音読み: イ
訓読み: よる
画数: 8
部首: 亻（にんべん）
Meaning
Rely On / Depend On / Be Based On
- 依る — to depend on; to be based on
- 依存 — dependence; reliance
- 依頼 — request; commission
- 依託 — entrustment; deposition
- 依拠 — basis; authority (one relies on)
- 依然 — still; unchanged; as before
依 is a phono-semantic build: the left side 亻 marks the “person” set, while the right side 衣 contributes sound and imagery. Picture a person leaning on what they “wear” or “stand by” — it broadens naturally to relying on, depending on, or basing something on a source.
にんべん（person）＋ 衣（clothes）: a person “supported by” what they wear or keep close. That mental image helps lock in the sense of reliance and basing something on a source.
Creates
依存 — dependence; reliance; being contingent on.