水 — Kanji Reference

水 (water): 4 strokes, JLPT N5. On: スイ. Kun: みず.

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水

Property Value
Meaning water
Strokes 4
JLPT Level N5
On-reading (音読み) スイ
Kun-reading (訓読み) みず
Radical 水 (mizu) U+6C34

Stroke Order

The kanji 水 is written in 4 strokes. Follow the standard rule of top-to-bottom and left-to-right:

  1. Stroke 1: The vertical hook (tate-hane) in the center.
  2. Stroke 2: The short diagonal stroke on the upper left.
  3. Stroke 3: The long diagonal stroke on the lower left.
  4. Stroke 4: The sweeping stroke on the right side.

Radical Analysis

The kanji 水 is a pictograph representing the flow of water. It is its own radical (部首: 水). When used as a component on the left side of other kanji, it transforms into the "sanzui" (氵) radical, which always indicates that the character relates to liquids or water (e.g., 海 - sea, 池 - pond).

Mnemonic

Imagine the central vertical line is a waterfall flowing down. The two strokes on the left and the two on the right are the splashes of water spraying out from the sides of the stream.

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

スイ (Sui)

Word Reading Romaji English
水曜日 すいようび Suiyōbi Wednesday
水泳 すいえい Suiei Swimming
水道 すいどう Suidō Water supply/tap water
水分 すいぶん Suibun Moisture/water content

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

みず (Mizu)

Word Reading Romaji English
水 みず Mizu Water
水たまり みずたまり Mizutamari Puddle
冷水 れいすい Reisui Cold water

JLPT N5 Words Using 水

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
水 みず Mizu Water N5
水曜日 すいようび Suiyōbi Wednesday N5
水泳 すいえい Suiei Swimming N5
水道 すいどう Suidō Water supply N5
飲み水 のみみず Nomimizu Drinking water N5
水着 みずぎ Mizugi Swimsuit N5
水色 みずいろ Mizuiro Light blue N5
洪水 こうずい Kōzui Flood N4

Example Sentences

Japanese Reading Romaji English
水を飲みます。 みずをのみます。 Mizu o nomimasu. I drink water.
今日は水曜日です。 きょうはすいようびです。 Kyō wa suiyōbi desu. Today is Wednesday.
水泳が好きです。 すいえいがすきです。 Suiei ga suki desu. I like swimming.
水道水は飲めます。 すいどうすいはのめます。 Suidōsui wa nomemasu. You can drink the tap water.
水着を買いました。 みずぎをかいました。 Mizugi o kaimashita. I bought a swimsuit.
水たまりに落ちました。 みずたまりにおちました。 Mizutamari ni ochimashita. I fell into a puddle.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji Reading Meaning How to distinguish
水 みず Water Has a central hook and symmetrical splashes.
氷 こおり Ice Adds a "dot" (ten) on the top left, indicating "frozen" water.
永 えい Eternity The top dot is a separate stroke; represents the flow of a long river.

Usage Frequency Note

水 is one of the most frequently used kanji in the Japanese language. It appears in daily life constantly, from the days of the week to infrastructure (水道) and nature. It is essential for basic communication and is taught in the first grade of elementary school (Kyōiku kanji).