当

JLPT N3

Hit, correct

Readings

On’yomi: トウ (tou)

Kun’yomi: あ(たる), あ(てる) (a(taru), a(teru))

• あ(たる) (ataru) – to hit, to be right, to correspond • あ(てる) (ateru) – to guess, to apply, to hit

Structure

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Detailed Explanation

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Mnemonic

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Etymology

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Visual Tip

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Vocabulary

当たる

あたる

hit

当時

とうじ

at that time

当番

とうばん

duty

当日

とうじつ

that day

適当

てきとう

suitable

Example Sentences

宝くじが当たりました。

たからくじがあたりました。

I won the lottery.

当時学生でした。

とうじがくせいでした。

I was a student at that time.

当番です。

とうばんです。

It is my duty.

当日来ます。

とうじつきます。

I will come that day.

適当です。

てきとうです。

It is suitable.

Cultural Note

🎯 In Japanese culture, 当 carries the nuance of “fitting perfectly” — both physically and emotionally.
• In daily life, it’s used in luck (当たる = win), correctness (本当 = true), and responsibility (担当 = in charge).
• In Shinto shrines, 当たる can imply divine favor — being “struck by fortune.”
• In relationships, 気が合う (to get along) can be expressed as 気が当たる in poetic contexts — “our feelings match.”