Kanji 会 (Kai): Meaning, Readings and Vocabulary

Flip two common characters and the meaning jumps: 社会 is society, 会社 is a company. Both lean on the same kanji, 会 — the one that keeps showing up whenever people gather, talk, or form a group.

That is why 会 is worth learning early. It is a Jōyō character taught in grade 2, sits near the top of newspaper frequency lists (often listed among the first handful of the 2,500 most-used kanji), and appears across JLPT N4 study material. Most compounds read it as kai, with a smaller set using e, and the verb side uses the kun reading au.

• Kun-yomi: あ.う、あ.わせる、あつ.まる
• On-yomi: カイ、エ
• In names: あい、い
• Radical: 人
• Strokes: 6

It is easy to confuse 会 with 合: the shapes are close, some readings overlap, and both show up in words about meeting or matching. When two lookalikes start blending together, a dedicated page on similar-looking kanji helps train the eye before the habit sticks.

Contents 6

Verbs with 会

• 会う (au) — to meet, see, encounter, or come across someone or something
• 会わせる (awaseru) — to make people meet; to introduce someone
• 会わす (awasu) — causative form of 会う, “to make meet”

In daily speech, 会う is the form you hear first: plans to meet a friend, bumping into a colleague, or the polite お会いしましょう for “let’s meet.”

Words that start with 会

• 会 (kai) — meeting, gathering, club (noun; also a common suffix)
• 会議 (kaigi) — conference, meeting
• 会話 (kaiwa) — conversation
• 会員 (kaiin) — member
• 会見 (kaiken) — interview, press meeting
• 会長 (kaichō) — president or chair of an association
• 会場 (kaijō) — venue, meeting place
• 会計 (kaikei) — accounting; the bill at a restaurant

Once you notice the pattern, new compounds feel less random: if people assemble for a purpose, 会 is often in the middle of the word.

Words ending with 会

• 社会 (shakai) — society, community
• 宴会 (enkai) — banquet, party
• 機会 (kikai) — opportunity, chance
• 大会 (taikai) — tournament, convention, large meeting
• 飲み会 (nomikai) — drinking party with colleagues or friends

Words related to places and groups

会 also names places and institutions where people gather:

• 会社 (kaisha) — company; corporation; workplace
• 教会 (kyōkai) — church
• 会堂 (kaidō) — hall, chapel, assembly building
• 議会 (gikai) — congress; parliament
• 会館 (kaikan) — meeting hall, assembly hall
• 都会 (tokai) — city, urban area
• 学会 (gakkai) — academic society; scholarly association

社会 (shakai) means society, but reverse the order and you get 会社 (kaisha), “company.” Same two characters, different story — a useful memory trick when both words keep appearing in beginner texts.

When 会 is read as エ (e)

Most textbooks hammer kai first, so the on-reading e can feel rare. It still shows up in useful words:

• 会釈 (eshaku) — a slight bow or nod of greeting
• 会得 (etoku) — to grasp, to understand thoroughly

You do not need dozens of エ compounds on day one. One or two solid examples keep the second on-yomi from disappearing when you meet it later in reading practice. For broader exam planning around levels and study stages, the site’s JLPT guide maps how kanji like this sit inside the larger test path.

Example sentences

• 会を脱退する (kai o dattai suru) — to leave an association or club
• 会を抜ける (kai o nukeru) — to withdraw from a club or meeting
• 来月お会いしましょう。(Raigetsu o-ai shimashō.) — See you next month.
• 明日会社でね。(Ashita kaisha de ne.) — See you tomorrow at the office.
• 友達と駅で会った。(Tomodachi to eki de atta.) — I met a friend at the station.

The reliable way to lock 会 in is not a one-off flashcard, but repeated contact: short news headlines, chat messages, and simple sentences you write yourself with 会う, 会社, or 会話. Build a few of your own around plans this week — who you will meet, where the meeting is, and what group it belongs to — and the character stops being abstract.

If you are still stacking early characters, the N5 kanji list with readings and meanings is a practical companion while you expand from core verbs into compounds like these.