What is the Kanji for "Three"?

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

The Japanese Kanji for "Three" is "三".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "Mi".

Its onyomi reading is "San".

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 "一" means "One" and can be read as "Ichi", "Itsu", and "Hito". And The kanji "二" means "Two" and can be read as "Futa" and "Ni".

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

What does the kanji "三" mean in japanese?

"三" means "Three".

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

Here are some words that use this kanji:

三: "Three". The Japanese word '三 (さん)' is a noun that means 'three'. It is a cardinal number used to indicate the quantity of three. This word can be used in various contexts, such as when counting objects, referring to the third item or person in a series, or expressing time, age, or other numerical quantities. Examples: I have three books - (私は三冊の本を持っています). Today is the third of the month - (今日は三日です).

三日: "Three days". The Japanese noun '三日 (みっか)' means 'three days'. It refers to a period of three days, such as the third day of a month or a 3-day event or timeframe. For example: The festival lasts for three days - (そのお祭りは三日間続きます). I'm staying for three days - (私は三日間滞在します).

三つ: "Three". The Japanese noun '三つ (みっつ)' means 'three'. It is used to indicate the quantity of three of something. For example: There are three apples on the table - (テーブルの上に三つりんごがあります). My family has three members - (私の家族は三つの人間がいます).

三十: "Thirty". The noun '三十 (さんじゅう)' refers to the number thirty. It can be used to indicate a quantity, amount, or age. For example: I am thirty years old - (私は三十歳です). There are thirty students in the class - (クラスには三十人の生徒がいます).

三百: "Three hundred". The Japanese noun '三百 (さんびゃく)' means 'three hundred'. This word is used to express the numerical quantity of three hundred. It can be used to describe various nouns, such as the number of objects, people, or other countable items. For example: Three hundred people - (三百人). I have three hundred books - (私は三百冊の本がある).

三千: "Three thousand". The Japanese noun '三千 (さんぜん)' means 'three thousand'. This number is used to represent a very large quantity or amount. It is often used in expressions related to large scale events, quantities, or populations. For example: There were three thousand people at the concert - (コンサートには三千人ほど来ていた). The company has three thousand employees - (その会社には三千人の従業員がいる).

三角形: "Triangle". The noun '三角形 (さんかくけい)' refers to a three-sided closed shape with three angles. It is a fundamental geometric shape used in various fields such as mathematics, architecture, and design. For example: The triangle has three sides - (三角形は三つの辺がある). The triangular table looks nice in the room - (三角形のテーブルがこの部屋によく合っています).

三流: "Third-rate" or "Inferior". The noun '三流 (さんりゅう)' refers to something or someone that is of low quality, substandard or inferior. It is used to indicate that something is of the lowest or third-best ranking, quality or class. For example: He is a third-rate actor - (彼は三流の俳優だ). That restaurant is third-rate - (あの店は三流だ).

二三: "Two or three". The Japanese noun '二三 (にさん)' means 'two or three'. It is used to express an approximate number that is more than two but less than four. This word is often used when the exact number is not important or when the speaker is unsure of the precise amount. For example: I have two or three books - (二三の本がある). There were two or three people at the party - (パーティーには二三人来ていた).

三日月: "Crescent moon". The Japanese noun '三日月 (みかづき)' means 'crescent moon'. This word refers to the shape of the moon when it appears as a thin curved sliver in the sky, usually a few days after the new moon. The '三日月' indicates the moon is roughly 3 days old since the new moon. For example: The crescent moon shone in the night sky - (三日月が夜空に輝いていた).

三角: "Triangle". The Japanese noun '三角 (さんかく)' means 'triangle'. This refers to a 2-dimensional shape with three sides and three angles. It is a fundamental geometric shape used in various fields such as mathematics, architecture, and design. For example: The building has a triangular roof - (その建物は三角の屋根をしている). A triangle can also be used as a symbol or pattern. Three-triangle motif - (三角のモチーフ)

三郎: "Saburo". 三郎 (さぶろう)' is a common Japanese male given name. It is typically written using the kanji characters '三' (san, 'three') and '郎' (rou, 'son'). This name is often given to the third son in a family. Examples: Saburo is my brother's name - (三郎は私の弟の名前です). I met a man named Saburo at the park - (公園で三郎という男性に会いました).

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 "さ" is read as "sa". The hiragana "ん" is read as "n". And The hiragana "み" is read as "mi".

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.