自
自 — Oneself
oneself
On’yomiジ (ji)
On’yomiシ (shi)
Kun’yomiみずから (mizukara)
Kun’yomiおのずから (onozukara)
Kun’yomiおのずと (onozuto)
Stroke order (6 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 自
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 自ら | みずから mizukara | oneself; oneself; for oneself |
| 自衛隊 | じえいたい jieitai | Japan Self-Defense Forces; JSDF; self-defence force |
| 自身 | じしん jishin | (one's) self; oneself; yourself |
| 自然 | しぜん shizen | nature; natural; spontaneous |
| 自宅 | じたく jitaku | one's home; one's house |
| 自動車 | じどうしゃ jidousha | car; automobile; motorcar |
Study notes
自 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 6 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 2), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #19 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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