座
座 — Squat
squat, seat, cushion, gathering, sit
On’yomiザ (za)
Kun’yomiすわる (suwaru)
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 座
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 座 | ざ za | seat; place; position |
| 銀座 | ぎんざ ginza | Ginza (district in Tokyo); busy shopping district; bustling location |
| 講座 | こうざ kouza | course (e.g. of lectures); academic university unit (professor, lecturers, etc.) |
| 座長 | ざちょう zachou | chairman; leader of a troupe; proprietor of a theatrical company |
| 口座 | こうざ kouza | account (e.g. bank) |
| 王座 | おうざ ouza | throne; first place; top spot |
Study notes
座 is a JLPT N3 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 #588 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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