四し

also: し · よ

よ

ん

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 2,000

Meanings

numeric

The number four. Reading よん is preferred in isolation; し is common in compounds and counting but may be avoided due to its association with death. 肆 is a formal variant used in legal documents.

机つくえの上うえにリンゴが四よっつあります。
There are four apples on the desk.
四し月がつは新しん学がっ期きの始はじまりです。
April is the start of the new school year.

Written forms

四Usage89%
- よん
  Standard kanji spelling; the reading よん is the most common standalone pronunciation.
- し
  Common in counting, compounds, and set phrases; し is avoided in some contexts due to homophony with 死 (death).
- よ
  Rare standalone reading; mostly appears in specific compounds or traditional counting.
４Usage10%
- し
- よん
  Arabic numeral form, common in horizontal writing and informal contexts.
シUsage<1%
しUsage<1%
よUsage<1%
ヨンUsage<1%
ヨUsage0%
肆し
Formal kanji used in legal and financial documents to prevent forgery.

Kanji

四four
肆four

Etymology

Native Japanese numeral; the kanji 四 is a pictograph originally representing a square divided into four parts. The reading よん derives from the native Japanese counting system, while し is the Sino-Japanese reading.

四し