JLPT N1 · 9 strokes
Kanji 哉: "how, what, alas"
The kanji 哉 means "how, what, alas, question mark, exclamation mark". It is written with 9 strokes and belongs to JLPT level N1, read サイ in on'yomi and かな, や in kun'yomi.
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
On'yomi (Sino-Japanese reading)
サイ
Kun'yomi (native Japanese reading)
かなや
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
| Meaning | how, what, alas, question mark, exclamation mark |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 9 |
| JLPT level | N1 |
| Taught in Japan | secondary school |
| Frequency rank | outside the 2,501 most frequent |
Common words with 哉
The most frequent words using this kanji, most common first, with furigana readings. Click one to open it in the reader.
Keep going
Read real Japanese, not lists
A kanji list does not teach you to read. KanjiYome puts furigana and a dictionary on any Japanese text, offline, and turns the words you meet into review cards.