Meaning and Usage
The kanji 全 (ぜん) means "all," "whole," or "entire." It is often used to emphasize completeness or entirety of a group or object. It can be a standalone noun or part of compound words.
Common Collocations
- 全員 (ぜんいん): all members or everyone, used when referring to every person in a group.
- 全部 (ぜんぶ): everything or all, often used to refer to all items or parts.
- 全く (まったく): completely or absolutely, often used to emphasize negation or affirmation.
Register and Nuance
全 is generally neutral and can be used in both formal and informal contexts. When combined with words like 全員 or 全部, it is very common in daily conversation and writing. 全く is often used in spoken language to stress a point.
Common Learner Mistake
Learners sometimes confuse 全 (ぜん) with 全て (すべて), which also means "all" or "everything." 全 tends to be used in compounds or as a prefix, while 全て is more often used as a standalone pronoun or adverb. Remember that 全く (まったく) is a fixed expression meaning "completely" and is read differently.