西 — Kanji Reference

西 (west): 6 strokes, JLPT N5. On: セイ、サイ. Kun: にし.

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西

Property Value
Meaning west
Strokes 6
JLPT Level N5
On-reading (音読み) セイ、サイ
Kun-reading (訓読み) にし
Radical 酉 (とり - bird/wine vessel) [U+9149]

Stroke Order

The stroke order for 西 follows the standard rule of top-to-bottom and left-to-right. Note that the "box" shape is formed by the first, second, and fifth strokes.

  1. Stroke 1: Horizontal line at the top.
  2. Stroke 2: Vertical line down the left side, then turning right (the top and left sides of the box).
  3. Stroke 3: Short vertical line inside the box.
  4. Stroke 4: Short horizontal line inside the box.
  5. Stroke 5: Horizontal line closing the bottom of the box.
  6. Stroke 6: Vertical line closing the right side of the box.

Radical Analysis

The radical for 西 is 酉 (とり - tori), which originally depicted a wine vessel. While the modern kanji 西 represents the "west," its etymology is debated. Some scholars suggest it represents a bird returning to its nest at sunset (in the west), while others link it to the shape of a basket or a container. In modern usage, it functions as a simple ideograph for the cardinal direction.

Mnemonic

Imagine 西 is a bird's nest (the box shape) sitting on a branch. As the sun sets in the west, the bird (the lines inside) settles into its nest for the night.

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

セイ (Sei)

Word Reading Romaji English
西洋 せいよう seiyō The West / Western countries
西暦 せいれき seireki Western calendar (A.D.)
関西 かんさい kansai Kansai region

サイ (Sai)

Word Reading Romaji English
西瓜 すいか suika Watermelon (Note: irregular reading)
西欧 せいおう seiō Western Europe
西域 さいいき saiiki Western Regions (historical)

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

にし (Nishi)

Word Reading Romaji English
西側 にしがわ nishigawa West side
西日 にしび nishibi Setting sun / afternoon sun

JLPT N5 Words Using 西

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
西 にし nishi West N5
西側 にしがわ nishigawa West side N4
西洋 せいよう seiyō The West N3
西暦 せいれき seireki Western calendar N3
関西 かんさい kansai Kansai region N3
西口 にしぐち nishiguchi West exit N5
西北 せいほく seihoku Northwest N4
西南 せいなん seinan Southwest N4

Example Sentences

Japanese Reading Romaji English
太陽は西に沈む。 たいようはにしにしずむ。 Taiyō wa nishi ni shizumu. The sun sets in the west.
駅の西口で会いましょう。 えきのにしぐちであいましょう。 Eki no nishiguchi de aimashō. Let's meet at the west exit of the station.
私は関西に住んでいます。 わたしはかんさいにすんでいます。 Watashi wa Kansai ni sunde imasu. I live in the Kansai region.
西洋の文化に興味があります。 せいようのぶんかにきょうみがあります。 Seiyō no bunka ni kyōmi ga arimasu. I am interested in Western culture.
西日は部屋を暑くします。 にしびはへやをあつくします。 Nishibi wa heya o atsuku shimasu. The afternoon sun makes the room hot.
今年は西暦2026年です。 ことしはせいれきにせん26ねんです。 Kotoshi wa seireki nisen-nijūroku-nen desu. This year is 2026 A.D.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji Reading Meaning How to distinguish
西 にし West Has a horizontal line at the bottom of the box.
酒 さけ Sake/Alcohol Contains the radical 酉 on the right, but has a water radical (氵) on the left.
四 よん Four Looks like a box with legs, but the interior is different (two strokes).

Usage Frequency Note

西 is a high-frequency kanji used daily in navigation, geography, and timekeeping. It is essential for reading maps, train station signs (e.g., 西口 - nishiguchi), and historical dates. It is considered a fundamental kanji learned in the first year of Japanese elementary school.