# 境 border

土 (earth) + 立 (stand up) + 見 (look)
★★★☆☆
14 strokes

## Onyomi

KYOU | as in, "Today's ( = 今日, pronounced KYOU) border will vanish tomorrow, when The Man starts his next war." Ooh, political!!

## Mnemonic

| If you stand on the earth over there, you can see all the way to the border

## Kunyomi

さかい | boundary - can be used with countries OR property lines of 2 pieces of land. Usually used when talking about crossing a boundary, or being within the boundary. ★☆☆☆☆

## Jukugo

環境(かんきょう) | environment ★★★☆☆ 環 (environment) + 境 (border) = 環境 (environment) environment (like English, this is not limited to nature. A bad kid can be a "product of his environment.")
国境(こっきょう) | national border ★★☆☆☆ 国 (country) + 境 (border) = 国境 (national border)
境界(きょうかい) | boundary ★★☆☆☆ 境 (border) + 界 (the world) = 境界 (boundary) means border or boundary of property (80% the same usage as さかい　（境） , but a bit more formal). BOTH 境　and 境界　are often used in the figurative sense - like "This film pushes the envelope of good taste" or "His art blurs the boundary between painting and sculpture". Also used in science.

## Lookalikes

| Meaning | Hint | Radical
--- | --- | --- | ---
境 | border | EARTH | 土
鏡 | mirror | METAL | 金

The border is a line on EARTH but the mirror is made of METAL.

## Synonyms

border, edge 国境 境 境界 縁 端 末 先 外れ 際