尺
尺 — Shaku
shaku, Japanese foot, measure, scale, rule
On’yomiシャク (shaku)
On’yomiセキ (seki)
Kun’yomiさし (sashi)
Stroke order (4 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 尺
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 尺度 | しゃくど shakudo | gauge; standard; measure |
| 巻尺 | まきじゃく makijaku | tape measure |
| 尺八 | しゃくはち shakuhachi | shakuhachi; end-blown fippleless bamboo flute; blow job |
| 尺 | しゃく shaku | shaku (unit of distance approximately equal to 30.3 cm); rule; measure |
| 三尺 | さんじゃく sanjaku | 3 Japanese feet; waistband; belt |
| 縮尺 | しゅくしゃく shukushaku | reduced scale; scaling down |
Study notes
尺 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 4 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 6), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #1940 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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