons.
Japanese: 彼は過去の失敗から完全に脱却した。
Kana: かれはかこのしっぱいからかんぜんにだっきゃくした。
Romaji: Kare wa kako no shippai kara kanzen ni dakkyaku shita.
English: He completely broke free from past failures.
Japanese: 不用になった家具は業者によって撤却された。
Kana: ふようになったかぐはぎょうしゃによっててっきゃくされた。
Romaji: Fuyō ni natta kagu wa gyōsha ni yotte tekkyaku sareta.
English: Unnecessary furniture was removed by a professional.
Japanese: この法律は多くの反対意見により付却された。
Kana: このほうりつはおおくのはんたいいけんによりふきゃくされた。
Romaji: Kono hōritsu wa ooku no hantai iken ni yori fukyakku sareta.
English: This law was annulled due to many opposing opinions.
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