機
機 — Loom
loom, mechanism, machine, airplane, opportunity, potency
On’yomiキ (ki)
Kun’yomiはた (hata)
Stroke order (16 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 機
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 危機 | きき kiki | crisis; critical situation; emergency |
| 機関 | きかん kikan | engine; agency; organisation |
| 機構 | きこう kikou | mechanism; machinery; system |
| 機能 | きのう kinou | function; facility; faculty |
| 機会 | きかい kikai | chance; opportunity; occasion |
| 機械 | きかい kikai | machine; mechanism; instrument |
Study notes
機 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 16 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #127 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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