165
計
Measure, Calculate, Plan
はか(る) (hakaru)
JLPT N4
Interesting Fact
In feudal Japan, rice wasn't just food—it was also a major way wealth and taxes were measured. 🍚 Samurai stipends were expressed in 石 (こく), a unit based on rice. Officials had to calculate harvests, taxes, and payments carefully, because a mistake could affect an entire household or domain. This helps explain why ideas such as calculation, measurement, and planning were closely connected—exactly the concepts that appear in words containing 計.
Memory Trick
🔢 Someone uses words 言 to count all the way to 十, carefully calculating the total—that's 計.
Readings
Onyomi: ケイ (kei)
Kunyomi: はか(る) (hakaru)
Example Words
時計
とけい (tokei)
Clock, watch
合計
ごうけい (goukei)
Total
計画
けいかく (keikaku)
Plan
計算
けいさん (keisan)
Calculation
Example Sentence
時計を 見てください。
とけいを みてください。
tokei o mite kudasai
Please look at the clock.