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Kotomora

千

thousand

JLPTN5StatusJōyō · grade 1FrequencyTop 200Strokes3

Readings

On'yomi

  • セン

Kun'yomi

  • ち

Nanori

  • かず
  • ゆき

Meaning

千 centers on the number one thousand. It is a simple numeral with no extended abstract meanings.

Most common words using 千

20 of 293
  • 千せん
    N5

    thousand; 1,000

  • 千葉ちば

    Chiba (city, prefecture)

  • 千尋せんじん

    great depth; bottomless

  • 千代ちよ

    thousand years; thousand generations; thousand ages; eternity

  • 千里せんり

    1000 ri; (a) long distance

  • 千秋せんしゅう

    thousand years; many years

  • 千歳ちとせ

    thousand years; millennium; eternity

  • 千鳥ちどり

    plover

  • 千秋楽せんしゅうらく

    final day of a performance; closing date; final show

  • 千早ちはや

    thin, white ceremonial haori worn by miko

  • 八千代やちよ

    very long period; forever

  • 千草ちぐさ

    great variety of flowering plants

  • 千切りせんぎり

    finely cut strips (of vegetables); shredded vegetables

  • 千里眼せんりがん

    clairvoyance; second sight

  • 一攫千金いっかくせんきん

    getting rich quick; making a killing; making a fortune at a single stroke

  • 一騎当千いっきとうせん

    being a match for a thousand; being a mighty warrior (combatant, player)

  • 針千本はりせんぼん

    porcupinefish (Diodon holacanthus); balloonfish

  • 千手観音せんじゅかんのん

    thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara; thousand-armed Kannon

  • 千島ちしま

    Kurile Islands

  • 千葉大学ちばだいがく

    Chiba University

Explore all words using 千 →

Study

Etymology

千 is a pictograph of a person with a line across the legs, originally representing a large number. The modern form is simplified but retains the basic shape.

Meaning mnemonic

The top stroke looks like a one, and the rest resembles a cross or a person. Think of one thousand as a big number marked by a single stroke.

Reading mnemonic

For セン, imagine a thousand yen bill with the number 千 on it: 千 yen -> セン.