必
必 — Invariably
invariably, certain, inevitable
On’yomiヒツ (hitsu)
Kun’yomiかならず (kanarazu)
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 必
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 必要 | ひつよう hitsuyou | necessary; needed; essential |
| 必ず | かならず kanarazu | always; without exception; necessarily |
| 必要性 | ひつようせい hitsuyousei | necessity; need |
| 必ずしも | かならずしも kanarazushimo | (not) always; (not) necessarily; (not) entirely |
| 必死 | ひっし hisshi | frantic; frenetic; desperate |
| 必着 | ひっちゃく hicchaku | must arrive (no later than; e.g. of an application); must be received; must be delivered |
Study notes
必 is a JLPT N3 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 #265 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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