径けい

also: わたり

け

い

Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

diameter

Refers to the diameter of a circle or sphere. Common in mathematical and technical contexts.

この円えんの径けいは10センチです。
The diameter of this circle is 10 centimeters.

わたり

out-dated reading

Obsolete kana usage; rarely used in modern Japanese.

Kanji

径diameter, path, method

Similar words

半はん径けい
半径 means 'radius', which is half the diameter.
直ちょっ径けい
直径 is the more common word for 'diameter' in everyday use; 径 is often used in compounds or technical writing.

Etymology

The kanji 径 originally meant 'path' or 'shortcut', and by extension came to denote a straight line through the center of a circle. The reading けい is the on'yomi.