Kanji 丑: "sign of the ox or cow, 1-3AM, second sign of Chinese zodiac"

Stroke order

Strokes are written in the order of the numbers. The order is not decorative: it is what gives the character its balance, and it is also how handwriting search works in Japanese dictionaries.

Readings

In a kun'yomi reading, the dot separates the kanji from its okurigana: かた.る is read かたる and written 語る. A hyphen marks a bound position, like -び in 日.

At a glance

Common words with 丑

The most frequent words using this kanji, most common first, with furigana readings. Click one to open it in the reader.

• 丑うしthe Ox (second sign of the Chinese zodiac) · hour of the Ox (around 2am, 1-3am, or 2-4am)
• 丑うし三みつ時どきdead of night; middle of the night; midnight · third quarter of the hour of the ox (2-2:30am, or 3-3:30am)
• 丑うしの刻こく参まいりcursing ritual where one visits a shrine at 2am and nails a doll representing a person to a tree, praying for said person's death
• 草くさ木きも眠ねむる丑うし三みつ時どきdead of night (when even the trees and plants sleep)
• 土ど用ようの丑うしの日ひmidsummer day of the ox (traditionally marked by eating eel)
• 丑うしの日ひday of the Ox (esp. in midsummer or midwinter)
• 己つちのと丑うしEarth Ox (26th term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1949, 2009, 2069)
• 癸みずのと丑うしWater Ox (50th term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1913, 1973, 2033)
• 乙きのと丑うしWood Ox (2nd term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1925, 1985, 2045)
• 丁丑Fire Ox (14th term of the sexagenary cycle, e.g. 1937, 1997, 2057)
• 丑うし年どしyear of the Ox
• 土ど用よう丑うしの日ひmidsummer day of the ox (traditionally marked by eating eel)

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