Meanings
- thorn
- pierce
- stab
- prick
- sting
- calling card
Strokes8
JLPT levelN2
School gradeSecondary school
Frequency#1031 of 2,500
Kanji N2
刺: thorn, pierce, stab
刺 is a JLPT N2 kanji meaning thorn, pierce, stab, written with 8 strokes. It is read シ (on) and さす, ささる, さし (kun). It is one of the jōyō kanji taught in secondary school. You will see it in 刺激 (しげき, stimulus) and 名刺 (めいし, business card).
刺
On reading · Kun reading
On reading
- シ
On'yomi: from Chinese, written in katakana. Used in compound words.
Kun reading
- さす
- ささる
- さし
- さし
- とげ
Kun'yomi: native Japanese, in hiragana. The faint part is the okurigana, written in kana after the kanji.
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Every stroke in order, the live one in vermilion. Replay as often as you like.
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0 / 8
Your turn: draw stroke 1 of 8. Start at the dot.
Common words with 刺
The most useful words written with it, easiest first. Every other kanji in them opens its own page.
- JLPT N3
- JLPT N2
- 刺すさすJLPT N2
to pierce; to stab; to prick; to stick
- 刺さるささるJLPT N2
to stick into (of something with a sharp point)
- JLPT N2
- 刺とげJLPT N1
thorn; spine; prickle
- 刺繍ししゅうJLPT N1
embroidery
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Stroke order from KanjiVG © Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0. Readings, meanings and words from KANJIDIC2 and JMdict, names from JMnedict, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0, and Wikidata, CC0. JLPT lists after Jonathan Waller (tanos.co.uk), CC BY.