位
位 — Rank
rank, grade, throne, crown, about, some
On’yomiイ (i)
Kun’yomiくらい (kurai)
Kun’yomiぐらい (gurai)
Stroke order (7 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 位
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 上位 | じょうい joui | superior (in rank); top; ranking |
| 単位 | たんい tani | unit (e.g. meters, grams, etc.); denomination; unit (i.e. one comprised of many) |
| 地位 | ちい chii | (social) position; status; standing |
| 首位 | しゅい shui | first place; head position; leading position |
| 一位 | いちい ichii | first place; first rank; units position (of a number) |
| 位置 | いち ichi | place; position; location |
Study notes
位 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 7 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #276 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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