沿
沿 — Run alongside
run alongside, follow along, run along, lie along
On’yomiエン (en)
Kun’yomiそう (sou)
Kun’yomi-ぞい (zoi)
Stroke order (8 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 沿
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 沿って | そって sotte | along; by; parallel to |
| 沿岸 | えんがん engan | coast; shore; coastal waters |
| 沿い | ぞい zoi | along (a river, coast, railway, etc.); on (e.g. a street) |
| 沿道 | えんどう endou | roadside; wayside; route |
| 沿線 | えんせん ensen | places alongside a railway line, bus route, major thoroughfare, etc. |
| 川沿い | かわぞい kawazoi | along the river; riverside |
Study notes
沿 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 8 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 6), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #1121 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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