矢
矢 — Dart
dart, arrow
On’yomiシ (shi)
Kun’yomiや (ya)
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 矢
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 矢 | や ya | arrow; wedge; chock |
| 矢先 | やさき yasaki | arrowhead; target of a flying arrow; brunt (of an attack) |
| 矢印 | やじるし yajirushi | arrow (symbol); (romantic) interest (for a certain person); direction (of one's attention, etc.) |
| 矢面 | やおもて yaomote | firing line; position where one is subject to questioning, criticism, etc.; in front of a flying arrow (fired by the enemy) |
| 矢継ぎ早 | やつぎばや yatsugibaya | rapid succession (e.g. questions) |
| 一矢 | いっし isshi | one arrow; retort |
Study notes
矢 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 5 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 2), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #1294 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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