Meaning
Mirror, reflect, looking-glass — This kanji often appears in both literal and figurative senses, such as a physical mirror or a reflection of truth, character, or history.
- 鏡 — mirror
- 鏡台 — dressing table
- 眼鏡 — glasses (spectacles)
- 水鏡 — water reflection
- 銅鏡 — bronze mirror
- 破鏡 — broken mirror
The kanji 鏡 is a phono-semantic compound: it combines 金 (metal) with the phonetic 京. It originally referred to metal mirrors, which were polished to a reflective surface. Today it also conveys metaphorical ideas, like reflecting one’s true self or social ideals.
鏡を 見て、髪を 整えます。
I check the mirror and fix my hair.
彼女は 鏡の 前で 立ち 止まりました。
She stopped in front of the mirror.
🎧 The on-yomi キョウ appears in compound words like 鏡台 and 銅鏡. The kun-yomi かがみ is used when the kanji stands alone, such as in 鏡 (mirror).