歯
歯 — Tooth
tooth, cog
On’yomiシ (shi)
Kun’yomiよわい (yowai)
Kun’yomiは (ha)
Kun’yomiよわい (yowai)
Kun’yomiよわいする (yowaisuru)
Stroke order (12 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 歯
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 歯 | は ha | tooth; teeth; tooth (of a comb, saw, etc.) |
| 歯止め | はどめ hadome | brake; drag; skid |
| 歯科 | しか shika | dentistry |
| 歯科医師 | しかいし shikaishi | dentist |
| 歯切れ | はぎれ hagire | feel when biting; manner of enunciation |
| 虫歯 | むしば mushiba | tooth decay; decayed tooth; dental cavity |
Study notes
歯 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 12 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 3), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #1106 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.