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Kotomora

壱

one (in documents)

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 5,000Strokes7

Readings

On'yomi

  • イチ
  • イツ

Kun'yomi

  • ひとつ

Nanori

  • い
  • かず

Meaning

壱 centers on the numeral one, used specifically in formal or legal documents to prevent forgery, similar to writing 'one' as 'one' instead of '1'.

Most common words using 壱

  • 壱岐いき

    Iki (former province located on Iki Island in present-day Nagasaki Prefecture)

  • 壱越いちこつ

    fundamental tone in the traditional Japanese 12-tone scale (approx. D)

  • 壱越調いちこつちょう

    ichikotsu mode (one of the six main gagaku modes)

Explore all words using 壱 →

Study

Etymology

壱 is the modern simplified form of 壹, which originally depicted a gourd or vessel and was borrowed phonetically to represent the number one in formal contexts. The modern form retains the top 士 and simplifies the lower part.

Meaning mnemonic

The top 士 looks like a formal seal, and the lower part 冖 and 匕 resemble a container holding a single item. Picture a sealed document with one official stamp: 壱 means one in documents.

Reading mnemonic

For イチ, imagine an itchy seal on a formal document: itchy -> イチ, and the seal marks the one and only official copy.