次
次 — Next
next, order, sequence
On’yomiジ (ji)
On’yomiシ (shi)
Kun’yomiつぐ (tsugu)
Kun’yomiつぎ (tsugi)
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 次
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 次官 | じかん jikan | vice-minister; undersecretary |
| 事務次官 | じむじかん jimujikan | permanent vice-president; undersecretary; vice-minister |
| 次期 | じき jiki | next term; next period; next version |
| 次長 | じちょう jichou | vice-chief; vice-director; assistant director |
| 次々 | つぎつぎ tsugitsugi | in succession; one by one |
| 次回 | じかい jikai | next time (occasion) |
Study notes
次 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 6 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 3), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #222 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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