百 — Kanji Reference
百 (hundred): 6 strokes, JLPT N5. On: ヒャク. Kun: none.
百
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Meaning | hundred |
| Strokes | 6 |
| JLPT Level | N5 |
| On-reading (音読み) | ヒャク |
| Kun-reading (訓読み) | none |
| Radical | 白 (shiro - white) [U+767D] |
Stroke Order
The stroke order follows the standard rules of top-to-bottom and left-to-right.
- Stroke 1: The horizontal line at the top.
- Stroke 2: The vertical line on the left.
- Stroke 3: The horizontal line connecting the top and the right side.
- Stroke 4: The horizontal line inside the box.
- Stroke 5: The horizontal line inside the box.
- Stroke 6: The final horizontal line closing the bottom of the box.
Radical Analysis
The kanji 百 is composed of the radical 白 (white) with an additional horizontal stroke (一) on top. Historically, this kanji is a derivative of "white." Some etymological theories suggest that the top line represents a "one" (一) added to "white" (白) to signify a large, round number, or that it evolved from a pictograph of a seed or a counting tally.
Mnemonic
Imagine a white (白) flag with one (一) extra stripe on it. If you see this flag, you know you have reached the hundred-meter mark of the race!
On-readings (音読み) with Examples
ヒャク (Hyaku)
| Word | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 百 | ひゃく | hyaku | hundred |
| 百科事典 | ひゃっかじてん | hyakka jiten | encyclopedia |
| 百貨店 | ひゃっかてん | hyakka ten | department store |
| 百分率 | ひゃくぶんりつ | hyaku bun ritsu | percentage |
Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples
There are no standard Kun-readings for this kanji.
JLPT N5 Words Using 百
| Word | Reading | Romaji | English | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 百 | ひゃく | hyaku | hundred | N5 |
| 三百 | さんびゃく | sanbyaku | three hundred | N5 |
| 六百 | ろっぴゃく | roppyaku | six hundred | N5 |
| 八百 | はっぴゃく | happyaku | eight hundred | N5 |
| 百円 | ひゃくえん | hyaku en | 100 yen | N5 |
| 百貨店 | ひゃっかてん | hyakka ten | department store | N4 |
| 百科事典 | ひゃっかじてん | hyakka jiten | encyclopedia | N3 |
Example Sentences
| Japanese | Reading | Romaji | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| 百円ショップに行きます。 | ひゃくえんショップに いきます。 | Hyaku en shoppu ni ikimasu. | I am going to the 100-yen shop. |
| この本は三百ページあります。 | この ほんは さんびゃく ぺーじ あります。 | Kono hon wa sanbyaku pēji arimasu. | This book has 300 pages. |
| 彼は百メートルを走りました。 | かれは ひゃくめーとるを はしりました。 | Kare wa hyaku mētoru o hashirimashita. | He ran 100 meters. |
| 百貨店で買い物をしました。 | ひゃっかてんで かいものを しました。 | Hyakkaten de kaimono o shimashita. | I went shopping at the department store. |
| 六百人が集まりました。 | ろっぴゃくにんが あつまりました。 | Roppyaku nin ga atsumarimashita. | Six hundred people gathered. |
| 百聞は一見に如かず。 | ひゃくぶん は いっけんに しかず。 | Hyakubun wa ikken ni shikazu. | Seeing is believing (lit: hearing 100 times is not as good as seeing once). |
Common Confusion Pairs
| Kanji | Reading | Meaning | How to distinguish |
|---|---|---|---|
| 百 | ヒャク | Hundred | Has a horizontal line on top of 白. |
| 白 | ハク / しろ | White | Lacks the top horizontal line. |
| 日 | ニチ / ひ | Sun/Day | The middle line does not touch the sides like in 白. |
Usage Frequency Note
百 is an extremely high-frequency kanji. It is one of the first numbers learned by students and appears daily in prices, measurements, and counting. It is used in both formal business contexts (e.g., hyakkaten) and casual daily life (e.g., hyaku-en).