What is the Kanji for "Young"?

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

The Japanese Kanji for "Young" is "若".

This kanji has 4 readings:

Its kunyomi readings are "Mo" and "Waka".

Its onyomi readings are "Jaku" and "Nyaku".

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 "艹" means "Grass" . And The kanji "右" means "Right" and can be read as "Yuu", "Migi", and "U".

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

What does the kanji "若" mean in japanese?

"若" means "Young".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Sixth Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N3 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

若し: "If" or "Perhaps". The adverb '若し (もし)' can be translated as 'if' or 'perhaps'. It is used to express a hypothetical or conditional situation. For example: If it rains, we will stay inside - (若し雨が降ればわれわれは家の中にいる). Perhaps he will come later - (若し彼はあとで来るかもしれない).

若い: "Young". The Japanese adjective '若い (わかい)' means 'young'. It is used to describe someone or something that is in the early stages of their life or existence. It can be used to describe people, animals, or even objects. For example: He is a young man - (彼は若い男です). The young tree is growing quickly - (若い木が早く育っている).

若者: "Young people". The Japanese noun '若者 (わかもの)' refers to young people, typically those in their teens to early 30s. It can be used to describe a group of young individuals or an individual young person. '若者' carries the connotation of youth, vitality, and energy. For example: Young people today are very tech-savvy - (若者は今日とてもテクノロジーに明るい). The needs of young people should be addressed - (若者のニーズに対応すべきだ).

若しくは: "Or". The Japanese conjunction '若しくは (もしくは)' means 'or'. It is used to express an alternative or a choice between two or more options. This conjunction can be used to connect nouns, verb phrases, or entire sentences. For example: Would you like tea or coffee? - (お茶か コーヒーを　飲みますか). You can eat apples or bananas - (りんごか バナナを　食べられます).

若干: "Slight". The noun '若干 (じゃっかん)' refers to a small, slight, or modest amount. It is often used to indicate a minor or insignificant change or variation. For example: There was a slight delay in the arrival of the package - (荷物の到着がわずかに遅れた). I only need a slight increase in my salary - (私の給料をわずかに上げてほしい).

若々しい: "Youthful". The Japanese adjective '若々しい (わかわかしい)' means 'youthful'. This word describes someone or something that looks or acts young, fresh, or vibrant, despite their actual age. It implies a sense of vitality and energy. For example: She has a youthful appearance for her age - (彼女は年齢に比べて若々しい見た目だ). The politician gave a youthful and energetic speech - (その政治家は若々しくエネルギッシュな演説をした).

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 "じ" is read as "ji". The hiragana "く" is read as "ku". The hiragana "に" is read as "ni". The hiragana "も" is read as "mo". The hiragana "わ" is read as "wa". And The hiragana "か" is read as "ka".

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.