氏
氏 — Family name
family name, surname, clan
On’yomiシ (shi)
Kun’yomiうじ (uji)
Kun’yomi-うじ (uji)
Stroke order (4 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 氏
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 氏名 | しめい shimei | (full) name; identity |
| 同氏 | どうし doushi | the said person; he; she |
| 両氏 | りょうし ryoushi | both persons |
| 氏 | し shi | Mr; Mrs; Ms |
| 源氏 | げんじ genji | Genji (the character in the Genji Monogatari); the Minamoto family |
| 氏族 | しぞく shizoku | clan; family |
Study notes
氏 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 4 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 4), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #84 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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