Kanji

Jōyō kanji, Taught in junior high

JLPT level: N1

1756 of 2500 most used kanji in newspapers

Stroke count: 15

Meaning: hard up, destitute, suffer, perplexed, cornered

Kunyomi: きわ.める きわ.まる きわ.まり きわ.み

Onyomi: キュウ キョウ

Composition:

Radical

Radical:

Meaning: cave

Examples

Onyomi Examples

キュウクツ narrow, tight, cramped, formal, stiff, strict, ceremonious, rigid, constrained, uncomfortable, tight (e.g. finances)

究極 キュウキョク ultimate, final, last, eventual

ムキュウ eternity, infinitude, immortality

天壌無 テンジョウムキュウ as eternal as heaven and earth

Kunyomi Examples

極める きわめる to carry to extremes, to go to the end of something, to investigate thoroughly, to master

極まる きわまる to reach an extreme, to reach a limit, to terminate, to come to an end, extremely, to be stuck, to be in a dilemma, to be at a loss, to be decided, to be settled

極まり きわまり extremity, end, bound, limit

極まりない きわまりない extremely, in the extreme, knows no bounds (e.g. rudeness), unparalleled, boundless (e.g. universe, ocean), limitless

極み きわみ height, acme, extremity, peak, end, limit

みなき きわみなき without limit, endless