安 — how to write the kanji for “relax”
安 means “relax”, “cheap” and “low”; it is a JLPT N4 kanji, taught in third grade in Japan. In newspapers it is the 144th most used kanji. It is also where hiragana あ came from. Its parts sit stacked: 宀 (“roof”, its radical), strokes 1–3; 女 (“woman”), strokes 4–6, each finished before the next. Its common words take the reading an: 安保 (“security”), 安全 (“safety”), 不安 (“anxiety”) and 安定 (“stability”). Chinese reads it ān, “calm”, at HSK 3.
- Strokes
- 6
- JLPT
- N4
- Radical
- 宀 (“roof”)
- On
- アン
- Kun
- やす·まる, やす·い, やす
Stroke by stroke
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- Vertical ㇑topdownwards
- Dot ㇔top leftdownwards
- Horizontal hook ㇖top leftrightwards → down and left
- Left-falling then dot ㇛topdownwards → down and right
- Left-falling stroke ㇒rightdown and left
- Horizontal ㇐leftrightwards
Japanese and Chinese
Japanese and Chinese draw all 6 strokes in the same order and direction, by our stroke-by-stroke comparison.
Kana from 安
- Hiragana あ, cursive of the whole kanji
Trace it
Follow the numbers. Tracing help
Readings
- On (Chinese-derived)
- アン an
- Kun (native)
- やす·まる yasu-maru, やす·い yasu-i (rare), やす yasu (rare), やす·らか yasu-raka (rare)
- Meanings
- relax; cheap; low; quiet; rested; contented
- Read an
- 安保 安全 不安 安定 安全保障 慰安
- School year
- third grade
- Newspaper rank
- 144th of 2,500 (KANJIDIC2)
- Korean hanja
- 안 an
- Common words
- 41 in JMdict
Words with 安
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 安保 | あんぽ anpo | security; US-Japan Security Treaty |
| 安全 | あんぜん anzen | safety; security |
| 不安 | ふあん fuan | anxiety; uneasiness |
| 安定 | あんてい antei | stability; steadiness |
| 安全保障 | あんぜんほしょう anzenhoshou | (guarantee of) security |
| 慰安 | いあん ian | solace; relaxation |
| 安打 | あんだ anda | safe hit |
| 治安 | ちあん chian | public order; public peace |
| 保安 | ほあん hoan | peace preservation; security |
| 安心 | あんしん anshin | peace of mind; relief |
Most common first (JMdict).
Practice sheet
Print at 100%. Several kanji: worksheet maker.
Keep going
Same parts:
JLPT N4, in list order: