The Kanji: 斥 (Seki / Shirizo)
The kanji 斥 (read as seki) carries the core meaning of "to reject," "to repel," "to exclude," or "to spurn." It is a pictographic character that originally depicted a hand forcefully pushing something away. This character conveys a strong sense of active refusal and maintaining distance.
Common Words & Example Sentences
1. 排斥 (haiseki)
Meaning: Rejection; exclusion; ostracism.
Example Sentence: 彼はチームから排斥された。
(Kare wa chīmu kara haiseki sareta.)
"He was ostracized from the team."
2. 斥候 (sekkō)
Meaning: Scout; reconnaissance.
Example Sentence: 軍隊が斥候を派遣した。
(Guntai ga sekkō o haken shita.)
"The army sent out scouts."
3. 斥力 (sekiryoku)
Meaning: Repulsive force (in physics).
Example Sentence: 同じ磁極の間には斥力が働く。
(Onaji jikyoku no aida ni wa sekiryoku ga hataraku.)
"A repulsive force acts between the same magnetic poles."
4. 痛斥 (tsūseki)
Meaning: Severe criticism; denunciation.
Example Sentence: 彼の怠慢を痛斥した。
(Kare no taiman o tsūseki shita.)
"I severely criticized his negligence."
In summary, 斥 is a strong kanji representing the act of pushing away. It applies to social rejection (排斥), physical forces (斥力), military scouting which keeps distance from the enemy (斥候), and forcefully rejecting ideas through criticism (痛斥).