一
一 — One
one
On’yomiイチ (ichi)
On’yomiイツ (itsu)
Kun’yomiひと- (hito)
Kun’yomiひとつ (hitotsu)
Stroke order (1 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 一
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一つ | ひとつ hitotsu | one; for one thing; only |
| 一月 | いちがつ ichigatsu | January; first month of the lunar calendar |
| 一般 | いっぱん ippan | general; universal; ordinary |
| 一番 | いちばん ichiban | number one; first; first place |
| 一部 | いちぶ ichibu | one part; one portion; one section |
| 一方 | いっぽう ippou | one (esp. of two); the other; one way |
Study notes
一 is a JLPT N5 kanji written with 1 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 1), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #2 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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