JLPT N5 · 5 strokes
Kanji 生: "life, genuine, birth"
The kanji 生 means "life, genuine, birth". It is written with 5 strokes and belongs to JLPT level N5, read セイ, ショウ in on'yomi and い.きる, い.かす, い.ける, う.まれる, うま.れる 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)
セイショウ
Kun'yomi (native Japanese reading)
い.きるい.かすい.けるう.まれるうま.れる
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 | life, genuine, birth |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 5 |
| JLPT level | N5 |
| Taught in Japan | grade 1 |
| Frequency rank | 29 of 2,501 |
Common words with 生
The most frequent words using this kanji, most common first, with furigana readings. Click one to open it in the reader.
- 生きるto live; to exist · to make a living; to subsist
- 生むto give birth; to bear (child); to lay (eggs) · to produce; to yield; to give rise to; to deliver
- 生活life; living · livelihood; (one's) living
- 先生teacher; instructor; master · sensei; title or form of address for a teacher, master, doctor, lawyer, etc.
- 人生(one's) life
- 一生whole life; a lifetime; all through life · (the only, the greatest, etc.) of one's life
- 生徒pupil; student; schoolchild
- 発生occurrence; incidence; outbreak; birth (e.g. of civilization) · generation (of power, heat, etc.); production
- 学生student (esp. a university student)
- 生き物living thing; living creature; animal; life
- 生raw; uncooked; fresh · natural; as it is; unedited; unprocessed
- 生きていくcontinuer à vivre, subsister, s'en sortir
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