迷

音読おんよみ: メイ / めい / mei

訓読くんよみ: まよう / マヨウ / mayou

画数かくすう: 9 strokes

部首ぶしゅ: 辶(しんにょう)

Meaning

Lost or unsure — this kanji appears in words about being bewildered, astray, or hesitating.


  • 迷子まいご — lost child
  • 迷信めいしん — superstition
  • 迷路めいろ — maze
  • 迷惑めいわく — nuisance
  • 迷宮めいきゅう — labyrinth
  • 迷彩めいさい — camouflage

The radical 辶 (しんにょう) represents movement or walking. Combined with 米 (rice, used phonetically here), it forms the idea of wandering or being unsure of direction — someone who is “lost.”

みちまよってしまいました。
I got lost on the way.

かれ進路しんろまよっている。
He is unsure about his career path.

On-yomi is メイ, as in 迷信 (superstition) or 迷路 (maze). Kun-yomi is まよう, meaning to get lost or hesitate.

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