半
| Property |
Value |
| Meaning |
half |
| Strokes |
5 |
| JLPT Level |
N5 |
| On-reading (音読み) |
ハン |
| Kun-reading (訓読み) |
なか-ば |
| Radical |
十 (Jū - ten) [U+5341] |
Stroke Order
The stroke order for 半 follows the standard rule of top-to-bottom and left-to-right.
- Stroke 1: The top horizontal line.
- Stroke 2: The bottom horizontal line (slightly longer than the top).
- Stroke 3: The vertical line passing through the center of the two horizontal lines.
- Stroke 4: The left-slanting stroke (撇) starting from the center vertical line.
- Stroke 5: The right-slanting stroke (捺) starting from the center vertical line.
Radical Analysis
The radical is 十 (ten). In this kanji, the radical represents a whole that is being divided. The character depicts an object (represented by the two horizontal lines and the vertical line) being split into two parts by the two outer strokes. It visually represents the concept of "splitting" or "halving" something.
Mnemonic
Imagine a cleaver (the vertical line) coming down to chop a block of wood (the two horizontal lines) into two pieces. The two slanted strokes at the bottom are the two halves falling away from each other.
On-readings (音読み) with Examples
ハン (Han)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 半分 |
はんぶん |
hanbun |
half |
| 半年 |
はんとし |
hantoshi |
half a year |
| 半日 |
はんにち |
hannichi |
half a day |
| 半額 |
はんがく |
hangaku |
half price |
Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples
なか-ば (Nakaba)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 半ば |
なかば |
nakaba |
middle, halfway |
| 半ば過ぎ |
なかばすぎ |
nakabasugi |
past the middle |
JLPT N5 Words Using 半
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
JLPT |
| 半分 |
はんぶん |
hanbun |
half |
N5 |
| 半年 |
はんとし |
hantoshi |
half a year |
N5 |
| 三時半 |
さんじはん |
sanji-han |
3:30 |
N5 |
| 半額 |
はんがく |
hangaku |
half price |
N4 |
| 半島 |
はんとう |
hantou |
peninsula |
N3 |
| 半分 |
はんぶん |
hanbun |
half |
N5 |
| 半袖 |
はんそで |
hansode |
short sleeves |
N3 |
| 半透明 |
はんとうめい |
hantoumei |
translucent |
N2 |
Example Sentences
| Japanese |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| ケーキを半分に切る。 |
ケーキをはんぶんにきる。 |
Kēki o hanbun ni kiru. |
Cut the cake in half. |
| 今、三時半です。 |
いま、さんじはんです。 |
Ima, sanji-han desu. |
It is 3:30 now. |
| 計画は半ばまで進んだ。 |
けいかくはなかばまですすんだ。 |
Keikaku wa nakaba made susunda. |
The plan is halfway done. |
| 半額セールに行こう。 |
はんがくセールにいこう。 |
Hangaku sēru ni ikou. |
Let's go to the half-price sale. |
| 半年ぶりに会った。 |
はんとしぶりにあった。 |
Hantoshi-buri ni atta. |
We met for the first time in half a year. |
| 彼は半信半疑だった。 |
かれははんしんはんぎだった。 |
Kare wa hanshin-hangi datta. |
He was half-doubting. |
Common Confusion Pairs
| Kanji |
Reading |
Meaning |
How to distinguish |
| 半 |
ハン |
Half |
The vertical line goes all the way through. |
| 羊 |
ヨウ |
Sheep |
The top is a dot and two horizontal lines; the vertical line does not cross the top. |
| 平 |
ヘイ |
Flat/Peace |
The top is a dot and a horizontal line; the bottom is a different structure (干). |
Usage Frequency Note
半 is an extremely high-frequency kanji. It is essential for daily life, appearing constantly when telling time (e.g., 2:30), discussing quantities, or reading prices. It is used in both formal writing and casual speech. You will encounter it daily in almost any context involving numbers or measurements.