在
在 — Exist
exist, outskirts, suburbs, located in
On’yomiザイ (zai)
Kun’yomiある (aru)
Stroke order (6 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 在
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 現在 | げんざい genzai | the present; present time; now |
| 存在 | そんざい sonzai | existence; being; presence |
| 在住 | ざいじゅう zaijuu | residing; living; dwelling |
| 在日 | ざいにち zainichi | resident in Japan (of a foreigner); situated in Japan (e.g. of an embassy); Zainichi |
| 滞在 | たいざい taizai | stay; sojourn |
| 在る | ある aru | to be; to exist; to live |
Study notes
在 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 6 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #211 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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