射
射 — Shoot
shoot, shine into, onto, archery
On’yomiシャ (sha)
Kun’yomiいる (iru)
Kun’yomiさす (sasu)
Kun’yomiうつ (utsu)
Stroke order (10 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 射
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 放射性 | ほうしゃせい houshasei | radioactive |
| 放射線 | ほうしゃせん houshasen | radiation |
| 放射能 | ほうしゃのう houshanou | radioactivity; radiation; radioactive material |
| 発射 | はっしゃ hassha | firing (esp. a rocket or missile); launching; shooting |
| 注射 | ちゅうしゃ chuusha | injection; jab; shot |
| 射程 | しゃてい shatei | range (of a rifle, missile, etc.) |
Study notes
射 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 10 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 6), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #937 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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