Meaning
偶 packs surprising range into a single character: by chance or accident, even number, a paired figure or idol, and a counterpart or mate. The unifying idea is pairing — a double, a duplicate, two things meeting unexpectedly. From that logic spring both the mathematical sense (even numbers split cleanly into equal pairs) and the everyday sense of coincidence (two unrelated paths crossing by accident).
Etymologically, 偶 combines the person radical 亻 (a simplified 人, "person") on the left with 禺 on the right — an archaic character depicting a simian effigy or carved figure. Together they first referred to a wooden puppet, a carved human double. From "double" the meanings widened: a double becomes a counterpart, counterparts form a pair, pairs produce even numbers, and two things unexpectedly paired become a coincidence.
偶 has 11 strokes and falls in the secondary school kanji tier — not assigned in the elementary Joyo curriculum. It turns up in formal writing, statistics, pop-culture commentary (especially around 偶像, "idol"), and ordinary spoken Japanese.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The primary on'yomi is グウ (guu), from Middle Chinese. Nearly every compound featuring 偶 uses this reading, particularly in formal, academic, and literary contexts.
- 偶然 (guuzen) — by chance, accidentally, coincidence
- 偶数 (guusuu) — even number (2, 4, 6, 8...)
- 偶像 (guuzou) — idol, image, effigy (as worshipped or admired)
- 偶発 (guuhatsu) — accidental occurrence, contingency
- 配偶者 (haiguusha) — spouse, (one's) partner in life
- 土偶 (doguu) — clay figurine (especially Jōmon-period artifacts)
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi たま (tama) rarely appears in isolation, but it anchors the reduplicated adverb 偶々 — "occasionally," "by coincidence." The doubled form captures a sense of rarity: something that happens only now and then, almost by accident.
- 偶々 (tamatama) — occasionally, by coincidence, by chance (the most common kun'yomi usage)
Common Words & Compounds
Chance and Coincidence
- 偶然 (guuzen) — coincidence, by accident
- 偶発 (guuhatsu) — accidental happening, contingent event
- 偶発的 (guuhatsuteki) — accidental, incidental, fortuitous
- 偶々 (tamatama) — occasionally, by chance (adverb used in spoken Japanese)
Mathematics
- 偶数 (guusuu) — even number
- 偶関数 (guukansuu) — even function (mathematics)
People and Relationships
- 配偶者 (haiguusha) — spouse, life partner
- 配偶 (haiguu) — marriage, matrimonial pairing
Figures and Idols
- 偶像 (guuzou) — idol, icon, effigy; used for pop idols and religious icons alike
- 偶像崇拝 (guuzou suuhai) — idol worship, idolatry
- 土偶 (doguu) — Jōmon clay figurine (archaeological term)
- 木偶 (mokuguu) — wooden puppet; also used figuratively for someone who acts without thinking
Example Sentences
駅で偶然旧友に会った。
Eki de guuzen kyuuyuu ni atta.
I ran into an old friend by chance at the station.
２、４、６は偶数です。
Ni, shi, roku wa guusuu desu.
2, 4, and 6 are even numbers.
彼女は偶々その場にいた。
Kanojo wa tamatama sono ba ni ita.
She happened to be there at that moment.
彼の成功は偶然ではなく、努力の結果だ。
Kare no seikou wa guuzen de wa naku, doryoku no kekka da.
His success is not a coincidence but the result of hard work.
配偶者のビザを申請するには書類が多い。
Haiguusha no biza wo shinsei suru ni wa shorui ga ooi.
There is a lot of paperwork involved in applying for a spouse visa.
偶像崇拝は多くの宗教で禁止されている。
Guuzou suuhai wa ooku no shuukyou de kinshi sarete iru.
Idol worship is prohibited in many religions.
その事故は偶発的なものだったと警察は述べた。
Sono jiko wa guuhatsuteki na mono datta to keisatsu wa nobeta.
The police stated that the accident was incidental.
博物館には縄文時代の土偶が展示されている。
Hakubutsukan ni wa Joumon jidai no doguu ga tenji sarete iru.
Clay figurines from the Jōmon period are on display at the museum.
偶然の出会いが、人生を変えることもある。
Guuzen no deai ga, jinsei wo kaeru koto mo aru.
A chance encounter can sometimes change your life.
Memory Tip
Picture a person (亻) standing beside a carved wooden statue — their exact double. That carved double is 偶's original meaning. From there: two things accidentally crossing = coincidence (偶然); numbers that halve evenly = even numbers (偶数); an artificial human likeness = idol (偶像). One image, four meanings.
Vietnamese learners have a useful shortcut: the Hán-Việt reading NGẪU maps directly onto 偶 — ngẫu nhiên (tình cờ) mirrors 偶然 in both meaning and sound.