安
| Property |
Value |
| Meaning |
cheap, peaceful |
| Strokes |
6 |
| JLPT Level |
N5 |
| On-reading (音読み) |
アン |
| Kun-reading (訓読み) |
やす-い |
| Radical |
宀 (roof / kanmuri) [U+5B80] |
Stroke Order
The stroke order for 安 follows the standard rule of top-to-bottom and left-to-right.
- Stroke 1: The dot at the top center.
- Stroke 2: The horizontal line starting from the left, turning into a downward stroke on the right (the roof).
- Stroke 3: The dot on the left side inside the roof.
- Stroke 4: The horizontal line inside the roof.
- Stroke 5: The vertical line descending from the center of the horizontal line.
- Stroke 6: The long horizontal base line at the bottom.
Radical Analysis
The radical is 宀 (u-kanmuri), which represents a roof.
The bottom component is 女 (onna), meaning woman.
Mnemonic logic: The image is of a woman sitting peacefully under a roof. When a woman is safe and settled under a roof, she is at peace. Furthermore, if a household is peaceful and stable, life is considered "cheap" or affordable because there is no conflict or chaos to pay for.
Mnemonic
- The "Peaceful Home" Mnemonic: Imagine a woman (女) sitting calmly under a roof (宀). She is completely at peace. Because she is at peace, she doesn't need to buy expensive things to feel happy; she is content with "cheap" (安) and simple living.
On-readings (音読み) with Examples
アン (An)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 安全 |
あんぜん |
anzen |
safety |
| 安心 |
あんしん |
anshin |
relief / peace of mind |
| 安静 |
あんせい |
ansei |
rest / quiet |
| 不安 |
ふあん |
fuan |
anxiety / uneasy |
Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples
やす-い (Yasu-i)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 安い |
やすい |
yasui |
cheap / inexpensive |
| 安らぐ |
やすらぐ |
yasuragu |
to feel at ease / to be peaceful |
JLPT N5 Words Using 安
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
JLPT |
| 安い |
やすい |
yasui |
cheap |
N5 |
| 安全 |
あんぜん |
anzen |
safety |
N5 |
| 安心 |
あんしん |
anshin |
relief |
N5 |
| 不安 |
ふあん |
fuan |
anxiety |
N4 |
| 安物 |
やすもの |
yasumono |
cheap article |
N3 |
| 安価 |
あんか |
anka |
low price |
N2 |
| 安泰 |
あんたい |
antai |
peace / stability |
N1 |
| 安眠 |
あんみん |
anmin |
sound sleep |
N2 |
Example Sentences
| Japanese |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| この店は安いです。 |
このみせはやすいです。 |
Kono mise wa yasui desu. |
This shop is cheap. |
| 安心してください。 |
あんしんしてください。 |
Anshin shite kudasai. |
Please be at ease. |
| 安全が第一です。 |
あんぜんがだいいちです。 |
Anzen ga daiichi desu. |
Safety is number one. |
| 彼は不安を感じています。 |
かれはふあんをかんじています。 |
Kare wa fuan o kanjite imasu. |
He is feeling anxious. |
| 昨夜は安眠できました。 |
さくやはあんみんできました。 |
Sakuya wa anmin dekimashita. |
I slept soundly last night. |
| 心が安らぐ場所です。 |
こころがやすらぐばしょです。 |
Kokoro ga yasuragu basho desu. |
It is a place where my heart feels at peace. |
Common Confusion Pairs
| Kanji |
Reading |
Meaning |
How to distinguish |
| 安 |
アン / やす |
Cheap/Peace |
Has the 女 (woman) radical at the bottom. |
| 宴 |
エン |
Banquet |
Has the 宀 (roof) but a different bottom (日 + 女). It means a party/feast. |
| 案 |
アン |
Plan/Idea |
Has the 木 (tree) radical at the bottom. It means a proposal or draft. |
Usage Frequency Note
安 is an extremely high-frequency kanji. It is one of the first kanji learned by students (N5 level) and appears daily in news, advertisements, and casual conversation. Whether you are talking about the price of goods (安い) or the state of one's mind (安心), this kanji is essential for basic communication in Japanese.