毎 — Kanji Reference

毎 (every, each): 6 strokes, JLPT N5. On: マイ. Kun: none.

japanesekanjin5writing

毎

Property Value
Meaning every, each
Strokes 6
JLPT Level N5
On-reading (音読み) マイ
Kun-reading (訓読み) none
Radical 母 (はは - mother) [U+6BCD]

Stroke Order

The kanji 毎 is written in 6 strokes. Follow the standard rule of top-to-bottom and left-to-right:

  1. Stroke 1: The short horizontal line at the top.
  2. Stroke 2: The vertical line with a hook at the bottom.
  3. Stroke 3: The left dot.
  4. Stroke 4: The right dot.
  5. Stroke 5: The horizontal line connecting the dots.
  6. Stroke 6: The final horizontal line at the bottom.

Note: The radical 母 (mother) is formed by strokes 3 through 6. The two dots inside represent the breasts of a mother, emphasizing the "nurturing" or "recurring" nature of the character.

Radical Analysis

The main radical is 母 (mother). Originally, this character depicted a person with breasts, symbolizing a mother. In 毎, the top part (the horizontal line and the vertical hook) acts as a phonetic or structural modifier, while the "mother" radical provides the base. Over time, the meaning shifted to "every" because a mother's care is constant and recurring.

Mnemonic

Imagine a mother (母) who is so busy that she has to do everything every (毎) single day. She has a "to-do" list that starts with a checkmark at the top (the first two strokes) and then she repeats her chores for her children, day after day.

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

マイ (Mai)

Word Reading Romaji English
毎日 まいにち mainichi every day
毎週 まいしゅう maishū every week
毎年 まいとし maitoshi every year
毎朝 まいあさ maiasa every morning

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

Note: 毎 does not have a standard native Japanese (Kun) reading.

JLPT N5 Words Using 毎

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
毎日 まいにち mainichi every day N5
毎朝 まいあさ maiasa every morning N5
毎晩 まいばん maiban every evening N5
毎週 まいしゅう maishū every week N5
毎月 まいつき maitsuki every month N5
毎年 まいとし maitoshi every year N5
毎度 まいど maido every time N4
毎食 まいしょく maishoku every meal N3

Example Sentences

Japanese Reading Romaji English
私は毎日日本語を勉強します。 わたしはまいにちにほんごをべんきょうします。 Watashi wa mainichi nihongo o benkyō shimasu. I study Japanese every day.
毎朝、コーヒーを飲みます。 まいあさ、こーひーをのみます。 Maiasa, kōhī o nomimasu. I drink coffee every morning.
彼は毎年日本へ行きます。 かれはまいとしにほんへいきます。 Kare wa maitoshi Nihon e ikimasu. He goes to Japan every year.
毎週日曜日にテニスをします。 まいしゅうにちようびにてにすをします。 Maishū nichiyōbi ni tenisu o shimasu. I play tennis every Sunday.
毎晩、本を読んでから寝ます。 まいばん、ほんをよんでからねます。 Maiban, hon o yonde kara nemasu. I read a book every night before sleeping.
毎月、新しい服を買います。 まいつき、あたらしいふくをかいます。 Maitsuki, atarashii fuku o kaimasu. I buy new clothes every month.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji Reading Meaning How to distinguish
毎 マイ Every Has two dots inside the bottom part.
母 はは Mother The base character without the top horizontal/vertical bar.
海 うみ Sea Contains the water radical (氵) on the left.

Usage Frequency Note

毎 is one of the most frequently used kanji in the Japanese language. It is essential for daily communication, appearing in almost every conversation regarding schedules, habits, and time. It is used equally in formal writing and casual speech.