針
針 — Needle
needle, pin, staple, stinger
On’yomiシン (shin)
Kun’yomiはり (hari)
Stroke order (10 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 針
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 方針 | ほうしん houshin | policy; course; plan (of action) |
| 指針 | ししん shishin | needle (compass, gauge, etc.); hand (clock); indicator |
| 針 | はり hari | needle; pin; hook |
| 針金 | はりがね harigane | wire |
| 針路 | しんろ shinro | course; direction |
| 針葉樹 | しんようじゅ shinyouju | conifer; needle-leaved tree |
Study notes
針 is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 10 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 6), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #505 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).
🔊 Tap the big kanji, any reading or any example word to hear it.