Meaning
歴 means history, the passage of time, and moving through successive stages. Picture footprints left one by one along a long road — each step a moment, the whole trail a record. It holds the idea of things experienced, traversed, or endured over time.
Crack open the character and you find three parts: 厂 (a rocky cliff or overhang) at the top, 秝 (two grain stalks standing side by side) in the middle, and 止 (foot / stop) at the base. A person crosses a grain field beneath a rugged cliff, leaving footstep after footstep. That accumulated trail is the point — time steps from era to era the same way, marking each stage and leaving events in its wake.
歴 has 14 strokes, is taught in 4th grade (小学4年生), and falls under the 止 radical. At N2 level, it turns up constantly — job applications, newspaper articles, university profiles, medical records, and history textbooks. Getting comfortable with this one opens a wide stretch of formal and professional Japanese.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
The primary on'yomi is レキ (REKI) — by far the more common of the two. The secondary reading レイ (REI) also exists but is largely confined to classical literature and older formal texts.
レキ (REKI) — Drives most compound words related to history and personal records. You'll find it throughout news articles, textbooks, and job-hunting materials:
- 歴史 (rekishi) — history; the record and study of past events
- 経歴 (keireki) — career history, personal background, track record
- 歴代 (rekidai) — successive generations; all previous holders of a title or position
レイ (REI) — Rare in modern conversation. It survives in formal and classical expressions; knowing it pays off when reading older documents or pre-modern literature.
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
The kun'yomi is へ.る (he.ru), a verb meaning "to pass through" or "to go by." The dot marks the boundary between the kanji and its okurigana ending. Where on'yomi compounds label categories — history, records — this reading captures time actively moving.
- 歴る (heru) — to pass through, to go by (of time or successive stages)
- 年月を歴て (nengetsu wo hete) — as the years and months pass by
- 多くの困難を歴て (ooku no konnan wo hete) — having gone through many hardships
This reading rarely appears in everyday speech. It belongs mainly to literary prose and formal writing — lines about time passing with weight, or hardships accumulated over a life.
Common Words & Compounds
歴 anchors a range of essential vocabulary, especially around history, personal records, and credentials.
History & Time
- 歴史 (rekishi) — history; the study and record of past events
- 歴史的 (rekishiteki) — historical; of historical significance
- 歴代 (rekidai) — successive generations; all previous holders of a role (e.g., 歴代チャンピオン — all past champions)
- 来歴 (raireki) — origin, provenance, the background of a person or object
- 歴訪 (rekihou) — visiting multiple places in succession
Personal Records & Credentials
- 経歴 (keireki) — career history, professional background
- 履歴 (rireki) — personal history; also browser history or transaction logs in computing
- 学歴 (gakureki) — educational background, academic credentials
- 職歴 (shokureki) — work history, employment history
- 病歴 (byoureki) — medical history, a patient's health record
- 履歴書 (rirekisho) — résumé, curriculum vitae; the standard document in Japanese job-hunting
Expressions & Other Compounds
- 歴然 (rekizen) — evident, unmistakably clear; often appears as 歴然としている (it is obvious)
- 歴史観 (rekishikan) — historical perspective, one's view or philosophy of history
Two compounds deserve special attention for anyone in Japan. 履歴書 is the standard résumé format every job applicant must submit. 学歴 feeds into 学歴社会 — a credential society where educational background shapes career prospects and social standing. It's a concept that surfaces constantly in media, workplace conversation, and social commentary.
Example Sentences
日本の歴史はとても長いです。
Nihon no rekishi wa totemo nagai desu.
Japan's history is very long.
彼女は大学で歴史を専攻しています。
Kanojo wa daigaku de rekishi wo senkou shite imasu.
She is majoring in history at university.
就職活動のために履歴書を書きました。
Shuushoku katsudou no tame ni rirekisho wo kakimashita.
I wrote a résumé for my job-hunting activities.
この会社は学歴よりも実務経験を重視します。
Kono kaisha wa gakureki yori mo jitsumu keiken wo juushi shimasu.
This company values practical work experience more than educational background.
歴代の首相の中で、彼が最も長く在任しました。
Rekidai no shushou no naka de, kare ga mottomo nagaku zainin shimashita.
Among all successive prime ministers, he served in office the longest.
医者は患者の病歴を丁寧に確認しました。
Isha wa kanja no byoureki wo teinei ni kakunin shimashita.
The doctor carefully reviewed the patient's medical history.
長い年月を歴て、ようやく平和が訪れた。
Nagai nengetsu wo hete, youyaku heiwa ga otozureta.
After many long years had passed, peace finally arrived.
彼の輝かしい経歴は面接官を驚かせた。
Kare no kagayakashii keireki wa mensetsu-kan wo odorokaseta.
His brilliant career history astonished the interviewers.
両者の実力差は歴然としていた。
Ryousha no jitsuryokusa wa rekizen to shite ita.
The difference in ability between the two was perfectly obvious.
インターネットの閲覧履歴を削除しました。
Intaanetto no etsuran rireki wo sakujo shimashita.
I deleted my internet browsing history.
Memory Tip
Picture a farmer crossing a grain field — two tall stalks (秝) flank the path. A rocky cliff (厂) looms overhead. At the base sits a footprint: 止, the radical for "foot." Each step leaves a mark. Season after season, year after year, the accumulated footprints become a record — a history.
When 歴 comes up, see those footprints trailing across the field: history is the trace that time leaves as it moves through. For the reading, link REKI to "legacy" — the sum of everything time has walked past and left behind.