Kanji N3

際: occasion, side, edge

際 is a JLPT N3 kanji meaning occasion, side, edge, written with 14 strokes. It is read サイ (on) and きわ (kun). Children in Japan learn it in grade 5. You will see it in 国際 (こくさい, international) and 実際 (じっさい, reality).

際

Meanings

  • occasion
  • side
  • edge
  • verge
  • dangerous
  • adventurous
  • indecent
  • time
  • when
Strokes14
JLPT levelN3
School gradeGrade 5
Frequency#183 of 2,500

On reading · Kun reading

On reading
  • サイ

On'yomi: from Chinese, written in katakana. Used in compound words.

Kun reading
  • きわ
  • -ぎわ

Kun'yomi: native Japanese, in hiragana. The faint part is the okurigana, written in kana after the kanji.

Watch the stroke order

Every stroke in order, the live one in vermilion. Replay as often as you like.

1234567891011121314

Now draw it

Trace each stroke in order. Wrong direction or wrong order gets flagged right away.

12345678910111213140 / 14

Your turn: draw stroke 1 of 14. Start at the dot.

Common words with 際

The most useful words written with it, easiest first. Every other kanji in them opens its own page.

  • 国際こくさい

    international

    JLPT N4
  • 実際じっさい

    reality; actuality; truth; fact

    JLPT N3
  • 際さい

    occasion; time; circumstances; (in) case (of)

    JLPT N3
  • 交際こうさい

    company; friendship; association; society

    JLPT N3
  • 手際てぎわ

    skill; ability; dexterity

    JLPT N1
  • 国際的こくさいてき

    international; worldwide; cross-border

  • 国際化こくさいか

    internationalization; internationalisation

  • 間際まぎわ

    the point just before ...; the point of (doing)

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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; the Spanish meanings they lack, translated by Naraio from their English, are shared under the same licence. Example sentences from Tatoeba, CC BY 2.0 FR. JLPT lists after Jonathan Waller (tanos.co.uk), CC BY. Sentences split into words with IPADIC © NAIST and IPA, through Lindera.