臣
臣 — Retainer
retainer, subject
On’yomiシン (shin)
On’yomiジン (jin)
Kun’yomi—
Stroke order (7 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 臣
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 大臣 | だいじん daijin | cabinet minister |
| 総理大臣 | そうりだいじん souridaijin | prime minister (as the head of a cabinet government); premier |
| 忠臣 | ちゅうしん chuushin | loyal retainer; loyal subject |
| 国務大臣 | こくむだいじん kokumudaijin | minister of state; cabinet minister (in Japan) |
| 内大臣 | ないだいじん naidaijin | Lord Keeper of the Privy Seal (1885-1945); Minister of the Interior (669-1868) |
| 家臣 | かしん kashin | vassal; retainer |
Study notes
臣 is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 7 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #1249 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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