以
以 — By means of
by means of, because, in view of, compared with
On’yomiイ (i)
Kun’yomiもって (motte)
Stroke order (5 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 以
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 以来 | いらい irai | since; henceforth; ever since |
| 以内 | いない inai | within; inside of; less than |
| 以前 | いぜん izen | before; prior to; ago |
| 以下 | いか ika | not exceeding ...; not more than ...; ... and under |
| 以後 | いご igo | after this; from now on; hereafter |
| 以上 | いじょう ijou | not less than ...; ... and over; ... and above |
Study notes
以 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 5 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #126 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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