If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for
"Character", you've come to the right place!
The Japanese Kanji for
"Character"
is "字".
This kanji has 2 readings:
Its kunyomi reading is "Aza".
Its onyomi reading is "Ji".
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 kanji "子" means "Child"
and can be read as "Su", "Shi", and "Ko". And The radical "宀" means "Roof"
.
Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.
What does the kanji "字" mean in japanese?
"字" means
"Character"
.
Japanese School Students learn this kanji in First Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N4 exam.
Here are some words that use this kanji:
文字: "Character". The noun '文字 (もじ)' refers to a written symbol, letter or character. This can be a character from a language's alphabet, a logogram, or any other graphic unit used in a writing system. '文字' is used to describe things like Japanese kanji, hiragana and katakana, as well as Latin letters, numbers and other symbols used in written communication. For example: The kanji character for 'big' - (大きい(おおきい)の文字). This book has too many characters on each page - (このほんは一ページに文字が多すぎる). ローマ字: "Romaji". The Japanese noun 'ローマ字 (ろーまじ)' refers to the Latin alphabet used to write the Japanese language. Romaji is commonly used to transliterate Japanese words and names into the Roman alphabet, allowing non-Japanese speakers to more easily read and pronounce Japanese text. For example: I wrote my name in romaji - (私の名前をローマ字で書きました). Let's practice writing in romaji - (ローマ字で書くのを練習しましょう). 名字: "Surname". The Japanese word '名字 (みょうじ)' refers to a person's family name or surname. It is the part of a person's name that indicates their family or clan. Surnames are an important part of Japanese culture and tradition, and they often carry significant meaning or history. For example: My surname is Tanaka - (私の名字は田中です). What is your surname? - (あなたの名字は何ですか?) 字: "Character". The Japanese noun '字 (じ)' means 'character'. This word refers to a written symbol or glyph used in the Japanese writing system, such as kanji, hiragana or katakana. Characters are the fundamental building blocks of written Japanese. For example: What does this character mean? - (この字は何を意味しますか?). The characters on the sign are hard to read - (看板の字が読みにくいです). 数字: "Number". The Japanese word '数字 (すうじ)' refers to a numerical symbol or digit used to represent a quantity or amount. This word can be used to describe specific numerals like '1', '2', '3', etc. as well as general concepts of number and quantity. For example: What is the number? - (数字は何ですか). I don't know the number - (数字がわかりません). 十字路: "Intersection". The Japanese noun '十字路 ( じゅうじろ)' refers to an intersection or crossroads where two or more roads meet and cross each other. This term is commonly used to describe places where four roads come together to form a 'plus' or 'cross' shape. Intersections are important hubs for traffic and transportation. Example: I need to meet you at the intersection - (十字路で会いましょう). 黒字: "Surplus" or "Profit". The noun '黒字 (くろじ)' refers to a financial surplus or profit. It is used to describe a situation where a company, organization, or individual has more income than expenses, resulting in a positive balance. This term is often contrasted with '赤字 (あかじ)', which means a deficit or loss. Examples: The company reported a ¥10 million surplus this quarter - (この四半期、会社は1000万円の黒字を報告した). They achieved a healthy profit - (彼らは健全な黒字を達成した). 活字: "Type". The Japanese noun '活字 (かつじ)' means 'type'. It refers to individual units of text, typically made of metal or wood, used in printing. This can include letters, numbers, punctuation marks, and other symbols used in text composition. '活字' is commonly used in the context of traditional printing methods, such as movable type printing. For example: The printer set the type carefully - (印刷屋は活字を慎重に組み上げた). 字引: "Dictionary". The noun '字引 (じびき)' means 'dictionary'. This word refers to a reference book that contains a list of words, typically in alphabetical order, along with their meanings, pronunciations, and other information. Dictionaries are an essential tool for language learners and writers. For example: I used the dictionary to look up the meaning of the word - (その言葉の意味を調べるのに字引を使いました)。The dictionary has many useful entries - (字引にはたくさん役立つ言葉が載っています)。 漢字: "Kanji". The Japanese noun '漢字 (かんじ)' refers to the logographic Chinese characters adopted into the Japanese writing system. Kanji characters are one of the three scripts used in modern Japanese writing, along with hiragana and katakana. Kanji are used to write most nouns, verb roots, and many adjectives. For example: I am studying kanji - (私は漢字を勉強しています). 赤字: "Deficit". The Japanese noun '赤字 (あかじ)' refers to a 'deficit', which is a negative balance between income and expenditures, typically when expenses exceed revenue. This term is commonly used in financial and accounting contexts to describe a situation where a business, organization, or government is spending more money than it is bringing in. For example: The company reported a deficit of $10,000 last quarter - (その会社は前四半期に1万ドルの赤字を記録した). The government is trying to reduce the national deficit - (政府は国家の赤字を削減しようとしている). 十字: "Cross". The Japanese noun '十字 (じゅうじ)' means 'cross'. This word refers to the Christian religious symbol consisting of two perpendicular lines intersecting at right angles. It is also used to describe the shape or geometric form of a cross. For example: The church has a large cross on its facade - (この教会の正面には大きな十字架がある). The map shows the intersection of two roads in the shape of a cross - (地図に二つの道路が十字に交差している場所が示されている). 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 "あ" is read as "a". The hiragana "ざ" is read as "za". And The hiragana "じ" is read as "ji".
