際
際 — Occasion
occasion, side, edge, verge, dangerous, adventurous
On’yomiサイ (sai)
Kun’yomiきわ (kiwa)
Kun’yomi-ぎわ (giwa)
Stroke order (14 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 際
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 国際 | こくさい kokusai | international; diplomatic intercourse |
| 国際的 | こくさいてき kokusaiteki | international; worldwide; cross-border |
| 実際 | じっさい jissai | reality; actuality; truth |
| 国際化 | こくさいか kokusaika | internationalization; internationalisation |
| 際 | さい sai | occasion; time; circumstances |
| 国際法 | こくさいほう kokusaihou | international law; law of nations |
Study notes
際 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 14 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 5), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #183 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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