私
私 — Private
private, I, me
On’yomiシ (shi)
Kun’yomiわたくし (watakushi)
Kun’yomiわたし (watashi)
Stroke order (7 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 私
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 私 | わたし watashi | I; me |
| 私立 | しりつ shiritsu | private (establishment) |
| 私邸 | してい shitei | private residence |
| 私的 | してき shiteki | private; personal |
| 私鉄 | してつ shitetsu | private railway |
| 公私 | こうし koushi | public and private matters; official and personal affairs; professional and personal lives |
Study notes
私 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 7 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 6), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #242 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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