三 — Kanji Reference

三 (three): 3 strokes, JLPT N5. On: サン. Kun: み、み-つ、みっ-つ.

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三

Property Value
Meaning three
Strokes 3
JLPT Level N5
On-reading (音読み) サン
Kun-reading (訓読み) み、み-つ、みっ-つ
Radical 一 (いち - one)

Stroke Order

The kanji 三 follows the standard rule of top-to-bottom order. Each horizontal line is written from left to right.

  1. Stroke 1: The top horizontal line (shortest).
  2. Stroke 2: The middle horizontal line (shorter than the bottom, longer than the top).
  3. Stroke 3: The bottom horizontal line (longest).

Note: In calligraphy, the middle stroke is often slightly shorter than the top and bottom to create balance.

Radical Analysis

The radical for 三 is 一 (いち), the "one" radical. In this kanji, the three horizontal lines represent the number three. It is an ideographic kanji (指事文字 - shiji moji), meaning it directly represents a concept through visual symbols rather than combining parts to form a new meaning.

Mnemonic

  • The Layered Cake: Imagine three layers of a cake stacked on top of each other. The top layer is small, the middle is medium, and the bottom is the largest.
  • The Horizon: Imagine three horizons stacked vertically, representing the number three.

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

サン (San)

Word Reading Romaji English
三月 さんがつ sangatsu March
三人 さんにん sannin three people
三百 さんびゃく sanbyaku three hundred
三回 さんかい sankai three times

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

み (Mi)

Word Reading Romaji English
三日 みっか mikka 3rd day of the month
三つ子 みつご mitsugo triplets

みっつ (Mittsu)

Word Reading Romaji English
三つ みっつ mittsu three (general counter)

JLPT N5 Words Using 三

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
三 さん san three N5
三つ みっつ mittsu three things N5
三人 さんにん sannin three people N5
三日 みっか mikka 3rd day / three days N5
三月 さんがつ sangatsu March N5
三百 さんびゃく sanbyaku three hundred N5
三千 さんぜん sanzen three thousand N5
三万円 さんまんえん sanman-en 30,000 yen N5

Example Sentences

Japanese Reading Romaji English
三つリンゴがあります。 みっつりんごがあります。 Mittsu ringo ga arimasu. There are three apples.
今日は三月三日です。 きょうはさんがつみっかです。 Kyō wa sangatsu mikka desu. Today is March 3rd.
三人の友達と遊びます。 さんにんのともだちとあそびます。 Sannin no tomodachi to asobimasu. I will hang out with three friends.
この本は三回読みました。 このほんはさんかいよみました。 Kono hon wa sankai yomimashita. I read this book three times.
三百円を払いました。 さんびゃくえんをはらいました。 Sanbyaku-en o haraimashita. I paid 300 yen.
三千円貸してください。 さんぜんえんかしてください。 Sanzen-en kashite kudasai. Please lend me 3,000 yen.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji Reading Meaning How to distinguish
二 に (ni) two 二 has only two lines; 三 has three.
王 おう (ō) king 王 has a vertical line connecting the three horizontals.

Usage Frequency Note

三 is one of the most frequently used kanji in the Japanese language. It appears in almost every context, from dates and prices to counting objects and people. It is essential for daily communication and is one of the first kanji taught to children and language learners.