What is the Kanji for "Alone"?
If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Alone", you've come to the right place!
The Japanese Kanji for "Alone" is "独".
This kanji has 2 readings:
Its kunyomi reading is "Hito".
Its onyomi reading is "Doku".
kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.
If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:
The component "犭" . And The kanji "虫" means "Insect" and can be read as "Mushi" and "Chuu".
Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.
What does the kanji "独" mean in japanese?
"独" means "Alone".
Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Fifth Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N1 exam.
Here are some words that use this kanji:
独自: "Unique". The adjectival noun '独自 (どくじ)' means 'unique'. It refers to something that is one-of-a-kind, distinct, or characteristic of a particular person, group, or thing. This word emphasizes that an item, quality, or characteristic is not shared or common, but rather stands apart from others. For example: This design has a unique style - (この デザインは独自の スタイルがある). Our company has a unique approach to customer service - (弊社はお客様サービスに独自のアプローチを持っている).
孤独: "Solitude" or "Loneliness". The Japanese adjectival noun '孤独 (こどく)' means 'solitude' or 'loneliness'. It refers to a state of being alone or isolated, without the company of others. This word can be used to describe both a physical and emotional state of seclusion. For example: I felt a deep sense of solitude - (私は深い孤独を感じた). The lonely old man sat by himself - (孤独な老人が一人で座っていた).
独身: "Single". The Japanese noun '独身 (どくしん)' means 'single'. This word refers to an unmarried person, someone who is not in a committed romantic relationship. The word can be used to describe both men and women who are not married. For example: She is still single - (彼女はまだ独身だ). I am a single person - (私は独身です).
単独: "Sole" or "Lone". The Japanese adjectival noun '単独 (たんどく)' means 'sole' or 'lone'. It is used to describe something that is the only one of its kind or that stands alone without any others. This word can be used to describe a single person, object or situation. For example: He lives a sole existence - (彼は単独な生活を送っている). The sole survivor of the accident - (事故の単独の生存者).
独立: "Independence". The verbal noun '独立 (どくりつ)' means 'independence'. It refers to the state of being independent, free from the control or influence of others. This word is commonly used when discussing political, economic or personal independence. For example: We fought for our independence - (私たちは独立を求めて戦った). The country achieved independence in 1947 - (その国は1947年に独立を達成した).
独特: "Unique". The Japanese adjective '独特 (どくとく)' means 'unique'. This adjective is used to describe something that is one-of-a-kind, unusual, or distinctive. It can be used to describe an object, a characteristic, or an experience that sets it apart from the norm. For example: Her style of painting is unique - (彼女の絵の描き方は独特です). This dish has a unique flavor - (この料理の味は独特です).
独り言: "Monologue". The Japanese noun '独り言 (ひとりごと)' means 'monologue'. This word refers to a speech or verbal expression that is spoken aloud by a person when they are alone, with no intention of addressing another person. Monologues are often used in literature and drama to reveal a character's inner thoughts and feelings. For example: She was muttering a monologue to herself - (彼女は独り言をつぶやいていた).
独占: "Monopoly". The verbal noun '独占 (どくせん)' means 'monopoly'. This term refers to the exclusive control of the supply or trade in a commodity or service. It implies having no competitors in a particular market. For example: The company has a monopoly on this product - (この製品の独占をしている会社がある). They achieved a monopoly in the market - (市場における独占を達成した).
To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.
But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.
Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.
This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:
The hiragana "ひ" is read as "hi". The hiragana "と" is read as "to". The hiragana "ど" is read as "do". And The hiragana "く" is read as "ku".
Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.
For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).
For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).
For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.