相
相 — Inter-
inter-, mutual, together, each other, minister of state, councillor
On’yomiソウ (sou)
On’yomiショウ (shou)
Kun’yomiあい- (ai)
Stroke order (9 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 相
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 外相 | がいしょう gaishou | Foreign Minister |
| 首相 | しゅしょう shushou | prime minister; chancellor (Germany, Austria, etc.); premier |
| 相手 | あいて aite | companion; partner; company |
| 相談 | そうだん soudan | consultation; discussion; discussing |
| 蔵相 | ぞうしょう zoushou | Minister of Finance |
| 相互 | そうご sougo | mutual; reciprocal |
Study notes
相 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 9 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 3), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #45 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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