千
| Property |
Value |
| Meaning |
thousand |
| Strokes |
3 |
| JLPT Level |
N5 |
| On-reading (音読み) |
セン |
| Kun-reading (訓読み) |
ち |
| Radical |
十 (ten) [U+5341] |
Stroke Order
The kanji 千 is written in 3 strokes following the standard rule of horizontal strokes before vertical strokes:
- Stroke 1: A short horizontal stroke (ノ-like slant) starting from the top left.
- Stroke 2: A horizontal stroke starting from the left, crossing through the first stroke.
- Stroke 3: A vertical stroke drawn downwards through the center of the horizontal line.
Radical Analysis
The radical for 千 is 十 (じゅう, jū), meaning "ten."
Historically, 千 is a combination of the character 人 (person) and 一 (one) with a horizontal line added to the person, suggesting a person with a mark indicating a large quantity. In modern analysis, it is viewed as "ten" (十) with a small dash added to the top to multiply it into "a thousand."
Mnemonic
- The "Ten" Multiplier: Imagine the character 十 (ten). If you add a small "flag" (the first stroke) to the top, it signals that this is a much bigger number—a thousand.
- The Person: Think of a person (人) standing tall with a horizontal bar across their shoulders, carrying a heavy load of one thousand gold coins.
On-readings (音読み) with Examples
セン (sen)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 千円 |
せんえん |
sen-en |
1,000 yen |
| 千人 |
せんにん |
sennin |
1,000 people |
| 千年 |
せんねん |
sennen |
1,000 years |
| 千万 |
せんまん |
senman |
ten million / countless |
Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples
ち (chi)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 千代 |
ちよ |
chiyo |
a thousand generations |
| 千尋 |
ちひろ |
chihiro |
a thousand fathoms (very deep) |
JLPT N5 Words Using 千
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
JLPT |
| 千 |
せん |
sen |
1,000 |
N5 |
| 千円 |
せんえん |
sen-en |
1,000 yen |
N5 |
| 三千 |
さんぜん |
sanzen |
3,000 |
N5 |
| 八千 |
はっせん |
hassen |
8,000 |
N5 |
| 千人 |
せんにん |
sennin |
1,000 people |
N5 |
| 千年 |
せんねん |
sennen |
1,000 years |
N5 |
| 二千 |
にせん |
nisen |
2,000 |
N5 |
| 五千 |
ごせん |
gosen |
5,000 |
N5 |
Example Sentences
| Japanese |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| この本は千円です。 |
このほんはせんえんです。 |
Kono hon wa sen-en desu. |
This book is 1,000 yen. |
| 会場には千人以上の人がいました。 |
かいじょうにはせんにんいじょうのひとがいました。 |
Kaijō ni wa sennin ijō no hito ga imashita. |
There were over 1,000 people at the venue. |
| 三千円を貸してください。 |
さんぜんえんをかしてください。 |
Sanzen-en o kashite kudasai. |
Please lend me 3,000 yen. |
| 彼は千回も練習しました。 |
かれはせんかいもれんしゅうしました。 |
Kare wa senkai mo renshū shimashita. |
He practiced 1,000 times. |
| 千年も前の話です。 |
せんねんもまえのはなしです。 |
Sennen mo mae no hanashi desu. |
It is a story from 1,000 years ago. |
| 富士山の高さは約三千七百メートルです。 |
ふじさんのたかさはやくさんぜんななひゃくメートルです。 |
Fujisan no takasa wa yaku sanzen nanahyaku mētoru desu. |
The height of Mt. Fuji is about 3,700 meters. |
Common Confusion Pairs
| Kanji |
Reading |
Meaning |
How to distinguish |
| 千 |
セン |
thousand |
Has a small slanted stroke at the top. |
| 干 |
カン |
dry / shield |
The top stroke is horizontal, not slanted; the bottom is wider. |
| 于 |
ウ |
at / in |
The top stroke is a vertical hook, not a horizontal dash. |
Usage Frequency Note
千 is a high-frequency kanji used daily in Japan. It appears constantly in financial transactions (prices, bank notes), measurements, and general counting. Because it is a basic number, it is one of the first kanji learned by students and is essential for basic communication.