ChiramiN4 kanji · 12 strokes
寒 means cold
寒
寒Real origin
It began as a person wrapped in straw inside a house, with ice below: cold.
Real origin: where the kanji comes from, as far as scholars agree.
Meaning and readings
- Meaning
- cold
- JLPT level
- N4
- Strokes
- 12
- School grade
- Grade 3 in Japan
Japanese (kunyomi) さむい samui
さむい (samui) is the Japanese word for this kanji. You use it when the kanji stands alone or has kana after it. Dictionaries call this the kun reading.
From Chinese (onyomi) カン kan
カン (kan) came from Chinese with the character. You mostly hear it in words made of several kanji. Dictionaries call this the on reading.
Tap a reading to see when it's used. Why kanji have two kinds of reading: onyomi vs kunyomi.
Common word
寒い さむい · samui
cold
Built from
- 宀 roof
- 一 one
- 八 eight, split apart
- 丶 dot
- 井 well
Tap a part to see the N5 and N4 kanji that use it.
Quick check
What does 寒 mean?
Right: 寒 means cold.Not quite: 寒 means cold.In 寒い, which reading does 寒 use?
Right. 寒い is read さむい (samui): 寒 takes さむ, its Japanese reading, with い after it.Not quite. 寒い is read さむい (samui): 寒 takes さむ, its Japanese reading, with い after it.