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Kotomora

辛

spicy, bitter, hot, acrid

JLPTN2StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes7

Readings

On'yomi

  • シン

Kun'yomi

  • から.い
  • つら.い
  • -づら.い
  • かのと

Meaning

辛 centers on a sharp, piercing sensation: spicy heat, bitterness, or acrid taste, and by extension emotional harshness or difficulty.

Most common words using 辛

20 of 92
  • 辛いからい
    N5

    spicy; hot

  • 辛いつらい
    N3

    painful; bitter; heart-breaking; difficult (emotionally)

  • 辛いづらい

    difficult to ... (physically or emotionally); hard to ...

  • 辛かのと

    8th in rank; eighth sign of the Chinese calendar

  • 唐辛子とうがらし
    N1

    capsicum (Capsicum annuum, esp. the cultivated chili peppers); chili pepper (chile, chilli); cayenne; red pepper

  • 辛口からくち
    N1

    dry taste (e.g. sake, wine)

  • 辛うじてかろうじて
    N1

    barely; narrowly; only just; with difficulty

  • 辛抱しんぼう
    N2

    patience; endurance; perseverance

  • 香辛料こうしんりょう
    N1

    spice; spices; condiment

  • 辛辣しんらつ

    bitter (e.g. criticism); sharp; biting; severe; scathing; harsh

  • 激辛げきから

    extremely spicy; fiery hot

  • 塩辛しおから

    shiokara; paste made from salted fermented seafood (squid, fish entrails, etc.)

  • 辛味からみ
    N2

    hot taste; sharp taste; pungent taste; salty taste

  • 辛子からし
    N1

    mustard

  • 世知辛いせちがらい

    tough (world); hard (times); cold

  • 甘辛あまから

    sweetness and saltiness; salted and sweetened taste

  • 辛みつらみ

    pent-up resentment; grudges and hard feelings

  • 辛酸しんさん

    hardships; privation

  • 塩辛いしおからい
    N3

    salty (taste); briny

  • 辛くもからくも

    barely; narrowly; with difficulty

Explore all words using 辛 →

Study

Etymology

辛 is a pictograph of a tattooing needle or a tool for punishment, later associated with sharp, bitter, or painful sensations. The modern form retains the pointed, angular shape.

Meaning mnemonic

The shape looks like a sharp needle or a pointed tool. Imagine a needle pricking your tongue, leaving a spicy, bitter, or acrid taste.

Reading mnemonic

For シン, imagine a sharp needle piercing your skin: the thin, sharp pain cues シン (shin), like the shin bone being pricked.