四 — Kanji Reference

四 (four): 5 strokes, JLPT N5. On: シ. Kun: よ、よ-つ、よっ-つ、よん.

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四

Property Value
Meaning four
Strokes 5
JLPT Level N5
On-reading (音読み) シ
Kun-reading (訓読み) よ、よ-つ、よっ-つ、よん
Radical 囗 (くにがまえ - enclosure) [U+56D7]

Stroke Order

The stroke order for 四 follows the standard rule of top-to-bottom and left-to-right. Note that the "enclosure" is completed after the internal strokes are drawn.

  1. Stroke 1: The left vertical line.
  2. Stroke 2: The top horizontal line and the right vertical line (one continuous stroke).
  3. Stroke 3: The internal left vertical stroke.
  4. Stroke 4: The internal "hook" shape (horizontal then vertical).
  5. Stroke 5: The bottom horizontal line, closing the box.

Radical Analysis

The radical is 囗 (くにがまえ - kunigamae), which represents an enclosure or a boundary. While the modern character 四 looks like a box with two lines inside, its ancient form actually depicted a nose or a breath, but it was later adopted to represent the number four. In modern calligraphy, it is treated as an enclosure containing two internal strokes.

Mnemonic

Imagine a box (the radical 囗). Inside the box, there are two people sitting back-to-back (the two internal strokes). If you count the two people plus the two sides of the box, you get four. Alternatively, think of the shape as a window divided into four panes.

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

シ (shi)

Word Reading Romaji English
四季 しき shiki four seasons
四角 しかく shikaku square
四国 しこく shikoku Shikoku (island)
四方 しほう shihou all directions

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

よ (yo)

  • 四人 (よにん / yonin): four people
  • 四月 (しがつ / shigatsu): April (Note: irregular reading)

よつ (yotsu)

  • 四つ (よっつ / yottsu): four (general counter)

よん (yon)

  • 四時 (よんじ / yonji): four o'clock
  • 四百 (よんひゃく / yonhyaku): four hundred

JLPT N5 Words Using 四

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
四 よん yon four N5
四つ よっつ yottsu four items N5
四人 よにん yonin four people N5
四月 しがつ shigatsu April N5
四時 よんじ yonji four o'clock N5
四百 よんひゃく yonhyaku four hundred N5
四千 よんせん yonsen four thousand N5
四万 よんまん yonman forty thousand N5

Example Sentences

Japanese Reading Romaji English
私は四人兄弟です。 わたしはよにんきょうだいです。 Watashi wa yonin kyoudai desu. I have four siblings.
四月はとても暖かいです。 しがつはとてもあたたかいです。 Shigatsu wa totemo atatakai desu. April is very warm.
箱の中に四つあります。 はこのなかによっつあります。 Hako no naka ni yottsu arimasu. There are four inside the box.
今は四時です。 いまはよじです。 Ima wa yonji desu. It is four o'clock now.
四角いテーブルを買いました。 しかくいテーブルをかいました。 Shikakui teeburu o kaimashita. I bought a square table.
四季の中で春が好きです。 しきのなかではるがすきです。 Shiki no naka de haru ga suki desu. Among the four seasons, I like spring.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji Reading Meaning How to distinguish
四 よん / し four Contains two internal strokes inside a box.
西 にし west Contains the radical for "person" (人) inside the box.
目 め eye Has three horizontal lines inside, not two.

Usage Frequency Note

四 is one of the most frequently used kanji in the Japanese language. It appears daily in dates, times, prices, and counting. Note that in Japanese culture, the number four is often considered unlucky because "shi" (four) sounds like the word for "death" (死). Consequently, you may notice that some hospitals or hotels skip the fourth floor or room number 4.