What is the Kanji for "Half"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Half", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Half" is "半".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "Naka".

Its onyomi reading is "Han".

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 radical "丷" means "Divide" . And The kanji "干" means "Dry" and can be read as "Hi", "Kan", and "Ho".

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "半" mean in japanese?

"半" means "Half".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Second Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N5 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

半月: "Half moon". The Japanese noun '半月 (はんつき)' refers to a 'half moon' - the appearance of the moon when it is at a waxing or waning phase, and only half of the moon is visible in the sky. This is in contrast to a 'full moon' when the entire moon is illuminated. The '半月' can be used to describe the visual appearance of the moon, as well as other objects or concepts that are semicircular or crescent-shaped in nature. For example: The night sky was lit by a beautiful half moon - (空には美しい半月が輝いていた).

半日: "Half day". The noun '半日 (はんにち)' means 'half day'. It refers to a period of approximately 12 hours, usually used to describe the first or second half of a day. For example: I will be out of the office for half a day - (私は半日だけ出勤しません)。The meeting will take place in the first half of the day - (会議は午前中に行われます)。

半: "Half". The noun '半 (はん)' means 'half'. It is used to describe something that has been divided into two equal parts. It can be used to refer to amounts, time, space, and other quantities. For example: Half of the cake is gone - (ケーキの半分が無くなった). She works half-time - (彼女は半分の時間働いている).

半分: "Half". The noun '半分 (はんぶん)' means 'half'. It refers to one of two equal parts of something. This word is commonly used to express that something has been divided into two identical portions. For example: I'll eat half the cake - (ケーキの半分を食べる). Give me half of your fries - (フライドポテトの半分をください).

後半: "Latter half". The Japanese noun '後半 (こうはん)' means 'the latter half'. This refers to the second part or concluding portion of something, such as the second half of a game, event, or time period. It is often used to describe the final stages or conclusion of a process or activity. For example: In the latter half of the match, the team made a comeback - (試合の後半、そのチームが逆転した). The latter half of the year is usually the busiest time - (年の後半は通常が最も忙しい時期だ).

半袖: "Short-sleeved". The noun '半袖 (はんそで)' means 'short-sleeved'. It refers to a type of clothing, usually a shirt or top, where the sleeves only cover part of the arm and do not extend to the wrist. Short-sleeved clothes are commonly worn in warmer weather. For example: She is wearing a short-sleeved shirt - (彼女は半袖のシャツを着ている).

半ば: "Half" or "Halfway". The noun '半ば (なかば)' means 'half' or 'halfway'. It is used to describe something that is at the midpoint or middle of a process or event. For example: We are halfway through the project - (プロジェクトの半ば). The meeting was halfway over - (会議の半ばだった).

半年: "Half year". The noun '半年 (はんとし)' refers to a period of six months, or half of a year. This word is commonly used to describe a time span, such as an event or activity that lasts for half a year. For example: I will be away for half a year - (私は半年間不在です). The company's fiscal half year ends in June - (その会社の半期決算は6月に行われます).

半島: "Peninsula". The noun '半島 (はんとう)' means 'peninsula'. A peninsula is a piece of land that is almost entirely surrounded by water, but is connected to the mainland. Japanese peninsulas include the Izu Peninsula and Bōsō Peninsula. For example: Japan's main island is connected to the Asian mainland by the Korean Peninsula - (日本の本州島はアジア大陸とコリア半島によって接続されている).

大半: "Majority". The noun '大半 (たいはん)' means 'majority'. It refers to the largest or greatest part of something. This word is used when discussing the overall proportion or percentage of something, such as: The majority of people in the city support the new policy - (大半の人々が新しい政策を支持しています). In general, the majority or greatest part of something.

前半: "First half". The Japanese noun '前半 (ぜんはん)' means 'first half'. It refers to the first part or portion of something, such as the first half of a game, a movie, or a period of time. For example: The first half of the movie was great - (映画の前半はすばらしかった). The team scored twice in the first half - (チームは前半に2点を決めた).

半身: "Half body". The noun '半身 (はんしん)' refers to the upper or lower half of a person's body. It is commonly used to describe a person who is paralyzed or disabled on one side of their body. For example: He suffered a stroke and is now paralyzed on the left half of his body - (彼は脳卒中を起こし、左半身まひしています).

半面: "Half". The Japanese noun '半面 (はんめん)' means 'half'. This word is used to refer to one of the two equal parts that something is divided into. It can be used to describe physical objects, such as a half-moon or a half-circle, as well as more abstract concepts, like half of a day or half of a problem. For example: I will only eat half my sandwich - (私はサンドイッチの半面だけ食べます). The dancer performed half the routine - (その踊り手は半面の振付けを披露しました).

半数: "Half". The noun '半数 (はんすう)' means 'half'. It refers to one of two equal parts of a whole. It can be used to describe things like a population, a group, or an amount that has been divided into two equal parts. For example: Half the students passed the exam - (半数の生徒が試験に合格した). I ate half the cake - (私はケーキの半数を食べた).

半導体: "Semiconductor". The noun '半導体 (はんどうたい)' refers to a semiconductor, which is a material that has electrical properties that are intermediate between those of conductors and insulators. Semiconductors are widely used in electronic devices, such as transistors, integrated circuits, and solar cells. They are the fundamental building blocks of modern electronics and have enabled the development of many technological innovations. For example: Semiconductors are essential for computers - (半導体はコンピューターに不可欠だ). Silicon is a common semiconductor material - (シリコンは一般的な半導体材料だ).

半径: "Radius". The Japanese noun '半径 (はんけい)' means 'radius'. It refers to the distance from the center to the edge of a circle or sphere. The radius is a fundamental concept in geometry and is widely used in math, physics, and engineering. For example: The radius of the circle is 5 cm - (この円の半径は5cmです). The Earth's radius is about 6,371 km - (地球の半径は約6,371kmです).

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 "な" is read as "na". The hiragana "か" is read as "ka". The hiragana "は" is read as "ha". And The hiragana "ん" is read as "n".

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.