鏡

音読おんよみ: キョウ

訓読くんよみ: かがみ

画数かくすう: 19 strokes

部首ぶしゅ: 金(かねへん)

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.


  • かがみ — mirror
  • 鏡台きょうだい — dressing table
  • 眼鏡めがね — glasses (spectacles)
  • 水鏡すいきょう — water reflection
  • 銅鏡どうきょう — bronze mirror
  • 破鏡はきょう — 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.

かがみて、かみととのえます。
I check the mirror and fix my hair.

彼女かのじょかがみまえまりました。
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).

◀︎ Full List ▶︎