What is the Kanji for "Individual"?

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

The Japanese Kanji for "Individual" is "個".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its onyomi readings are "Ka" and "Ko".

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 "亻" means "Person" . And The kanji "固" means "Hard" and can be read as "Ko" and "Kata".

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

What does the kanji "個" mean in japanese?

"個" means "Individual".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Fifth Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N2 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

個人: "Individual". The Japanese noun '個人 (こじん)' means 'individual'. This word refers to a single person or human being, as opposed to a group, organization, or collective. It can be used to describe a person's unique qualities, actions, or responsibilities. For example: Each individual has their own opinion - (個人にはそれぞれ意見がある). I'm an individual who likes to think for myself - (私は自分で考えるのが好きな個人です).

個: "Counter". The suffix '個 (こ)' is a counter in Japanese used to count individual objects or items. It is a very common counter and can be used with a wide variety of nouns, such as books, people, apples, etc. For example: One apple - (りんご一個). Three pens - (ペン三個). This suffix helps provide precise quantification when counting things.

個々: "Individual". The noun '個々 (ここ)' means 'individual'. It refers to a single person, item, or entity within a larger group or set. This word is used to emphasize the distinct or separate nature of the individual. For example: Each student has their own individual study schedule - (個々の学生は自分の学習スケジュールを持っています). The decision was made by the individual members of the committee - (委員会の個々の委員によって決定された).

個性: "Individuality". The Japanese noun '個性 (こせい)' refers to one's distinctive character, personality, or qualities that make a person unique and different from others. It encompasses the unique traits, behaviors, mannerisms, and ways of thinking that define an individual. For example: She has a strong individuality - (彼女は強い個性を持っている). Everyone has their own individuality - (みんな独自の個性を持っている).

個別: "Individual". The noun '個別 (こべつ)' means 'individual'. It refers to something that is specific, unique, or personal, rather than general or shared. '個別' is used to describe situations, cases, or items that are treated or considered separately from others. For example: Each student has individual needs - (それぞれの学生には個別のニーズがある). The company offers individual consultation for customers - (会社は顧客に個別のコンサルテーションを提供する).

個体: "Individual". The noun '個体 (こたい)' means 'individual'. This word refers to a single, distinct member or unit of a species, group, or class, as opposed to the group or population as a whole. It can be used to describe a single animal, plant, or even a person. For example: Each individual has a unique personality - (一個体ごとに性格が異なる). The individual animal stands out from the herd - (個体が群れから際立つ).

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 "か" is read as "ka". And The hiragana "こ" is read as "ko".

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.