指
指 — Finger
finger, point to, indicate, put into, play (chess), measure (ruler)
On’yomiシ (shi)
Kun’yomiゆび (yubi)
Kun’yomiさす (sasu)
Kun’yomi-さし (sashi)
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 指
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 指導 | しどう shidou | guidance; leadership; instruction |
| 指揮 | しき shiki | command; direction; supervision |
| 指定 | してい shitei | designation; specification; assignment |
| 指名 | しめい shimei | naming; nominating; designating |
| 指示 | しじ shiji | indication; denotation; designation |
| 指摘 | してき shiteki | pointing out; identification |
Study notes
指 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 #155 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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