手
手 — Hand
hand
On’yomiシュ (shu)
On’yomiズ (zu)
Kun’yomiて (te)
Kun’yomiて- (te)
Kun’yomi-て (te)
Kun’yomiた- (ta)
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 手
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 手 | て te | hand; arm; forepaw |
| 選手 | せんしゅ senshu | player (of a sport); athlete; team member |
| 選手権 | せんしゅけん senshuken | championship; title (of champion); championship game |
| 相手 | あいて aite | companion; partner; company |
| 大手 | おおて oote | major company; big company; front castle gate |
| 投手 | とうしゅ toushu | pitcher |
Study notes
手 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 4 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 1), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #60 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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