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15 strokes
Frequency: 968
JLPT N1
Grade 8

Meanings

penetrate
clear
pierce
strike home
sit up (all night)

Readings

On — Chinese-derived reading, usually for compounds
テツ
Nanori — Specialized readings used in names
あき
てっ
とおる

Common Words

おる
透る
徹る
Godan verb
Freq #984
1

Intransitive verb

to go by; to go past; to go along; to travel along; to pass through; to use (a road); to take (a route); to go via; to go by way of

Examples
私は毎日その教会の前を通る
I go by that church every day.
2

Intransitive verb

to run (between; of a rail service, bus route, etc.); to operate (between); to connect

Examples
駅と飛行機の間は、バスが通っている
Buses run between the station and the airport.
3

Intransitive verb

to go indoors; to go into a room; to be admitted; to be shown in; to be ushered in; to come in

4

Intransitive verb

to penetrate; to pierce; to skewer; to go through; to come through

Examples
弾がヘルメットを通った
A bullet pierced the helmet.
5

Intransitive verb

to permeate; to soak into; to spread throughout

6

Intransitive verb

to carry (e.g. of a voice); to reach far

Examples
ケリーの声は、よく通る
Kelly's voice carries well.
7

Intransitive verb

to be passed on (e.g. of a customer's order to the kitchen); to be relayed; to be conveyed

8

Intransitive verb

to pass (a test, a bill in the House, etc.); to be approved; to be accepted

Examples
容易に試験に通ると思う。
I expect her to pass the examination easily.
9

Intransitive verb

to go by (a name); to be known as; to be accepted as; to have a reputation for

Examples
彼女はベスという名で通っていた
She went by the name of Bess.
10

Intransitive verb

to be coherent; to be logical; to be reasonable; to be comprehensible; to be understandable; to make sense

Examples
そういう言い訳はとおらない
That's no excuse.
11

Intransitive verb

to get across (e.g. of one's point); to be understood

Examples
黙っていて心が通った
There was no need for verbal communication.
12

Intransitive verb

to pass for; to come across as; to seem like

Examples
この絵は本物で通るだろう。
This painting will pass for genuine.
13

Intransitive verb

to be straight (e.g. wood grain)

14

Archaic; Intransitive verb

to be well-informed; to be wise

15

Suffix; After the -masu stem of a verb

to do ... completely; to do ... thoroughly

徹す
透す
おす
Godan verb
Transitive
Freq #1270
1

to stick through; to force through

Examples
その子はどうしても自分のわがままを通そうとしている。
The boy will have his own way.
2

to spread throughout; to thoroughly diffuse

3

to make a path between two points

4

to proceed in a logical manner

5

to let pass; to allow through

6

to lead (someone) into (a house, room, etc.); to show in

7

to go through (a middleman)

8

to (look, listen) through (a window, wall, etc.)

9

to pass (a law, applicant, etc.)

Examples
参議院はどんな改正案も通さなくても構わないようです。
The Upper House seems bent on defeating any reform bills.
10

to force to accept; to force agreement

11

to continue (in a state); to persist in

12

to do to the entirety of; to cover all of; to span the whole ...

13

In the form とおして…する

to do from beginning to end without a break

14

to convey (one's ideas, etc.) to the other party

15

After the -te form of a verb

to do to the end; to carry through; to complete

たえ
Intransitive
Ichidan verb
Freq #1827
1

Occ. written as 報える

to respond; to answer; to meet (e.g. demands, expectations)

Examples
あなたは御両親の期待に応えるべきだ。
You ought to live up to your parents' hopes.
2

Occ. written as 徹える

to affect; to take a toll; to strike home; to have an effect on; to be hard on someone (e.g. heat, cold, work, illness, etc.); to be a strain

Examples
それは彼の身に応えだした。
It is beginning to tell on him.
っていてき
~な Adj.
Freq #2964
1

thorough; exhaustive; complete

Examples
あの男は徹底的なエゴイストだ。
That man is an egotist through and through.
ったい
~する Verb
Noun
Intransitive
Freq #4725
1

evacuation; withdrawal; revocation; repeal; retreat

Examples
ソ連軍はアフガニスタンからの撤退を開始した。
The Soviet troops started to withdraw from Afghanistan.
ってい
~する Verb
Noun
Intransitive
Transitive
Freq #5701
1

thoroughness; completeness; consistency

Examples
生産性はオートメーションの徹底によって向上する。
Production improves by becoming more automatic.
2

thorough enforcement; seeing to it that a policy, etc. is carried out without exception

きとおる
透き徹る
Godan verb
Intransitive
Freq #6728
1

to be transparent; to be see-through; to be clear

2

to be clear (of a voice or sound)

つや
~する Verb
Noun
Intransitive
~の Adj.
Freq #6743
1

staying up all night

Examples
私はよく徹夜する。
I often stay up all night.
っする
Intransitive
Freq #7459
1

Suru verb - special class

to penetrate; to sink in

2

Suru verb - special class

to devote oneself (to); to do intently and exclusively

Examples
大学出たての新人は資料を作ったり、コピーをとったりと裏方仕事に徹するのだろうと、勝手に想像していたのですが見事に裏切られました。
I had imagined that the newbies fresh from university would probably be stuck with all the backstage work - collecting reference material, getting copies and such but I couldn't have been proved more wrong.
3

Suru verb - special class

to do throughout (e.g. the night)

Examples
夜を徹するか否か。
Should I stay up all night or not?
いてつ
~な Adj.
Noun
Freq #11382
1

cool-headed; level-headed; hard-headed

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