Meaning
妥 means appropriate, fitting, and proper — stretching naturally into the ideas of settling a matter and reaching compromise. You'll rarely see it standing alone. It appears almost exclusively in compounds, particularly in legal, business, and journalistic writing. 妥当 (datō) describes a decision, price, or judgment that's reasonable and right for the situation. 妥協 (dakyō) is what happens when both sides give a little and meet in the middle.
Etymologically, 妥 is a compound ideograph (会意文字, kaii moji), built from two elements: the variant form of 爪 (a claw or hand reaching downward) at the top, and 女 (woman) at the bottom. In ancient usage, this combination conveyed a hand gently pressing down — calming, settling, guiding. That image of pressing something into place gave rise to the modern meanings: suitability and compromise.
妥 has 7 strokes, takes 女 as its radical, and is a high school-level Joyo kanji (常用漢字) added in the 2010 revision. You won't hear it in casual conversation. Open a newspaper or business contract, though, and it appears constantly — any time reasonableness or negotiated agreement comes up.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
妥 has one on'yomi: ダ (da). Since this kanji appears only in compounds, this single reading covers everything you'll encounter. ダ traces back to the Middle Chinese pronunciation and is related to Mandarin tuǒ — the same core ideas of suitability and peaceful resolution carried across both languages.
- 妥当 (datō) — appropriate, proper, valid; used for decisions, prices, evaluations, or reasoning that are fitting and reasonable for the circumstances
- 妥協 (dakyō) — compromise, accommodation; a mutual concession between opposing parties to reach agreement
- 妥結 (daketsu) — settlement, conclusion; used specifically for the formal conclusion of negotiations, labor disputes, or trade talks
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
妥 has no kun'yomi. Every instance in contemporary Japanese uses the on'yomi ダ — this kanji belongs to Chinese-origin formal vocabulary, not native Japanese words. There's no native reading to look for here.
Common Words & Compounds
These compounds appear frequently in business, legal, and journalistic Japanese. Getting them down is the fastest way to make this kanji stick.
Appropriateness and Validity:
- 妥当 (datō) — appropriate, proper, valid, sound; describes decisions, prices, evaluations, or reasoning considered fitting for the circumstances; the most common compound featuring 妥
- 妥当性 (datōsei) — appropriateness, validity, adequacy; the quality of being suitable or justifiable in a given context
- 不妥当 (fudatō) — inappropriate, improper, unsuitable; the negative form, for things that fall short of the mark
- 妥当化 (datōka) — justification, rationalization; the process of making something appear appropriate — sometimes used with a critical edge
Negotiation and Compromise:
- 妥協 (dakyō) — compromise, accommodation; appears constantly in political and business reporting
- 妥協点 (dakyōten) — point of compromise; the specific position where both sides can agree
- 妥協案 (dakyōan) — compromise proposal; a formal offer designed to find middle ground
- 妥協策 (dakyōsaku) — compromise measure; a policy designed to bridge differences between opposing sides
- 妥協的 (dakyōteki) — conciliatory, accommodating; describes an attitude inclined toward finding middle ground rather than holding firm
Settlement and Agreement:
- 妥結 (daketsu) — settlement, conclusion of negotiations; used specifically for labor-management talks, trade negotiations, or diplomatic disputes
- 妥結点 (daketsuten) — point of settlement; the specific terms on which agreement is finally reached
- 安易な妥協 (anʼi na dakyō) — hasty compromise; used critically when someone concedes too quickly without thinking through the consequences
Example Sentences
この判断は妥当だと思います。
Kono handan wa datō da to omoimasu.
I think this judgment is appropriate.
両者は妥協点を見つけることができなかった。
Ryōsha wa dakyōten o mitsukeru koto ga dekinakatta.
The two parties couldn't find a point of compromise.
労使交渉はついに妥結した。
Rōshi kōshō wa tsui ni daketsu shita.
The labor-management negotiations finally settled.
その価格が妥当かどうか、専門家に確認してください。
Sono kakaku ga datō ka dōka, senmonka ni kakunin shite kudasai.
Please check with an expert whether that price is fair.
彼女は原則として妥協しない人物だ。
Kanojo wa gensoku to shite dakyō shinai jinbutsu da.
She's someone who doesn't budge on principles.
政府は妥協案を提示したが、野党は拒否した。
Seifu wa dakyōan o teiji shita ga, yatō wa kyohi shita.
The government put forward a compromise proposal, but the opposition rejected it.
この報告書の内容は妥当性が疑わしい。
Kono hōkokusho no naiyō wa datōsei ga utagawashii.
The validity of this report's contents is questionable.
不妥当な行動は組織全体の信頼を損なう。
Fudatō na kōdō wa soshiki zentai no shinrai o sokonau.
Inappropriate behavior erodes trust across the whole organization.
交渉の末、双方が納得できる妥協案がまとまった。
Kōshō no sue, sōhō ga nattoku dekiru dakyōan ga matomatta.
After negotiations, both sides landed on a compromise they could live with.
安易な妥協は後に大きな問題を招くことがある。
Anʼi na dakyō wa nochi ni ōkina mondai o maneku koto ga aru.
Hasty compromises have a way of creating bigger problems down the road.
Memory Tip
Picture the structure of 妥: 爪 (a claw, fingers pointing down) on top, 女 (woman) below. Think of a mediator reaching down with a calm, steady hand — not forceful, not weak — pressing a heated dispute into resolution. That's 妥: exactly appropriate, precisely fitted. The compound 妥当 captures it perfectly — that steady hand has pressed everything into its proper place, fitting and sound.